Analyzing my personal perceptions began as a product of my curiosity. This practice typically places me in situations where I have to willingly challenge my own – often strongly held – thoughts and beliefs. This is not an easy process, because when successfully challenged, it shifts the reality of something that at one time I thought I knew for sure.

At the point where new information, or old information seen from a new vantage point, reveals the true reality of a thing, we have an opportunity to shift with it or not. Choosing to hold on to a compromised perception is a lot of work because it means we now have to feed the illusion by convincing ourselves of a false reality.

Feeding the illusion is “smart” in practice, because it gives us, however false, a sense of security. However, it costs us in our growth and consumes valuable energy.

When the reality of something is clear, shifting with better information can be hard. But, continuing to feed the illusion is the definition of insanity.