It’s the first day of school. Your new no one else knows you and you don’t know them. As you go to your first period class you see a rush of people in the halls. You can’t help but try to classify what kind of person they are. That girls a nerd, that guy could use a shave, stay away from her she looks like your new worst enemy just the way she dresses. You make your way into your classroom and you know you must start looking for a friend because once the first month of school is done everyone has their group. You talk to people and they don’t seem so interested you only get a couple responses. Lunch is no better out of courage you ask a girl to sit by her and she says yes but turns her back on you when she sees an old friend. Everything is just not right nothing will turn for the better you already experienced failure and rejection and it can only get worse. Everything that is said to you was in a demeaning and hurtful way.

That was what went through my mind on the first day at my new school. For my first time being in a public school since second grade you could say I was terrified. Hollywood’s great high school movies didn’t help either, they had brainwashed me along with the fear of the unknown. How we personally view everything is a mental impression, this is called perception. My perception of people on the first day was not a healthy one you could say it was very toxic for myself. I learned from a teacher once that our perception controls our reality. At my first day of school my perception was negative and therefore my reality was negative as well. Perceptions impact is life altering, and I find it so important that I want to share my ideas with the world.

As you could imagine the rest of my day was no better because I had set the standard on how I was perceiving my world that day. It didn’t take long for my negative emotions to engulf me causeing me to wonder why I was acting this way. As I reviewed my day I instantly noticed a common theme, the way I was perceiving it. I ran my brain through my day again but this time I would have a different perception on everything. I would have a positive perception. As I finished reviewing my day I realized how much I missed out on living that wonderful day. I was determined to change my perception the next day.

Once I changed my perception it was incredible to really look at something in a completely new light helped me be a better person. The great thing about perception is that you can make yourself believe what you think. If you perceive someone is silently judging, you then you give power to that person regardless if it is true or not. You act differently because you believe things as you perceive them. This in turn can make you act differently when you could be thinking the best of that person and even if they are judging you or not you are not affected and happy.  Perception is so real and it really has a huge impact.

The next time I walked through the halls and forever after that day I set my perception to have only positive power.  This time I walked through the halls to my first period class and I saw caring people, people just like me who fear the unknown and were maybe looking for a friend as well. That girl looks like she is super sweet, that guy is confident enough to pull off a beard, and that girl could become my friend if I talked to her. I made my wake into the classroom. I talk to people and am myself people laugh at my jokes because I’m being genuine. I talk to some people and they have to go, right now they are pretty busy I’ll catch them another time. At lunch, I step out of my comfort zone and ask a girl from one of my classes if I can join her. She says yes and you become great friends. Everything will turn out right in the end even if I encounter failure and rejection can only make me stronger. Many things were said to me and they were said out of care and friendship!

Because of perception I can live each day to my fullest. I make my perception become my reality and my perception is positivity. You can’t wait for someone to come change your perception you have to choose for yourself how you will see things. Its just like magic, the minute you start viewing the world in how you want it, that’s when you truly start living. Perception is powerful don’t let this power go to waste. This power can only improve you if you choose to use it the right way.