How much difference can you create in your life with a subtle little shift in perception? Sometimes the difference between a happy, successful outcome and a dismal failure is only a slight shift in perception. How we represent things to ourselves determines how we will respond to any given situation. In turn, our response will help determine the outcome. When life hands you a challenge, how do you feel about it? What is your initial internal response on an emotional level? What is your external response as seen through your body language and verbal expressions? Why does it even matter? How we respond to any situation reveals a lot about our attitude and perception. So, when we see challenges as opportunities, what does that reveal about our personal advantage point? Likely it means that we have a healthy degree of optimism, self-confidence and openness, along with an adventurous spirit. It would indicate that we enjoy life and look forward to whatever comes next. On the other hand, what does it say about us when we greet a new challenge with feelings like “Oh, no, I don’t know how much more of this I can take?” Well obviously, this would indicate that we are running low on resources. It might also reveal a pessimistic, closed, and somewhat fearful perception of the world around us. This type of limiting attitude can only attract more of the same. Fear and negativity cannot possibly create a life of joy and prosperity. The surprising thing is that there is often only a small degree of difference between a positive, optimistic perception, and a negative, pessimistic one. Even though these two attitudes are polar opposites, they both start with the same challenge. Our immediate response to any situation sets up a corresponding chain of neurological (神经学的) s. If we can control our immediate response, we can change the outcome of those s. Allow me to illustrate. When a golfer takes a swing at a ball, one degree of difference can determine whether he comes in under par, or sinks one in the lake. When a jet takes off from LA International Airport, headed toward London, one degree of difference can determine whether he lands in Greenland of Africa. Okay, I admit that I didn’t plot this one a map, but you get the idea. Correspondingly, if our first response to any given situation is negative, it makes a positive outcome much more difficult to achieve. That initial negative response will trigger our established response patterns, and we will begin to follow the ingrained (根深蒂固的) pattern established by previous negative experiences. In essence, we will switch over to autopilot in the wrong direction. Here is the important point: Training ourselves to respond positively, or at least neutrally, will have the opposite effect. An optimistic response to a new challenge will trigger a completely different set of established response patterns. Our subconscious will look for similarities between this situation and our initial response to positive experiences from our past. This will initiate a neurological chain reaction that will help move us in the right direction. Now we will be operating from a much more resourceful state.