A Summary of How Identity, Beliefs, Perceptions, & Reality Interrelate

1) Identity: Who you are based on your unique set of characteristics and attributes that define you as a unique individual.

2) Beliefs: Acceptance that something is true or that something exists. Beliefs aim at truth and try to represent the world as it actually is (objective reality).

3) Perceptions: The expectations you have of your reality, influenced by your motivations, emotions, and past personal experiences.

4) Reality: The sum of all that exists within a system (the universe), as opposed to that which is only imaginary.

The Framework Interrelationships:

A.) Internal & External

The "internal" perspective frames our worldview as individual beings, where we are the centers of our own universe. The "external" end of the spectrum frames the other end of the spectrum where we acknowledge our individual life and experiences are a small fraction of the totality of human existence.

B.) Identity & Beliefs

The relationship between your identity and beliefs is highly interconnected. However, you are NOT your beliefs. Identity is not permanent and can be rewired with self-work. By starting at the level of identity you can create new realities for yourself by building new belief systems. Do NOT build your identity around beliefs.

C.) Beliefs & Perceptions

Beliefs structure our perceptions and worldview, which we adopt (consciously or unconsciously) in our attempt at describing and mapping the world around us and the content of our lives.

The Reticular Activating System (RAS) in the brain filters and controls what you see based on how you are conditioned. If your RAS only reinforces your long-held existing beliefs, then it will keep you from seeing new possibilities and opportunities. If you are unaware of how your RAS is programmed then your autopilot is likely not optimized for growth.

D.) Perceptions & Reality

Reality is objective based on ONE TRUTH, not "my truth" or "your truth," which are just individual subjective interpretations of actual reality.

Perceptions and beliefs influence actions, which in turn "reality" emerges as a by-product of. Reality ties back to 'identity,' which serves as the root point for all human actions. It is human actions that produce the composite of our reality.

The next steps will be to further address the importance of actions or agency, and how they operate within this framework. I will follow up with more in my next post and update the visual illustration of the model.