Perception is Reality Recently we had a production issue that spanned multiple companies or partners. While every company tries to prevent them, it is something we have all encountered. How you act and react when these situations occur can make a difference in how you are perceived when trying to move forward in your career. The cold hard facts are: Perception is reality What we remember from a stressful episode appears to be determined by the strength of the association between the stressor and the material to be remembered.