Do you know how many times I have heard the phrase “your perception is your reality” over the last decade?!  

This just means what we think or how we perceive something, becomes our truth. For example, if you met the most beautiful woman in the world (which would be your perception), but she suffers from being insecure and believes she is unattractive, then that is her reality.  

Making sense? So, basically, the point I am getting at here is just because you believe or perceive something to be one way or another, that does not mean it is THE truth, but that it is YOUR truth.  

In fact, two people can be in the same exact situation at the same exact time and leave with two different perceptions. Which now leads me to another popular phrase…” there’s two sides to every story.” 

But I tend to lean more into believing that there are three sides to every story – your side, my side and the truth. It took me a long time to realize that no matter how black and white a situation may seem, things get muddled and before you know it, we are all seeing grey.  

Having a healthy dose of ‘grey thinking’ is not necessarily bad, I believe it is actually quite the opposite. I am very black and white on certain topics, but remaining neutral on other subjects, stances and situations just means that you’re comfortable with uncertainty and keeping your mind open.  

If you really want to take a deep dive into my mind at the moment, this is where I am … there is no right or wrong, good or bad – all of that is dependent on our individual perceptions.  

Ultimately, we create our own reality – with what we think, what we believe, how we feel and what we PERCEIVE.  

We can be in total control of this, but it’s not easy.  You may even have to overcome years of someone pushing their perceptions on you and making you think that their side of the story and their perception is point blank REALITY. And that brings me to another popular word… ‘narcissism.” A narcissist is often described as being full of themselves and entitled. They believe everyone around them is inferior, which also means everyone else’s thoughts are wrong. It is their way and their way only. Your perception doesn’t hold water compared to theirs. It just is what it is.  

And all I have to say with that is ‘GOOD LUCK!” 

I will end by saying this, we dictate how pleasant or miserable a situation is or how our day goes or the direction our life is taking. Making a conscious decision every day to see the bright side of things makes all the difference.  

I saw a TikTok the other day of a woman who woke up and decided to not use the words “I have to,” but instead substituted those words with “I get to.”  

You get to get up and go to work today so you can provide for your family, you get to do laundry because you have clothes on your back, you get to do the dishes because you have food to eat, you get to do your taxes because you…. well scratch that…. there’s really no upside to that one…. You HAVE to do your taxes, people. That one is pretty black and white. But you get the point.  

(Paige Gurgainers is a mother of three girls, publisher of Bienville Parish Journal and Claiborne Parish Journal and a digital journalist for Webster Parish Journal.)