When something in business or marketing doesn't work the way we want, a very human way to look at it is through strategy. But growth and expansion as a conscious entrepreneur and creator don't rely only on what we consciously do. Under the radar, a big part of what happens is connected to what we are not aware of: our unconscious, which deeply influences us. In this article, discover how even your perception of reality is filtered by your past experiences and unconscious patterns, and what it means for business growth.

Your perception of reality is based on your past

As weird as it sounds, you actually don't see reality as it is. And as an entrepreneur, this is especially tricky. For much of human history, researchers thought that the perception we have of reality was a "from outside in" process. In other words, we would experience reality based on the present moment and what we experience through our senses. In your business, this would, for example, mean that you perceive your interactions with your clients based on their words, facial expressions, needs, and feedback.

But this is not what is actually happening. Neuroscience now shows that our perception of reality is strongly shaped by the opposite direction. Our senses are responsible for correcting errors in the predictions our brains generate. They simply act as redirection and correction. So the perception is not "from outside in" but more the other way around.

Your unconscious filters your reality

So let's go back to the example with your clients. If your perception of reality is not "from outside in", it means that your perception of the interaction with your clients is mainly created through your predictive brain. What you perceive during the interaction with your clients is actually strongly rooted in what you experienced in the past, with other clients, with a previous business, and in your childhood as well. What you observe and experiment with your clients is filtered by your brain, by tones of predictions, and these predictions are based on your past. 

Andy Clark says in his book The Experience Machine: How our Minds Predict and Shape Reality: "All human experience is part phantom - the product of deep-set predictions. We can no more experience the world 'prediction and expectation free' than we could surf without a wave."

The crazy part, for example, when we think about you working with your clients, is that your perception of the interaction is influenced by not only what you perceive from the present interaction, but also what your brain and body learned about emotions, relationships, success, interactions with people, language, and similar experiences. All the experiences and beliefs that are stored in your unconscious, all the emotional patterns, nervous system patterns, and memories, influence your perception of what is happening. Discover more about how the predictive brain functions and how it influences your perceptions, actions and your expansion.