PERCEPTION IS REALITY
We were incredibly excited to have been invited to serve as the facilitator for the TEDx Westshore Salon event on March 8, 2020. If you're not familiar with TEDx salons, they are smaller scale than regular TEDx events. The salons are created so that attendees will have a greater opportunity to interact and exchange information on the given topic. Some networking naturally occurs, and new relationships organically evolve.
They are a great venue for information exchange. The event was beautifully held at the Godfrey Hotel & Cabanas that overlook Tampa Bay.
Kristin Votta was invited to present on the topic of perception: a foundational concept on which The Votta Group bases some of its core curriculum, such as The Votta Exercise™. As an executive coach, Kristin began hosting Leadership Workshops in small groups, so the TEDx Westshore Salon was the perfect opportunity to facilitate some of our local leaders on subject matter that is core to The Votta Group.
The phrase "perception is reality" was considered the mantra of post-modernists. The concept has been dissected and argued by philosophers ranging from Locke and Descartes to modern-day psychologists who conclude that perception is representational. The Votta Group believes that perception is foundational to how we view the world around us, and Kristin helps clients recognize their "views" vs. "facts." We coach our clients to identify facts based on what is evidentiary.
The Votta Group embraces perception as a powerful tool that significantly influences how we think, which, in turn, influences our behavior. We like to view perception as a lens on our reality—or in Instagram terms: a filter.
As a leadership coach and owner of The Votta Group, Kristin works with executives and business owners to help clients "Achieve New Results": our mantra. We have found that working with clients' perceptions is foundational to helping them with breakthroughs. Often, we find that it's been a client's perception of reality (their lens) that is blocking them from success (as they define success).
The objective of The Votta Group is to help clients discover their "super powers" and utilize actionable strategies to move them toward success. Kristin believes that greatness is within us, and she works with her clients as a facilitator to help them find that greatness to actualize their goals. A recent client wrote, "I've benefited personally and learned tools to help me with my professional career. Kristin is results-oriented and will hold you and your staff accountable."
The 2020 TEDx Westshore Salon topic was based on a TEDSummit, "What reality are you creating for yourself?" presented by Isaac Lidsky. "Reality isn't something you perceive; it's something you create in your mind. Isaac Lidsky learned this profound lesson firsthand when unexpected life circumstances yielded valuable insights. In this introspective, personal talk, he challenges us to let go of excuses, assumptions, and fears, and accept the awesome responsibility of being the creators of our own reality."
Lidsky shared his compelling story that began with explaining how he began to "see" after he became blind, "I learned that what we see is not a universal truth. It is not objective reality. What we see is a unique, personal, virtual reality that is masterfully constructed by our brain…You create your own reality, and you believe it. I believed mine until it broke apart. The deterioration of my eyes shattered the illusion."
In The Votta Group workshops, attendees begin to "see" that fear is often what is holding them back from the success they want to create. However, Kristin goes beyond identifying that fear and leads clients through The Votta Exercise™ that helps them better create actionable strategies. Once they recognize that some of their fears are exaggerated or unreasonable, clients are able to create new constructs that move them toward the success they are seeking.
According to Lidsky, "Your fears distort your reality. Under the warped logic of fear, anything is better than the uncertain. Fear fills the void at all costs, passing off what you dread for what you know, offering up the worst in place of the ambiguous, substituting assumption for reason. Psychologists have a great term for it: awfulizing."
Kristin's coaching not only identifies fears and helps clients define their success, but she also helps clients create structures and strategies that move them toward their goals. One of those structures is often the creation of accountability mechanisms, which Lidsky explains is an outcome of breaking through perceptions created from fear.
"Your fears, your critics, your heroes, your villains -- they are your excuses, rationalizations, shortcuts, justifications, your surrender. They are fictions you perceive as reality. Choose to see through them. Choose to let them go. You are the creator of your reality. With that empowerment comes complete responsibility," said Lidsky.
The Votta Group empowers individuals, business owners, executives, and organizations to create their realities, which lead them on the road to success. It has been a great honor to share the "power of perception" with leaders attending the TEDx Westshore Salon.
As one client wrote, "I recently attended The Votta [Group] Leadership Workshop and then the Advanced Leadership Seminar on Leveraging Generational Differences. It was a life-changing event for me. The Votta Exercise™ is so valuable to use in both my business and personal life. I finally feel like I can view my goals and put structures in place to get results. I didn't clearly "see" that before attending."
