We all see the world in a slightly different way.

My reality is different from yours and yours from the person next to you.

Upbringing, past experiences, cultural, social and religious beliefs all play a part in shaping how we see the world.

As no 2 people have led exactly the same life, no 2 people will see the world in exactly the same way.

Most of the information that we process from the outside world is edited out by our brains before we are aware of it, which means that we only see what our brains allow us to see, based on our beliefs and conditioning.

Whilst this should make us more understanding and tolerant of each other, it doesn’t appear to be the case at the moment.

Perhaps the ability of the mass media to influence and shape our perceptions on a global basis has programmed us to see the world in a negative way.

As individuals, however, we have the power to break free of this conditioning. We can choose to see the world in a more positive light.

By training our conscious mind to influence our subconscious beliefs and programming, we can change what information our brain retains and how we perceive the world.

It is possible to be basically happy and positive even if bad things happen around or to us.

We can choose how much we allow life to affect us on a daily basis.

We all know people who roll with the punches that life throws at them and come up smiling. We also know folks who fly off the handle at the slightest perceived slight or turn of bad luck.

And we can learn to be more like the former and less like the latter, if we want to.

Noticing things that are pleasurable or beautiful, expressing gratitude, taking time to meditate, not watching the news, choosing to be kind to others, recognising kindness when it is shown to us, celebrating the good things that happen and not dwelling too much on the negative things – all of these simple measures will help over time to instil in us a more positive perception of the world.

As we begin to feel better about ourselves and the world around us, we will find that people will perceive and treat us differently.

And we will begin to awaken to the awareness that life contains all possibilities.