How You Look At You In The New Year

Not everyone sets goals or makes resolutions for the New Year.

Some of us use this time to remind our self to keep the doors and windows of perception open, always letting out the old and false, and admitting the fresh and new.

Meaningful change occurs within people when their perceptions or interpretations shift. Though shifts in perception cannot be forced, we may remind our self that how we see the self, others, and the world can always be upgraded if we keep the mind and heart open.

Here are some quotes related to perception, prompting us to keep our understanding free of assumptions, judgments, unrealistic expectations, and memories.

There Is No End To Illusion

“To change ourselves effectively, we first have to change our perceptions.” ~ Stephen R. Covey

“What people in the world think of you is really non of your business.” ~ Martha Graham

“No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit.” ~ Ansel Adams

“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” ~ Wayne W. Dyer

“…What happens is of little significance compared with the stories we tell ourselves about what happens. Events matter little, only stories of events affect us.” ~ Rabih Alameddine

“Everything is created twice, first in the mind and then in reality.” ~ Robin S. Sharma

“Dream delivers us to dream, and there is no end to illusion. Life is like a train of moods like a string of beads, and, as we pass through them they prove to be many-colored lenses which paint the world their own hue…” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“No one else has access to the world you carry around within yourself; you are its custodian and entrance. No one else can see the world the way you see it. No one else can feel your life the way you feel it. Thus it is impossible to ever compare two people because each stands on such different ground. When you compare yourself to others, you are inviting envy into your consciousness; it can be a dangerous and destructive guest.” ~ John O’Donohue

“What do you mean, blindly? That baby is a very sentient creature… That baby sees the world with a completeness that you and I will never know again. His doors of perception have not yet been closed. He still experiences the moment he lives in.” ~ Tom Wolfe

“Most of us go through each day looking for what we saw yesterday, and, not surprisingly, that is what we find.” ~ James A Kitchens

“The wise do not buy into other people’s perceptions of who they are and what they are capable of. Instead, they bypass a person’s public persona and see who they are in their highest expression. When you see actions taken with integrity, instead of words only, you will then know a soul’s worth.” ~ Shannon I. Alder

Photo credit: Chris Clogg / flickr creative commons