Men are not prisoners of fate, but prisoners of their own minds. – Franklin D. Roosevelt

How many times have your own perceptions worked against you? Whether you turned a mild concern into a major anxiety attack or you let fear hold you back from doing something you really wanted to do, your perceptions have everything to do with your life as it is today. The way you see the world around you determines the way you feel about yourself, your potential, and your progress.

A perception of limitation will convince you that you can’t move forward. A perception of lack can convince you that your life is barren and empty of opportunities. A perception of injustice will convince you that you’ll always lose – one way or another.

What would happen if you changed these perceptions from negative to positive?

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If someone accuses you of “wearing blinders” it’s usually a negative comment that refers to your inability (or refusal) to face reality or admit the truth about something.

It’s true that denial can be a bad thing if you use it to avoid growth or “hide your head in the sand,” but getting into the habit of selective denial can also benefit you immensely as you strive to make positive changes in your life. The trick is to learn how to use mental blinders to keep out the stuff that would hold you back or detract from your happiness.

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Every one should keep a mental wastepaper basket and the older he grows the more things he will consign to it – torn up to irrecoverable tatters. – Samuel Butler

It’s amazing how much junk we tend to absorb into our minds and allow it stay there, festering and tainting everything we do. Most of us are overrun with unproductive thoughts like negative comments by friends or family members, derogatory messages we’ve fed to ourselves, and restrictive messages received by society. All of this “trash” will continue to degrade our performance unless we clear it out occasionally.

Take a few moments to think about the types of thoughts and beliefs you hold about yourself and your life.

Are you still operating under your father’s assertion that you’ll never amount to anything? Are you still hearing the voice of your third grade teacher who said you wouldn’t go far in life because of your inability to pay attention in class?

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