perception (a poem)


Breathe in...
Look around.
But look deeper.
Because how you see—
That’s what becomes real.

Perception.
Not just what hits the senses,
But what your mind makes of it.
A lens.
A filter.
A frame.

It’s not what happens to you,
It’s the meaning you assign.

When life nudged me to pivot,
I could’ve seen failure.
Fear.
Loss.
But I saw a door.
A blessing.
A beginning.
That shift in vision?
It became Santiago.
It became me.

Same moment.
Different mind.
Perception reshaped my path—
And reality followed.

We don’t see the world as it is.
We see it as we are.
Storm inside?
Storm outside.
Peace within?
Possibility everywhere.

Mandela saw peace where others saw revenge.
He chose empathy in a prison cell,
And reshaped a nation.
His perception created a new reality.

But Salem...
They saw fear,
Witchcraft in shadows.
Perception ran wild,
And truth was buried.
Hysteria became law.
Reality bent by fear.

Here’s the truth:
Your perception of the world
Reflects your internal world.

If you don’t love your Self,
The world reflects that lack.
If you are whole,
The world responds in kind.

“As within, so without.”

Events are just events.
You assign the value.
Positive. Negative.
Good. Bad.
That’s you.

So what do you do?

Audit the voices around you.
The content.
The crowd.
And most of all—
The conversation within.

Speak to your Self
With love.
With kindness.
Align your spirit, mind, and body.
Because when you do,
Perception shifts.
And so does your life.

We don’t see things as they are.
We see them as we are.
So I’ll ask you—

How are YOU?

See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,

JC

connect spirit, mind, body, and money w/ Justin Castelli

I'm on a mission to help more people find and live their authentic life. Check out my Daily Notes where I write a short note each day about the connection of spirit, mind, body and money on the Pursuit of your authentic life.

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“Most of what we say and do is unnecessary: remove the superfluity, and you will have more time and less bother. So in every case one should prompt oneself: 'Is this, or is it not, something necessary?' And the removal of the unnecessary should apply not only to actions but to thoughts also: then no redundant actions either will follow.” - Marcus Aurelius “Is this, or is it not, something moving me closer to my authentic life?” See you tomorrow and keep pursuing, JC