Isn’t it funny how some people notice all the things that are not working in their lives, while there are others who notice all the good things in their lives and who seem to be aware of all the opportunities that are available to them.

I see and hear this time and time again from my friends and family. That their lives are not working and if only this was this way , and if only that was that way… BLAH, BLAH, BLAH! The thing is that the majority of people fill their lives with too much static which fills the air in the form of newspapers, television, magazines, radio, the Internet, mobile phones, emails - especially those spam chain letters that go around - books, the cinema, music, advertising, politics, other people’s demands on us at work, and all these things jump out at us before we have had a chance to give the most important person in our lives the attention they deserve: Ourselves. We are left with no time to think clearly and no space to do it in.

This is when our perception gets distorted and we are unable to sort through these things which really have no place in our lives and which we cannot do anything about. I call these external forces which have the potential to project the unwanted life some of us have.

Have you ever noticed when sitting on a train during peak hour as people are on their way to work, most of them look like they have a glazed look on their face. I think that these people are living their lives unconsciously, and are on merry-go-round wondering how to get off. They allow themselves to be driven by these external forces.

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Imagine if the daily newspapers were a reminder to live consciously every day. I may buy the newspaper if this was the case :)  The media is notorious for distorting the news and telling us what they want us to hear. I remember seeing a short snippet of a news article where the reporter was saying that there had been violent scenes at a protest and the clip that was showing at the time actually had people smiling and happy in the background. I’m sure this happens frequently and I would be willing to bet that what is heard is taken in more than what is seen.  So how do we get off the merry-go-round?

It’s not about changing your life all at once, but rather, it’s about finding a moment of authenticity and self-truth. These moments are the places you can stand on to change the world. Begin with a moment of quiet reflection and something to write on, or if you prefer, you can also do this with your friends.  Start writing. Think back to moments when you felt truly alive, when you were so happy that no matter what you did, everything was a success. Were you five years of age or ten, fifteen, twenty or even thirty or more? Where were you? Who were you with? Was it something that you did once or is it something that is integrated in your life now? Would you love to do it again? What is at play or at work? How did you feel afterward? Once the momentum kicks in, this can be a truly awesome and inspiring experience.

Next, make another list, a list of times when you may have been experiencing fear and doubt and maybe gotten into difficulties. What was it the helped you overcome these experiences? How did you get out of this situation? Was it with help from friends, taking control of your life, learning a new skill, following a spiritual practice, taking a stand, reading a book? I think you get the picture.

If you happen to keep a journal, get that out. Once you have gathered all this information, and it does take some time to do this, you will end up with a very resourceful folio to refer back to. You may be feeling creative after doing this exercise and if so, make it into an attractive compilation and present it to yourself as a reminder that you can live consciously and that there are moments that do work for you in your life. Live up those moments and be aware that you can live the life YOU love. Use this resource every day and remember, Perception is Projection.

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