Estimated Reading Time: 7 mins
Mental Vision
What you believe is what you see.
I repeat.
What you believe is what you see.
Isn’t it interesting that what someone finds beautiful, another may find unpleasant, yet both have one thing in common — individual perception.
Image by Dennis_icap on pexels
So what does the way in which we view things have to do with how we live life?
Well, everything.
It took a long time for me to realise that my experience of life was subconsciously dominated by my interpretation of the events that took place.
Whether I enjoyed life or despised it all came down to the beliefs I held about my experiences.
Image by atlascompany on magnifico
When Life Happens to Us Versus For us
If the mind is not purposefully directed, it falls into the habit of being led — mostly by our emotions.
This often leads to reacting rather than responding, and when we live life reacting to everything that happens to us, it can gradually diminish our quality of life overall.
We then become more vulnerable to episodes of sadness, uncertainty, and doubt about the future, which can ultimately begin to impact our confidence.
Image by wirestock on magnifico
If you’ve had to face tough obstacles in life like me, it’s possible you may also have subconsciously adopted the victim mentality in the way I did.
Feeling suffocated by a string of back-to-back painful experiences, caused me to eventually conclude that ‘good things didn’t happen for people like me’.
What followed, was exactly what I believed at the time — and so, further life disappointments continued.
Image by drobotdean on magnifico
Emotions as Influence
Naturally, many of us fall subject to our emotions more often than not — especially the negative kind.
Our mind’s view of life becomes controlled by how we feel, which in turn dictates what we believe, influencing the actions we choose to take or avoid.
Reflecting on my former victim mentality, my bad experiences triggered painful emotions that led to unproductive actions, eventually reinforcing a belief system rooted in despair.
As a result, my outlook on life stemmed from pessimism because this approach became my norm.
Image by freepik
Certain situations were difficult, but what I didn’t realise mattered more than my surrounding conditions is how I perceived them.
After years of building up my faith through prayer, Bible study, and a life of practiced disciplines, the beliefs I previously held were disbanded.
I still face life’s opposing factors, but the perception I choose to apply is what determines whether I stay sunken or move forward.
Image by kjpargeter on magnifico
So no, it’s not about ignoring what we feel when bad things happen, but rather, adopting an optimistic outlook backed by faith and proactive action.
This ensures we’re responding to life rather than reacting, which puts us in better control of how life feels.
Similarly, it keeps us consistent amidst the inconsistencies of life, developing and promoting a cycle of pursued peace, optimism, and healthy wellbeing — beginning with a shift in perspective.
Image by freepik
Believing is Seeing — Building a Solid Belief System
The way we feel can be so influential that acting in ways that conflict with those emotions can be difficult to do — though not impossible.
We all take actions based on principles or expectations every day, but we don’t always stop to recognise them. For example, consistently turning up to a job we dislike.
Irrespective of how we feel about the job, we’ll show up because of the value we place on the outcome — getting paid.
Image by freepik
In instances like this, we move past our feelings because our perspective assigns a value to the action that is stronger than how we feel.
Achieving an improved quality of life requires the same approach.
The perspective we apply should place greater value on the productive actions we choose to take, driven by optimistic beliefs about their impact on our future.
Image by freepik
We’ve all heard the saying ‘seeing is believing’ — but to live a life based on this concept is to create beliefs, feelings, and behaviours influenced by unpredictable instances.
This can lead to emotional and mental strain.
Rather, we must build a strong system of beliefs, grounded in proactive actions, and sustained by the consistent focus of our perspective — optimism.
That way ‘believing is seeing’, and as such, we determine our own outcomes whilst better navigating life’s future disruptions.
Image by HelloDavidPradoPerucha on magnifico
This is the difference between those who believe their past experiences broke them and those who believe their experiences built them.
So, from today, I encourage you to develop and rebuild your system of faith by renewing your mind.
Study the Word of our Manufacturer, feed your spirit, take actions that will benefit your life, and reclaim the power within your perspective — it can change everything.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end — Jeremiah 29:11
