We all have the power to choose our perceptions and reactions. Every morning say this to yourself ‘I have the power to choose my perceptions and reactions’. When you do this it becomes self fulfilling and you begin to build a habit of positive thinking.
Interpretation is left to the individual. Many look at a picture and see something different. Why? It is because we all choose in that moment what it is we want to see. Others can point our their interpretation and we can discuss but the initial assessment is ours and ours alone.
So, if we have the power to perceive why would we choose anything but positive perception? Why look at the glass and say it is half full when it is a glass with room for more. Something that is empty is just an opportunity for something else, or someone else, to come along and fill it.
Something lost, is an opportunity for something new, or for the joy we feel when that ‘thing’ is found again. It is all in how you choose to perceive the situation.
It is the same with reaction. When an event unfolds before us, we, in that moment, have the choice of how we will react. Whether it is news, email, an event or person, we always have the choice as to how we should respond. The challenge is that it happens very quickly and often we respond first and think later.
Sometimes it is better to step away and say ‘I need a minute to process this before I can respond’. It doesn’t take long. Our brains are an amazing mechanism that can process things quicker than we can actually think of them. When you get in the habit of assessing before responding the process begins to happen more quickly each time.
Remember, as you start out each day, you have a choice as to how you perceive every situation and how you react; you have the power to choose.