Dealing With Different Personality Types: What M&Ms Teach You About Life

Ever wondered why they make M&Ms in so many different colors?  It's because, as the saying goes, variety is the spice of life.  How boring and unappealing would a bag full of all brown M&Ms be?

Well, society is like that bag of M&Ms, there's a lot of diversity going on in terms of race, culture, ethnicity and lifestyle.

One type of diversity that's often overlooked is psychological diversity. I'm talking about the differences in the way we each view the world.

Your perception is a filter that translates your experiences into meaning. It is at the core of who you are, and it impacts your values, your beliefs, your feelings and your psychology.

At any given moment, our brains are being exposed to millions of bits of sensory information, sights, sounds, textures and emotions.  Because we can only process a small fraction of all that information, much of it gets filtered out. 

What makes this interesting is that each of us filters out different sensors, so we are each experiencing a different "reality," often without realizing that this reality is unique to us.

In fact, neuro-research shows that our particular set of filters is most likely hard-wired, not readily changeable, and not as clearly noticeable as are many other types of differences. 

What this means is that sometimes other people's actions, views and approaches to life will make no sense (based on our world view).

The truth is, people interpret their experiences differently, and draw radically different conclusions from the same set of circumstances. While it's true that our perceptual styles can lead to potential conflict, I like to think that this type of diversity adds creative tension, variety and challenge to life.

Those differences make you who you are.  Your unique perception offers a one-of-a-kind path for success and the potential to excel at things only available to you

Do a little experiment: pick someone in your life that seems to be using a different set of filters than you.  Ask yourself, "What must be true for them to act/think/behave that way?" 

"Try on" this behavior and ways of thinking for 30 minutes and see how quickly you can develop an appreciation for views of the world.

Exploring and claiming the unique aspects of your perception (and the perceptions of the people around you) will help you fill your life with behaviors and activities that bring you joy and fulfillment.