Tuesday 8 January 2013

Perception: How Do You View The World?


“Anybody who's ever gone through a hard time - any outsider's perception, no matter how much information they're given, they have no idea what the person's life is like”
Amy Grant

Let us look at the definition of Perception:
1.  The act of perceiving; cognizance by the senses or intellect; apprehension by the bodily organs, or by the mind, of what is presented to them; discernment; apprehension; cognition.
2.  The faculty of perceiving; the faculty, or peculiar part, of man's constitution by which he has knowledge through the medium or instrumentality of the bodily organs; the act of apprehending material objects or qualities through the senses; -- distinguished from conception.
3.  The quality, state, or capability, of being affected by something external; sensation; sensibility.
4.  An idea; a notion.

2012 was a long year full of fearful predictions but we have made it through the holidays, the end of the Mayan calendar and the world has not come to an end.  Most of us have started or already set some goals or intentions for 2013 but these probably all focus on external materialistic things.  Depending on our perception of this crazy world, our plans may be sourced in fear and ego.  The ego is tricky and it's easy to end up letting it be the one who creates our vision board or goals for the year ahead, setting us up for disappointments and a sense of failure.

Direct Perception Checking is a three step process (Floyd, 2009):
a.    Acknowledging the behaviour you witnessed
b.    Interpreting that behaviour
c.    Asking whether your interpretation was correct
IS THE GLASS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?
Depending on the source of our perception, we will interpret life in different ways.  The definition above refers to the normal five senses:  Touch, Sight, Hearing, Smell and Taste.  It also refers to bodily organs including the mind.  The mind can play tricks on us but when we start feeling from the heart, really feeling from the heart, our visions and interpretations can change for the better.  The heart is the source of love, happiness and gratitude.


Jafree Oswald of Enlightened Beings gave me some great advice when it comes to being positive:

“When you are positive about everything in your life, something magical happens. Everything good seems to effortlessly flow your way and people just love hanging around you. People in your presence smile and laugh more, which makes you feel even better inside about being alive. Being positive is more important than you think. It's the foundation of your very survival. If you could only think a stream of negative thoughts for the next few weeks, you might start believing suicide is the only viable option. Once you learn how to find the good within the bad, you'll easily manifest a continual flow of success wherever you go.
Life contains both polarities of nature, the deep and dark as well as the light bright, and everything between the two. The dark always contains the light, and the light always contains the dark. Just like the eastern Yin-Yang symbol. They co-exist as complementary energies that cannot exist separately. This melting light/dark energy is found in the fabric and matrix of every atom in our Universe. When you remember this, you'll know that somewhere inside the negative you can find a seed of something positive. You just have to get out your microscope and look more closely at the situation with a creative mind and an open heart.
The greatest advice I've ever received for being unstoppably positive about life is the thought that "anything is possible". This one little concept has allowed my mind to continuously open, even after it became momentarily closed. Believe it or not, it is possible to be positive about everything that happens to you in life. There is always something to be learned from each situation, person and circumstance no matter how challenging it may be. Being consistently positive is simply a choice that you make in each moment. It's a creative choice where you decide that you are 100% devoted to finding some possible way to enjoy this experience. Finding positivity in everything stems FROM believing in the impossible. You start realizing that you're living in an infinite Universe that has no boundary to it, thus there is no boundary to your mind or imagination. How would you view your life differently this week if you knew without a doubt that anything and everything was possible?
I'd like to give you a little exercise that will help you find the power to be positive about everything. Right now, focus your attention on your heart. What emotions and sensations do you notice are going on in there? Allow the energy around and inside your heart to soften and relax until you feel your mind follows along, and becomes more relaxed and quiet with it. Breathe slowly and deeply, focusing only on your heart relaxing. Do this for 5-10 minutes and enjoy the process of relaxing and letting go. Just explore the experience of relaxing your heart. You'll soon notice as your heart relaxes, it feels like there is more space for you to think positive thoughts about your life.
The mind is like a parachute, when it opens up it will save your life. With an open mind you don't have to try so hard to only think positive thoughts. You can allow for any life experience to show up and simply open your mind to seeing the positive come out of it. It is a constant moment to moment choice to have an open positive mind. If you can just choose to have an open mind, you'll be able to manifest anything and everything you want in life. If the mind is impatient and continues to stay closed and will not open, embrace it with curiosity. The more doubt, disbelief, and resistance you have, the greater the transformation will be! If you can maintain an open mind and a relaxed heart for the next 30 days of your life, an orgasmic experience of constant bliss will be awaiting you. That is something to look forward to!!”





I do not normally say affirmations but here is one that can truly change your perception of life:
“Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself:  I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today.  I can choose which it shall be.  Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.”


“Miracles happen every day, change your perception of what a miracle is and you'll see them all around you”
Jon Bon Jovi

6 comments:

  1. I have been trying to practice 'going with the flow' of life. I struggle at times but I am slowly starting to grasp the concept that what will be, will be and struggling against it only causes myself and others around me harm.
    I try to keep my temper and I have found that I am a lot calmer and happier since trying to do things this way.
    I find now that I can distance myself from most experiences enough to be able to learn a lesson from most situations, whether they happen to be good or bad.

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  2. Awesome post. There is so much here to digest. The one sentence that stood out for me was: The mind is like a parachute, when it opens up it will save your life. I was thinking - can you imagine if the mind and heart are in sync to receive and give the right things.

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    1. Yes and I heard an mp3 the other day that added the stomach area - that is where your gut feeling or intution comes from - interesting. Thanks Retha xxx

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  3. Great post Sara. It took me ages to realise that we create our own reality, that there is no universal truth, only our own perception, what we believe to be true for us!

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    1. Perception of others is so important - we will never know what is going on with their lives in any given moment. There is always someone worse off then us. Just showing a more positive attitude to all situations helps a little too. Thanks Jenny xxx

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