How do you see yourself?  How do you see the world around you?  How do others see you?  Do you take action based on your needs and goals, or is your behavior dependent on how you feel others will view you?

There are two types of perception; the way you see yourself and your world and the way others see you and their world.  The only perception you have control over is your own.  It is just not possible to control the perception of others.

For example, consider the temperature of a room.  You perceive a room as being comfortable while someone else thinks it’s too cold.  No amount of discussion or arguing will resolve the difference in perception. 

Our own behavior is influenced by how we feel we’ll be perceived.  Not only are we concerned with the perception of people we know and who are close to us, we are even sensitive to the perception of complete strangers.

Therefore, we will alter or avoid any behavior we believe will be perceived as foolish.  This causes us to alter our path to accommodate the perceptions of others.  As a result, our goals are compromised or missed altogether.  Ironically, people often have the same perception of you regardless of what you do.  It’s a complete waste of time to worry about the perceptions of others.  Your best strategy is pursuing your own goals without concern for how you are perceived.

How you perceive your world influences your attitude, which in turn effects what you attract.  If you perceive a world of abundance, your actions and attitude attract abundance.  Conversely, if you perceive your life as lacking what you need, you worry more about conserving what you have rather than attaining those things you want and need.

The way in which you perceive your world also impacts your general emotional state.  People who perceive abundance are likely to be happy.  Those who perceive their life as lacking tend to be sad.  Two people who are facing the exact same circumstances can have opposite perceptions.  The one with positive perceptions has a tendency to thrive while the one with negative perceptions tends to struggle.

As you encounter various circumstances, do you perceive solutions and success or do you envision problems and failure?  Successful people are adept at find solutions for any problem.  Those who continuously perceive life as a struggle have a tendency to find problems in every situation.  There is a solution for every problem.  It’s your perception that enables you discover it.

What about life in general?  Do you perceive it as good or bad?  When you perceive life as good, you have a much greater degree of happiness than someone who perceives it as bad.  The person who perceives life as bad can provide a long list of reasons justifying their perception.  However, the person with a good perception will provide just as many reasons for his or her position.

The bottom line is that you control your perception.  If you’re not happy with the direction of your life or your circumstances, the first place to look is your perception.  If you see the proverbial glass as half empty, start considering it half full.  Start looking at your life as one of happiness and abundance.  Especially when you encounter adversity, it will be your positive perception that gets you through.

Also, don’t allow others to taint your perception with theirs.  You may be accused of being unrealistic or viewing the world through rose colored glasses.  But remember, someone else’s perception of you is irrelevant.  The most important thing is your perception of your life.

NOW AVAILABLE:  "Dare to Live Without Limits," the book.  Visit www.BryanGolden.com or your bookstore. Bryan is a management consultant, motivational speaker, author, and adjunct professor. E-mail Bryan at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or write him c/o this paper.  2011 Bryan Golden

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