“The Map is Not The Territory”. A polish scientist and philosopher, Alfred Korzybski, spoke
this little pearl of wisdom in the 1930’s. “Our
perception of reality is not reality itself, but our version of it, our map.”
So what does he mean by this?
At the most basic level, this teaches us to avoid believing
in generalizations, and to always question our beliefs. Nothing, or at least,
very little that we believe about others or ourselves is objectively true. It’s just a map – and if the map is not
useful to us, it’s the map that we should change.
If you believe that you are not good enough, not thin
enough, not confident enough, then you probably think that your belief reflects
the truth, that it is real. If your beliefs are getting in the way of you
leading a truly extraordinary life, then you need to look at it from a new
perspective. What beliefs are you
holding onto that are not serving you? You need to realize that all you are holding
is a map. Change the map, change
the belief, and you’ll find the reality you explore and create for yourself
changes as well. “The Map is Not The Territory” is not just sage advice – it may
save your sanity!