What We See Shapes Our Behavior

They change our perceptions and the choices we make.

We have different perspectives based on what we see. These perspectives influence our behavior. We’ve all heard discussions about how what we see and where we live determines who we are in the present and future. This discussion started for me when I was considering buying a trash can.

I had an interesting conversation about living in an apartment building on a high floor. It didn’t have an elevator, and with that, I had a small trash can. Let’s call the person I was talking to, Mr. G.

From Mr. G’s perspective, it didn’t matter how big the apartment was or how many stairs he had to climb. They always bought a lot of groceries and a lot of stuff. We discussed how despite the apartment being on a high floor didn’t stop them from overbuying. It didn’t matter what their eyes saw (their living conditions), if they wanted a lot of groceries, they would get a lot of groceries.

While I can understand this general concept, I wondered if this is always the case for everyone.

I’m used to a big trash can and elevators. There was a time I moved to a region where there were only small trash cans and I had to walk up the stairs.

At that moment, my mindset shifted. I no longer had the comfort of big and easy. I had to carry a lot of things upstairs to the fifth floor. Did I write the fifth floor? Yes, I did.

I’m sure you understand going from big and easy to small and difficult was a game changer.

I didn’t think the same way. Everything was small in my eyes. Small trash can, a small refrigerator, a small stove, no oven, and on top of that, 5 flights of stairs. Oh, la la.

What did I do? I changed. I had to change. That was the background of my conversation with Mr. G. There was no way I could live the same way. My thinking and my decisions changed.

Now that everything was smaller, I had to buy fewer things.

• I bought fewer groceries because the refrigerator was small.
• I bought a small amount of things because of the lack of space.
• I had to be wise about the packaging of what I bought because the trash was very small.
• No oven means you either cook on the stove or in the microwave.
• The stairs were a grocery changer. I did not want to go up and down the stairs more than once. That means, hint, hint, I bought less.

So, the idea of a small apartment and no elevator won’t stop someone from overbuying is true up to a point.

I understand that Mr. G. wasn’t moving from place to place. This was life as he knew it. If you grew up in a place, as many people do, there’s no other concept to compare it to, as in this case.

I know people buy too many things and spend too much money.

A small apartment will always be a small apartment. The top floors are tiring to climb. There’s a reality of limiting factors that exist.

Having a discussion about how we live based on what we see goes much deeper than this surface issue. A lot of people are influenced by what they see. That’s why some parts of society and their expectations are so different from others.

The decision to buy a trash can turned into a conversation about perceptions and the choices we make.

Key Message: What you see determines what you do.

Do you agree? What are your thoughts? I’d love to read about your experiences.

Until we meet again, Keep Living and Writing!