Thinking and feeling have long been considered conflicting approaches, but recent research has revealed that they’re actually tightly linked. Cognitive processing is needed to bring out emotional responses, and emotional cues guide our thinking so we can adapt our responses to our world.

Perception, by definition, is our ability to see, hear or become aware of something through the senses. It involved recognising what our senses are telling us and giving meaning to the messages they send.

Our perceptions can either help or hinder us. If we’re emotional and self-centred, we’ll always have problems that seem overwhelming. But we can all control our attitude, emotions, judgements and responses. We control how we view and respond to obstacles.

As Ryan Haliday says, if we can “view things dispassionately and curiously, we get an edge over obstacles and a chance to turn them to our advantage.”

The first step in changing your perception is improving your self-awareness. Think about the thoughts and assumptions that occur automatically and drive your perceptions:

• When do you tend to notice things in a fixed or negative way?
• Do you have a pattern of thinking this way?
• How do you react to these thoughts?

Pay attention to the patterns that arise so you can get some distance and choose a different viewpoint instead of simply reacting. Research shows that simply labelling thoughts as ‘just a thought’ can help create this distance.

Imagine how you would like your life to be and remember you’re never powerless. Whatever the situation, you control how you perceive it and respond. You have the power to transform not only yourself but every experience and obstacle you face.