In this episode, I would like to talk with you about perception and the importance of filter questions, then I’ll give you 20 filter questions that you can use.
Perception is your truth. That is the beauty of it. It’s as if two people are sitting in front of a mirror, just at different angles. They are both looking at the same object but are seeing different things. Your perception is how you see the world. For example, if you wear red-tinted glasses, you will see the world as red. The same is true for green, blue, purple, and any other color. Your perception is shaped by all of your life experiences and the influences of people and the world around us. These perceptions are the foundation of your belief system which dictates how you judge and address situations.
Aspects of your perceptions can help you achieve success and make you feel good and others can also be limiting and create stress. There are two types of energy responses, catabolic and anabolic energy. Catabolic energy is detrimental energy that is often associated with stress. This is because when a person perceives a situation as stressful, the brain creates catabolic hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. The function of these hormones is to perish your body’s cells and tissues to provide energy to move through the stress.
This can be really great for those to get things done and make action happen but is damaging to an individual on a long-term basis. When someone is in a state of catabolic energy, it may be hard for them to look past what is stressing them out to see the full view of other options that are available to them.
Now, let’s talk about anabolic energy. Anabolic energy is the force that enhances performance and is associated with less stress. The reason for this is because when your body is not under stress, it creates hormones that rather than tearing your body down, it builds your body up and cultivates your body’s systems.
It’s important to remember and deeply know that neither energy is inherently “good” or “bad”. Both have their own purpose. On the same note, I’d like to add that every single person is where they are meant to be in their journey. Meaning that wherever they are, is the perfect place for them. Our wishes and desires for them don’t dictate how they feel or what they do. It’s important to know when it’s appropriate to help someone and when to let them learn on their own. If you are a crutch to a person before they are ready, they will become dependent on you. In this case, we can pray for them and send them love.
Now let’s talk about filter questions. I want to ask you, what is awareness? You can pause this right now and really contemplate that. This is really such a profound question because there are many layers to it. One may answer that awareness of noticing what is around you physically. Another may answer that awareness is noticing what is going on in their body or mind. Another may answer that awareness is your knowledge about something. I’ll share something with you that my Father shared with me. He gave me a notecard that said: “Imagine that you have no stories in your head. Who are you? What are you? You are awareness, consciousness, emptiness, nothingness, spaciousness. Am I aware?”
At a deep level, the way that I interpret this is that we all associate ourselves with an identity. There is the self-identity, where everything is about you. There is the team identity where you identify with a group such as a sports team or a country. There is the planetary identity where you can identify with the planet Earth. And lastly, there is a Universal identity where you identify with everything in the Universe. But when we strip away all of our identities including our name, our gender, our age, our race, etc. Who are you? This is what I believe is true awareness.
Let’s back up for a second. You may be wondering, what does awareness have to do with filter questions? Filter questions are a really great way to gain awareness of our thoughts and actions. With this awareness, we can make better decisions. Filter questions are helpful to use when you are feeling confused about something or before you make a big decision. Now, here are 20 filter questions that you can use in your life.
1.What is my intention with this?
2.When was the last time I listened to my instinct?
3.What do I really want from this?
4.Why do I want to do this?
5.What’s attracting me to this person?
6. What am I like when something concludes?
7.What was my thought in the first 10 seconds of meeting this person?
8.What have I been successful with?
9.What do I need to change to get there?
10.What makes me laugh?
11.What is my ideal outcome?
12.What expectations do I have about this?
13.What keeps me going?
14.What really excites me about that?
15.How would trying that feel to me?
16.How does that idea fit with my values?
17.What am I tolerating with this?
18.What scares me about that?
19.How can that help me?
20.What clarity do I need?
You can most definitely come up with your own filter questions. Pick a few that you really like and begin incorporating them into your decision-making process. My personal practice includes asking myself “why” about everything. Before I post a picture on Instagram, I ask myself why I want to do this. Before I go on a date, I ask myself why I want to do it. And it honestly is really helpful. My other favorite filter question is to ask myself what my intention is. That is really important because the intention is what will dictate if my heart is in the right place. I always try my best to act from a place of power, goodness, and conscious decision-making.
To conclude this episode, I would like to tell you that I have full faith in you and your process. If you have questions about anything I mentioned, you’re more than welcome to send me a message on Instagram @dearlovelyuniverse or email me at [email protected]. If you wish to have additional help with this, you can book a discovery call at my website www.kaelinvu.com to see if we are a good fit for one another, and hiring a coach is the best route for you. Next week, I’ll upload my interview with Serban Groza from @serbangrozatherapy on Instagram. We discuss the phases of healing from trauma, why it’s important to create a safe space for partners, and more. If you’re interested in healing from or learning more about trauma, you definitely want to tune into this episode next Friday. His approach to healing is really refreshing actually and I liked what he had to say a lot. Thank you so much for tuning in and I will talk to you next week!
