It All Stems From You

Never underestimate the power of self. Everything around you is what you perceive it to be. My green may not be your green. For all I know what my brain thinks strawberries taste like might be what yours thinks is liver. The point is that your perception of reality is not only what you see, hear, feel, smell and taste, but also how your brain interprets these senses. And how your brain puts together the culmination of these senses to identify what is going on in your present environment.

You have the opportunity to control your environment by really just controlling yourself. Since your reality, your environment as you see it, is controlled by you, you should feel free to change it for the better. That is if you want to. For those who choose not to for whatever reason I sincerely feel very sorry for you and hopefully that perspective will someday be something you choose to change.

There are definitely people who take this premise of cognitive therapy to extremes. We may call them crazy. They are people who we feel have totally lost touch with reality. We all know people out there we would label this way. It could be the "crazy" person on the bus next to you talking to himself or it could be your boss and his unreasonable expectations. No matter how he or she is defined by you it is because they have surpassed a threshold you personally have set for identifying someone as living in the same world as you. Which is totally correct because they are living in a different world. They in theirs and you in yours. The fact that they are so different is what causes you to label them the way you might.

As for your own world you may want to make some changes to it. There are plenty of well known tricks that many people use. An example is the old Indian proverb, "Don't judge a person until you have walked a mile in their moccasins." Sometimes if I think of this saying it immediately changed my perspective about someone, and my attitude, and ultimately my reality of the situation. You always have the opportunity to do this.

Changing your own reality does take practice. It sometimes has to be forced but with practice it becomes easier. And if you continually practice it it will continue to work for you. I promise. So learn to enjoy the rain, conquer obstacles, and love your enemies. It will bring more happiness to you days and enrich your life.
-M@