Your perception, i.e. the way you look at things, is everything. Your perception of life will determine what your life will be like.
Your perception influences the way you think. What you think will eventually form your beliefs. And your beliefs steer your life (mostly subconsciously). Therefore, changing your perception will allow you to change your beliefs—which in turn will change your life.
That is why it’s so important to be open to new ideas that allow you to change your perception.
If you see yourself as a victim, unable to change anything about your life, you will disempower yourself and be at the mercy of the circumstances around you.
On the other hand, if you see yourself as the creator of your own life, you will have the power to decide how you feel about those circumstances and choose a new approach if you don’t like what you are experiencing.
Fortunately, it’s not that difficult to change your perception. You already do it throughout your life—the key is awareness.
Let’s look at an example: Pause for a moment and think about your life when you were a child. It’s easy to see now how little you knew back then but thought you knew everything.
Do you believe the same things now that you did when you were a child? Of course not.
What changed? You gained more awareness.
You learned new things and, more importantly, had new experiences. Based on this new awareness you dropped your old beliefs because they were no longer serving you.
You probably believed in Santa Claus when you were a child. Your parents told you that Santa brings gifts every Christmas, so naturally, you believed that.
You saw Santa, or even if you didn’t, you certainly saw the presents he brought. You were aware of this as you saw it with your own eyes and experienced it first-hand.
Then you grew up. You started to be aware that there was more going on “behind the scenes.” Like when Santa showed up and your dad just “mysteriously” happened to disappear at the same time. Or how Santa looked suspiciously like your uncle, only with a beard and a deeper voice.
You became aware that there are billions of people around the world and if Santa were to visit all of them, he would have to travel so fast that his reindeer and sleigh would burn up due to the friction they would encounter while traveling through the atmosphere at hypersonic speed.
Unless Santa is a multidimensional being, capable of operating outside the confines of time and space and existing in multiple locations at the same time…
Nah, that’s probably not the case. But you get the point. (You see how this shifts your perception?) It’s the way we look at things that determines what we believe. Once you saw “the bigger picture” you could no longer believe in Santa Claus the same sense.
This new awareness shifted your perception and made you think in a new way. These new thoughts eventually formed your new beliefs and became the basis of your new life.
Change your perception, change your life.
The good news is that you don’t need to grow older to profoundly change how you look at things. You just need more awareness. Be aware of the causalities in your life. Observe how your thoughts and beliefs shape your life very concretely. Be open to new ideas. Follow your instincts.
Here are three of my favorite tools for increasing your awareness and shifting your perception.
1. Meditate
I believe meditation is one of the best ways to increase our awareness by opening us up to new ideas.
Meditation may even connect you with your true self (the higher self, the source, the universe, you name it) and this experience will shift your perception immediately and irrevocably.
2. Train your awareness
Every day make it your intention to notice three things in your life you didn’t notice before. It could be something as simple as graffiti on a wall, something new you learn from watching the news, etc.
Keep a journal for improved results. Write down three things every day that you didn’t notice before. This will train your awareness.
3. Increase your awareness by trying new things
I bet many of you will like this tip: Travel more. See the world. Get to know different people in different areas. This will expand your view of the world and increase your awareness by miles. If you can’t travel abroad, travel to a new place in your country, one where you have not been before. Take your awareness journal with you and write down your insights.
You can also increase your awareness by studying. Read new books, watch videos on new subjects, and listen to podcasts on topics you would not normally listen to. All the while keeping an open mind.
Gather more information. Meditate, read books, and attend seminars. Increase your awareness and your perception of the world will shift irrevocably.
The more you are aware of the options from which to choose your next adventure in life, the more flexibility you have for changing your beliefs.
