Hello Steemverse!

The topic I would like to cover for this Mindful Monday is perception.
Perception is defined as:

• a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a mental impression.
• the state of being or process of becoming aware of something through the senses.
• the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.
  Google

I am sure the thought is 'What on earth does perception have to do with being mindful?' In a nutshell, everything. Being mindful is not a whim, it is a way of life. You can't pick and choose which aspects you are going to entertain. It is a changing of a thought process. Our perception is what forms our thoughts and decisions. Perception is 'in a manner of speaking' a building block of who we are. It is our perception of things that cause us to form, opinions and judgements.

For many mindfulness is a new philosophy even though the practice has been around far longer than Christianity. The western cultures had little access to these practices for the most part until it was introduced as a treatment created by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn in the 1970s.

Our perception on this subject would be different than someone else who has had a chance to live a life or being raised in a mindful capacity. Neither view is wrong. To say one is wrong, is to be judgemental and being judgemental is not a mindful practice. At least in the 50 some odd websites I have uses as research over the past few years. Someone cannot be faulted for something they don't know they don't know. The best anyone can do is work on educating yourself. Educate others and work on changing your perception. Through practice we can make any change we desire.

A simple question would be 'Do you want to be happy?' Most everyone would answer yes. What if I told you, your perception of things may be one of the reasons you are not happy? Based on our perception of the world around us (how we see things) is how we live our lives. When someone says 'So be happy' it really is a matter of changing our perception of what happy is. If you want to be rich, playing the lottery is not going to get you there. You have to change your mindset, focus and your perception of things. You would need to step out from a passive role.

Choose to see the good rather than the bad. Change how your perceive different situations. To always see the negative will give you a negative view. To see the positive gives you a positive view. For someone who is anxiety filled or fighting depression, this is hard work. You see the world in a fog. You don't want to try, because 'everything turns out the same.' 'Nothing gets better.' That is the case, because that is how your are perceiving things.

I would like to challenge everyone to work on our perception this week. What is something you feel your view affects you? How can you see changing your perception on this subject, matter, thought or what have you would make your life better?

Mindful posts worth celebrating this week

@porters
Participated in this week's @EcoTrain Question of The Week 'Do Our Emotions Dictate Our Lives?' She gives a wonderful insight on how being mindful helps a person not to be controlled by their emotions.
Do Our Emotions Dictate Our Lives or Do Our Lives Dictate Our Emotions? Ecotrain QOTW - a Response...

@nainaztengra
This is an amazing post on being mindful and a very simple exercise to 'reset yourself.
The Daily Mindful Exercise

@mattryanthegreat
Profound simple philosophies, worthy of reading.
Mindfulness, Ambition, Power

@vincentnijman
A wonderful posting on how movement can affect your health and body, along with changing some personal habits.
Starting a New Movement - a healthy mind in a healthy body

And in other news...

The winner of SBI for this past week is @nainaztengra Congratulations! Each week we award someone posting under #mindfulife with a little SBI to say thank you for your enthusiasm and wisdoms.

I would like to ask that we keep @bewithbreath and his family be kept in our thoughts and prayers. Send them some healing and strength to them.

Our group meditations on Wednesday and Saturdays are on hold for a bit to allow @bewithbreath time to take care if his family. He will let us know when he can hold a meditation session. If you're interested, go check out @bewithbreath's blog or register your interest below. He usually sends a call out to remind us which is super appreciated.

Remember to use the #mindfulmonday and/or the #mindfullife tags. It makes it much easier to find articles to present to you. It makes you eligible for our SBI giveaway.

For those that use Steempeak, you can go under Explore click the little box with the 3 dots and 3 lines (just to the left of Rewards). It will open us a search on the left side of your screen and allow you to search by topic/tag.

Mindful Life is a space within Natural Medicine whose aims are:

• To unite meditators across the Steem blockchain so that we can share and strengthen our own practices
• To provide a space to discuss the philosophy, science and practical application of such practices in our lives
• To inspire and motivate each other
• To provide support if we might be struggling, connecting with like minded people who might offer solutions

Entry is minimum 20 SP for those under 500SP, and 50SP + for those with a bit more. This makes you a full member of @naturalmedicine and all it's benefits. It's free for those under 100 SP.

Mindful Life Needs YOU! Please consider delegating to by clicking any amount below to help support this project, hosted by @naturalmedicine, and it's members.

Minimum entry for membership is only 20SP (free for members under 150SP). This helps support both those interested in natural medicines and meditation or mindfulness on the Steem Blockchain, as well as contests, giveaways and much more.

Join us on Discord here - we'd love to have you!***

50SPII75SPII100SPII200II300SPII500SPII1000SP