Ever had one of those horrible, terrible, just downright bad days? What if you were told there was a surefire way to minimize those days – interested? No, I am not a sidewalk salesman pedaling snake oil or a genie waiting to grant you the wish of perfectness. I am the average guy, who like anyone else has experienced days, weeks, and what even seemed like bad months. From the salesman to the doctor, the tradesman to the small business owner, we can all agree on one important fact – the better your day may seem the more productive you are.

Becoming more aware of your relationship to the outer world or Perception based thinking is the way to a better day and eventually a better life. Perception based thinking is not inherited from mom or dad; it has to be learned, and learned in a way that it becomes habitual. Whether or not it is realized perception is the on-ramp to the freeway of your thinking. No matter what is put in front of you, it can be perceived a number of different ways depending on frame of mind, mood, and past experiences.

Real world example:

You go into work to find your boss wants a meeting with you. Walking into the office you notice he looks frazzled and is quite short when speaking to you. He tells you that he has a project that you are to do and he has to have it by close of business the following day. The project you are assigned is extremely in-depth and you are pretty sure that you will be up most of the night working in order to reach his deadline.

Perceptive Response 1 –

Why is my boss angry with me now? I am not the only one who works here yet when it comes down to it I am the leaning post. I guess I better get busy so I can get some sleep tonight.

Perceptive Response 2 –

This project must be pretty important for the boss to be this stressed out about it. He must see potential in me, to delegate such an important task. I better get started so this project is as good as it can be.

Situations like this one happen frequently in the work place or even at home. As you see, responses can vary greatly. The main difference between them is how you focus on situations and how positive or negative you perceive the outcome to be. The more you train your mind to look at situations in a matter that is beneficial to you the more benefit you will gain from situations. I am in no way telling you to live in a fairytale land where negativity does not exist. Perception based thinking is deeper than optimistic or pessimistic views. The goal is to train your thinking pattern to perceive situations ending in positive outcomes instead of negative ones. The simple fact that your mind is settled with a positive outcome will tailor the steps leading to completion to be in your favor.

All around us we see people selling self-help books and programs. If you sit and look at most of these programs you will find one common denominator – Positivity. Most programs tell you that if you think positively about yourself as well as your wants and needs, you will eventually attract like energy. Perception based thinking just simplifies these theories. If you perceive situations as positive odds are your outcome will be good. Yet if you pick out the negative in all situations your perception of any subject will lead you down a path of self-destruction.

Just give it a shot, next time you see your day teetering on the edge of good and bad try hard to see the good in each situation and odds are your day will improve.