I am about 5 foot 10 inches tall (if you can call that tall) and I weigh about 260 lbs.  To most people, I would be considered fat or morbidly obese.  It is a not uncommon to hear people commenting about my size.  Many people, who do not know me will address me as big man or big fella.  Don’t get me wrong, this is not an issue for me, but I do have a point!  There are many people who can look at me in my present state and their perception is that I need to do something to lose weight immediately.  They even go as far as to believe that I am out of control and I do not exercise or have any control over my eating. 

However, those who know me or those who have seen photos of me from just a year ago would know that I have recently lost over 120 lbs.  Those people (who are in the know) do not have the same negative view that the previous group of people have of me.  Why is this?

Knowledge changes Perception!

This is a lesson that is well worth learning.  When you do not know the story about a particular issue, your perception is skewed!  You have based your opinion on your own set of experiences and been drawn to an uneducated guess of what the conclusion may be.  Usually, a brief look into the history of an issue can completely change your opinions and beliefs.  Are we in agreement yet?  If so, I think you will find that a lot of the feelings, beliefs and viewpoints that we share are often based on a lack of knowledge.  The worst part is that we seek out people who feel the same way to strengthen our positions.  This amounts to nothing more than a large collection of ignorance in most cases.  Just think about how many people believed the following: the world is flat, the atom is the smallest particle of matter, Columbus discovered America.  We must realize that large groups of people not only believed these things, they  were willing to bet their lives on this knowledge.  The truth is the world is round, the atom has been split (proving it is not the smallest particle of matter) and Columbus never even set foot on the place we call America. There are many things that a majority of people believed that was incorrect.

Lets take the time this year(and for the rest of our lives) to seek knowledge before we make decisions on anything.  Or at the very least, let us be willing to allow the truth about a situation to positively influence our viewpoints.  Review your opinions and let facts and knowledge have a chance at expanding your mind!

Oh yeah, I do intend to continue losing weight!  Don’t worry about that!