Becoming A Perceptive Person
Perceptive: To be perceptive is to be self-aware, as well as observant and knowledgeable about the world around you. It is to see what’s going on within and without and adequately analyze the how and why.
**Being Perceptive is an essential skill to building the life of your dreams. Find out more about essential character skills and how to build your best life here**
“People learn more from observation than they do from onversation.”
What exactly does it mean to be Perceptive?
Someone who is perceptive regularly notices and understands what is going on within them and around them. They pay attention and form logical conclusions about what they observe.
A perceptive person will know when someone changes something about themselves. They won’t miss it when someone is upset or excited, or get’s a haircut or new outfit. They will notice when some thing changes around them. They’ll know when new businesses open and close. They’ll appreciate a freshly mowed lawn.
They will also know themselves. A perceptive person recognizes their own emotional states and is good at analyzing the causes behind them. A perceptive person understand what their daily habits are and how they impact their quality of life.
Because of this, a perceptive person carries much more responsibility than one who is not perceptive. It is one fault to not notice a problem. It’s another entirely to notice and still do nothing. Regardless, if you want to be a person of quality perceptivity is a skill you must adapt. It’s one you should want to adapt. You’re not really living if you are not fully awake, and being awake means being aware. Being aware means being perceptive.
“Self-awareness involves deep personal honesty. It comes from asking and answering hard questions.”
How perceptive are you currently?
Rate each statement 1-5. 1 being you do not agree at all. 5 being you completely agree:
1. I usually understand why I feel the way I feel.
2. I rarely miss any changes around me.
3. I’m always the first to comment on someone’s appearance or home change.
4. I see people preform acts of kindness every day.
5. I rarely lose chunks of time to daydreams.
Add your scores together for your total score:
Score 0-10: Being perceptive is not a priority for you. You probably spend most of your time lost in your own world or some form of escapism. Maybe you think the world is too much to deal with (I promise there’s just as much beauty as there is pain, probably significantly more even)
Score 11-19: You are reasonably perceptive. You probably aren’t known for your observation skills, but you do have a general feel for yourself and the world around you. You don’t ignore the things around you, but you don’t always catch them either.
Score 20-25: You are a very perceptive individual. You have a habit of paying attention. You know yourself, and you know the world around you about as well as anyone can.
I scored a 12 on this. I’m currently struggling with brain fog a lot lately… which makes it hard to focus regularly. It’s something I’m working on sorting out and as soon as I find a solid solution to it. I promise I’ll come back and share it.
When my bains not all gobbly gooky though… I think I’m fairly perceptive. I’ve become more observent since I started using a mindset journal. Everyday I have to write about beautiful things I saw, and things that made me smile among other things. It’s helped me start to pay more attention.
“Accept the person and the situation for exactly what it is, instead of trying to manipulate it into what you think it needs to be.”
Being Perceptive Can Add Value to Your Life By:
1. Helping you make informed choices.
This one seems a little obvious. You can’t make informed choices without information. You collect information with your eyes and ears. You pay attention.
2. It can give you peace.
Taking in so much information, almost gives you a sort of distance from it. So, not only do you see more good…. but the bad doesn’t capture your attention as long and bring you down as far.
3. It can Increase your confidence.
When you know you know what you’re talking about. You don’t exhibit any self-doubt. Your tone will come through confident, and people will be more likely to listen to you.
Too Much of a Good Thing: Always stay humble. Remember that you don’t know what you don’t know until you know. Meaning that, no matter how observant and self-aware and perceptive you are, you will never know everything. You’ll never even know most things. The universe is a vast place.
“Those persons who have perceptive eyes enjoy beauty everywhere.”
The Simple Step-by-Step Process to Becoming More Perceptive
1. Get Out of Your Own Head
A little ironic that to better understand yourself you have to first escape yourself. Get a grip on the chaotic thoughts and instead start focusing on and thinking about your actions, habits, and feelings. Evaluate them, whether they are good or bad, and where you think they might stem from. 2. Pay Attention to the World Around You
Force yourself to start noticing things… The color of the foliage, the expressions on people’s faces, the way different things relate to each other and interact. The more you force yourself to notice, the more you’ll start naturally noticing
3. Always Keep Your Eyes and Ears Open
Unless you’re literally sleeping, perceptive people don’t miss things. Avoid getting lost in entertainment or daydreams. Know yourself and know the world around you. Dive into it. Experience it. Live it.
Tips and Tricks::
1. Check Your Senses
What can you see? What can you feel? What can you hear? What can you smell? What can you taste? These are your body’s natural avenues to perception. Use them.
2. Look for Specific Things
Find something you can learn something from. Find something unique. Find something new. Find someone doing something kind. Whatever you want to see more of in the world, actively start looking for it. The world may surprise you.
Challenge:: Describe one specific event and add in more details than you ever have before. What did all of your 5 senses perceive? What was happening in the corner of your eye? Find all of the places you could have noticed things but didn’t and fill in the blanks. When you find something you can’t remember, make something up and imagine what craziness you could have missed by being unobservant.
Related Character Skills:
Focused
