FBC – 378 – What if YOUR perception of the world was just a big fat lie?

What if YOUR perception of the world was just a big fat lie?

What if I told you that everything you have been through in your life was a big fat lie?

Would you believe me? And if indeed, that statement was true, would this mean that everything you have done up until now has been in vain?

Well today, I am going to reveal why EVERYTHING you know about the world is “wrong”.

More importantly, I will explain how you can actually thrive in the world and achieve great success (once you understand 1 simple truth)

All the answers are in today's episode

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I want to tell you about a very revealing experiment, one that I've gone through. But it is something that is going to actually blow your mind when you go through that experience and it makes you realize a few things.

So the first thing and the most important thing is that everybody thinks that they're at the centre of the universe. So please, before you say, no, I'm not selfish, I'm not self-centred and stuff. That's not what I mean. What I mean is your perception and how you see the world.

As far as you know, this is how people see it. So you look up, you see the sky is blue. So sometimes I ask myself, does everybody see the same thing? You know, it's a very interesting question. And I actually got the answer to that question at an interview.

So there was an experiment that I was part of. I was in a group interview. I was going to work on a sales call platform. You have a bunch of people calling people trying to sell them stuff, you know, and so they don't have time to go and interview everybody. And plus, the level of responsibility of this job doesn't necessarily require a lengthy interview process.

So they will actually do group interviews. And at this group interview they had this experiment which was so revealing it was crazy.

What if YOUR perception of the world was just a big fat lie?

So basically we were shown a drawing and asked so what do you see in this picture?

OK, so, half of the room was seeing an old lady on the picture and half of the room was seeing a young lady on the picture. And if you were seeing the old lady, it was impossible for you to see the young lady and vice versa. OK, but it was the same picture. It was just one picture and there were actually two drawings in there.

But depending on who you are, you will see one or the other. That was so revealing for me. I was like, do you know this question of does anybody does everybody see the world as I see it? I started questioning it.

OK, so there are people who have repeated this this experiment, and they've taking it a little further. The guys who were conducting the experiment wanted to see if you could be swayed to one way or another towards the old lady or the young lady somehow.

OK, so after that, what they decided to do was to take the experiment a little bit further. So in one case, they did the exact same thing. So they showed the picture of the old lady to half the room and the picture of the young lady to the other half. And then afterwards they asked people, OK, so what did you what did you see in there?

OK, so obviously results were the same, like ninety five point ninety nine percent of people were seeing what they had been shown right before.

The aim of the experiment was to see how your perception will actually influence the way you communicate. OK, so both parties knew that the other ones were able to see something else. And they were much more open to discussion with the other group to figure out, OK, so where the hell is the old lady?

Now since people knew that there was another option, they were very cooperative and basically saying, OK, can you show me where it is? And in the conversation there was actually a lot of exchanging information.

This basically tells you, since you knew that there was another way of seeing things right, you are more open to discussion to understand where people were coming from. And maybe you could actually see it this way and be like, oh, it makes sense.

And what's fascinating is the more you are stuck in your ways and stuff and the bigger the aha moment is like, oh wow. Yeah, yeah. I can see it now. And you hear people like oh man what.

All this is just to say that as I was saying in the beginning, we just assume that we are the centre of the universe and not in a selfish way just because of our senses. Right. You only see what you see. You cannot be in someone else's head and see what they see and perceive stuff. Right.

So up until today, you might have imagined that the way you perceive the world is how everybody perceives it, but it's not the case when people see very, very different things.

OK, so the point is how you see the world is not actually the world as it is. What you're seeing is who you are, OK, in the sense that it was everything you see is based on your past, your experiences, your fears, your desires, your interpretations and stuff, you know?

That perception of who you are is going in addition to influence how you perceive the world and is also going to influence how you communicate with other people.

OK, so the lesson here is basically to free us to accept the fact that other people will see things differently, OK, and they're probably right in their own mind because in their own world, because of who they are, this is what's happening.
And very often you're both right.

Key Takeaway

Perception is the lens through which you interpret reality, and that lens is shaped entirely by your past experiences, fears, desires, and beliefs. The world you see is not the world as it is. It is a reflection of who you are.

Quotable Insights

How you see the world is not actually the world as it is. What you are seeing is who you are.

Two people can look at the exact same situation and walk away with completely opposite conclusions. That is not a flaw, that is how human perception works.

The moment you accept that other people see things differently, communication becomes a tool instead of a battle.

The perception shift that changed how I run everything

For years I believed the world was fixed and my job was to survive it. The shift that changed my business was realizing the world I react to is mostly a story I tell myself, and I can edit the story. That is not motivational fluff. It is operational. When I stopped believing I had to be in the room for the business to work, I built the systems that let me run 4 companies from 49 countries. The belief came first. The automation followed. I have watched 2,000+ students hit the same wall, and it is almost never a skills problem. It is a perception problem. I talk this through on my Freedom by Choice podcast and go deeper on my Substack. The science is on your side here: the Harvard Business Review has written on how mindset shapes performance, and McKinsey links leader beliefs directly to how organizations adapt. Question one assumption you treat as fixed this week. It is probably a story, and stories can be rewritten.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean that perception is reality?

It means the world you experience is filtered through your past, your fears, and your beliefs. Two people in the same room can walk away with completely different versions of the event. Your perception is your reality, but it is not the only reality.

How does perception affect communication?

When you assume everyone sees the world the way you do, you stop listening. The instant you accept that others have a valid but different view, conversations turn into exchanges of information instead of arguments.

Can you change your perception of the world?

Yes. Perception shifts when you expose yourself to new experiences, new perspectives, and people who think differently than you do. The more you challenge your defaults, the wider your view becomes.

Why do people stuck in their ways struggle to grow?

Because they confuse their perception with the truth. Growth requires admitting that what you see is incomplete. Without that admission, every new idea feels like an attack instead of an opportunity.

About the Author

Martin Ebongue is the founder of martinebongue.com, an online business and lifestyle design blog focused on helping aspiring entrepreneurs build location-independent businesses. Since 2014, he has been creating and scaling online ventures across multiple niches, from digital products and affiliate marketing to SaaS and content platforms, while traveling the world. He shares the real-world strategies, tools, and systems that work, with a particular focus on AI-powered automation for solopreneurs. Follow him on YouTube, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

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