The Power and Gift of Perception

We all carry within us a quiet superpower—one that often goes unnoticed for years, sometimes even a lifetime. It’s not hidden in a secret book or locked away in some far-off place. It’s already within you. This superpower is perception.

Perception is the ability to view any situation—any person, challenge, relationship, or opportunity—through a different lens. It’s the gift of choice, of perspective, of shifting your reality simply by adjusting the angle from which you see it.

When we begin to understand and intentionally use this gift, everything transforms. We move from victim to creator. We no longer feel at the mercy of life’s twists and turns. Instead, we become the director, the writer, the producer of our own experience. The power lies in how we choose to see it all.

Recently, I had the privilege of chaperoning my son’s 5th-grade campout—a night under the stars with 111 excited kids, 50 parents, and a team of incredible teachers in Beatty, Nevada. The evening before we left, my son was feeling nervous. The what-ifs were creeping in. What if something goes wrong? What if it’s not fun?

I gently asked him to pause. I said, “Do you want to be in the movie of this campout—or would you rather grab some popcorn and watch it unfold?”
He tilted his head, curious. So I explained: we can either get swept up in the drama, the worries, and the fears—or we can take a breath, step back, and observe. We can watch how others react, witness the chaos without joining it, and choose peace instead.

After a moment of reflection, he smiled. “Let’s bring the popcorn, Mom.”

That moment stayed with me. Because isn’t that what life so often is? A movie. And we get to choose how we participate. Do we lose ourselves in every scene of fear or regret? Or do we remember we have the gift of perception—and through it, the power to choose joy, stillness, even laughter?

So, I ask you, dear reader:

Where in your life could a shift in perception change everything?

Are you caught in the story, tangled in the plotline of stress or fear?

Can you pause, take a step back, and see it all with new eyes?

You are not a victim of your life. You are its co-creator. And the lens through which you choose to see—that is your power. When wielded with love and awareness, perception can transform chaos into clarity, fear into freedom, and the mundane into the miraculous.

You are the writer. You are the watcher. You are the alchemist.
And perception is your brush.