An attitude adjustment brings back memories of being scolded as a child. A change of perspective reminds me of those times when I edged closer to the dangerous abyss of fatigue and burnout. Both are different ways of referring to changing the way we see the world. How do we do engage in a perception reset? Can we expect any perception reset to be long term?
The simplest way to trigger a perception reset is to stop, breathe, and listen. We can do this at any point in the day spontaneously or at set times during the day. A combination of scheduling set times and spontaneously stopping, breathing, and listening creates a bridge to seeing the world differently. Over time, through practice and routine, this way of perceiving becomes your new normal — the way that you naturally perceive and respond to the world.
Stop means stop. Put aside whatever activity you are doing. Allow yourself a moment to quiet your mind and just be. Disengage for a moment be that 90 seconds or five minutes. The quantity of time matters less than the quality. Turn your attention to your breath.
Breathe. Focus on your breath. Don’t attempt to shift your breath. Be aware of the ebb and flow. Attempting to manipulate the flow of your breath catches you in the distraction of your breath. Notice that as you attend to your breathing, it begins to even out. Focusing on your breath heightens your awareness and encourages listening.
Listen with ears, eyes, nose, taste buds — the entire body, all of the senses. When we focus with all of our senses, we notices nuances of the world that might otherwise be invisible. We identify subtleties that make the world magical and extraordinary. We discern the differences between the mundane, humdrum world and the magically extraordinary world.
Stop. Breath. Listen. Engaging in this way of being allow us to change the way we answer, “How does way we perceive our self, others, and the world change?”
Stopping, breathing, and listening creates a path to a world that offers much more than survival in the mundane. On this path we peer beyond the veil of our distractions. We are intuitively drawn to the extraordinary. And, within this extraordinary, we find possibilities that invite us to thrive. We recognize who are are in our authentic essence. With authenticity we shine our true self into the world.
Does changing our consciousness make everything better? No, in fact, we may experience despair as our suffering comes fully into the light. But, changing our consciousness clears the path to living authentically. Our perception reset increases our awareness that within each life lesson, each challenge lies a nugget of magic — that magic is the ability to be our best, truest self.
Living in the extraordinary one shift of consciousness at a time,
Vanessa
Vanessa F. Hurst, ms, is a Mindful Coach, Compassion Consultant, Professional Speaker, and Author who weaves her inner wisdom into all she touches. Contact Vanessa
Her books are A Constellation of Connections: Contemplative Relationships and Engaging Compassion Through Intent & Action.
Website / LinkedIn Profile / Facebook / Twitter: @fyrserpent
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