For three decades, Klemmer and Associates has empowered individuals and organizations to unlock their full potential by identifying and shifting limiting subconscious beliefs. Through dynamic, live, experiential workshops, Klemmer has guided tens of thousands of participants across 17 countries toward transformational growth in both their personal and professional lives. Founded in 1995 by leadership expert Brian Klemmer, the company provides a structured training path that includes Personal Mastery, Advanced Leadership, Heart of the Samurai, and Samurai Camp—each designed to build bold, ethical, and compassionate leaders. Klemmer’s corporate clients, including Aetna, Suzuki, and Fulton Boiler, have also reported measurable performance improvements after participating in these programs. By helping individuals replace limiting “sunglasses”—the subconscious filters through which they view the world—Klemmer facilitates lasting behavioral change and success.
There are a lot of different types of sunglasses out there: round, square, cat-eye, and aviators. Some have orange or yellow lens, others have blue lens, while others are tinted black. Put on any of these shades, and you’ll see the world in a different hue.
Some sunglasses are invisible, however.
These sunglasses are the subconscious beliefs that every human being has about his or her life. We see the world through these sunglasses. We use them to frame our perceptions of ourselves and others. Our actions and behaviors are driven by these sunglasses. But we hardly ever stop to think that these sunglasses are coloring our vision of the world—or that there are other possibilities out there beyond their frames.
The leadership training and personal development company Klemmer uses this analogy of sunglasses to show how inaccurate beliefs can negatively influence our behavior. Based on renowned consultant Brian Klemmer’s experiences of coaching people to become their most powerful and compassionate selves, Klemmer’s courses have helped tens of thousands of people make powerful and positive changes in their lives.
Many of us wear the same few pairs of sunglasses throughout our lives, allowing the view through them to become habitual. The view from underneath those sunglasses may or may not correspond to reality, but we can’t tell because we’ve bought into that view and allowed it to become our version of reality.
We can become so accustomed to a certain way of seeing the world around us, and our own lives and circumstances, that it’s hard for someone else to tell us that our views have become distorted. And harder still for us to trade in old— even cracked—perspectives for clearer and healthier ones.
In fact, it’s very possible that 99% of the decisions we as humans make aren’t made consciously, but by the subconscious notions about “reality” that we’ve built up for ourselves over time.
Revelation – A Heart-Level Fresh Start
However, if we can just realize, first, that we’re wearing sunglasses, then take the bold step of removing them, we can experience a major shift in our understanding as powerful as a spiritual revelation. If you want to break through existing belief systems to make a dramatic change within a short period of time, the best way to do that for most people is through the shock of a revelation.
If human beings could achieve myth-busting, life-changing turnarounds simply by thinking themselves through them, we’d all be perfectly wealthy, famous, healthy, and wise. But we’re not made that way. Instead, a successful, permanent change has to touch our hearts—to seize the core of who we think we are and offer us the tools to reconstruct our self-image with both greater realism and greater room to explore our potential.
It’s what’s in our hearts that both constrains us and allows us to soar beyond those constraints, once we understand that we are capable of embracing the necessary changes.
You probably have a pair of sunglasses that frame your beliefs about money, and others that outline your beliefs about your career, your relationships, your major goals, and your ability to fulfill your vision of the life you want. For example, maybe you’ve committed yourself to things your deepest self knows to be untrue or unhelpful, just because you’re wearing sunglasses that have you seeing everything in terms of whether you’re liked and accepted.
How do we acquire so many limiting belief systems that constrain our potential? Much of it is from early experiences, relationships, and the actions and comments of other people that have over time scaffolded the negative framings in our minds.
Hack Your Limiting Perceptions
Many people avoid confronting the situational forces that have formed their beliefs and behavior patterns. So, they attribute the limitations imposed by their sunglasses to unchangeable traits. “That’s just the way I am,” they say. They fail to recognize that they’ve shaped their perceptions around these situational forces.
So, take some time to really think about it. What sunglasses are you wearing right now? How do they limit your vision, and thus your ability to succeed? What in your life would be better if you could take the radical—but exhilarating—step of just taking them off? What new things might you become aware of? What untapped possibilities might you discover within yourself?
Experiential learning in a controlled, supportive environment is the most effective way to really feel the invisible sunglasses resting on your face and limiting your vision. It’s also the best way to see how easy it is to remove your sunglasses and see the world as it is. This type of training and coaching is a far more effective teacher than the unnecessarily painful life lessons of the school of hard knocks, which often just reinforce your desire to double down on old beliefs and keep hiding the truth from yourself.
If you want to discover your own sunglasses: First, become aware of your own emotions and behaviors. Then, work backwards until you reach the core mindset, beliefs, and assumptions that drive these behaviors. Chances are, you’ll feel both excited and a little scared at this point, because you’ll be experiencing a revelation—one whose challenge requires a response from you.
You may feel uncomfortable, but that’s OK. Don’t let up on the momentum as you learn to intentionally disrupt the old belief systems that aren’t serving you well anymore. Give them up as you would an old, scratched-up pair of sunglasses, and see how far you can go.