Do our perceptions die? Do you remember hearing the words "wild imagination" or "over active imagination"? Remember the days when we would entertain ourselves for the entire day with our daydreams of doing this or that when we "grew" up?

As we grow in experiences so does our memory bank of "warnings" and the likes thereof resulting from those experiences. As a youth, our experiences with life are few and influenced by our parents protective environment, but our imaginations are wilder, unencumbered, less restrained by self so to speak, to enjoy our dreams or desires (within reason).

Dreams are our perceptions in life. To say our perceptions "in" life are based on our experiences is not supported. To say our perception "of" life is based on our experiences is true, but not the focus of what creates our perception? What impedes the advancement of our positive perceptions in living life is the reactions to our warnings stored in our memory bank, experiences.

Our perceptions are influenced by laziness (lack of dedicating time to think) and will automatically revert back to "warnings" (negative) as it should be. But as time changes daily, so should one be willing to modify one's perception of truths embraced (truth exists only if you embrace it as such).

When we are lazy in managing our future and feeding our perception of what we desire in life, we reply on the words of others to influence or shape our perception (under someone else's control) of what is reality.

We all have been influenced by the words of others. For an example of influenced perception, I have a dear friend who will not drink coffee because he says it is bad for the heart. I asked why he believed that statement and he replied; "That has been the belief for years among health professionals.". Embracing that as the truth as he did, based on someone else's belief and never investigating it any further, influenced his perception.

I shared with him that the fact is scientists are waking up to the health benefits of coffee! A group of international scientists found that coffee filters can remove from 78 to 90 percent of dissolved heavy metals such as lead and copper from tap water. The researchers suggest that the results may be evidence that daily human exposure to heavy metals in cities around the world may be greatly overestimated, and that current public health risk assessment models are inaccurate where coffee makes up a large proportion of water consumption.

Yes, another perspective on what is considered: "bad." The point is to allow oneself the freedom to enjoy life by being young of thought, dare to dream, believe, and do what satisfies the needs of your soul.

Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible.