"All meanings, we know, depend on the key of interpretation." - George Eliot

Your mental conditioning, knowledge, and source of experiences shape your interpretation of what's happening around you.

You can see the result of mental representations daily. People go through the same situations but react and understand things differently. Some people continue to prosper. Many others get swayed away when circumstances that seems to go against them show up.

If your aim in life is to accomplish more and experience joy, you must learn to translate events in a way that will enable you to grow and persist. If you have been viewing things in a manner that doesn't help you, you have to start seeing them differently.

Tips on how to change your interpretation.

• Pay attention to your words and language.

What you say to yourself is more important than what you say to others. When you make a mistake or experience some drawbacks, avoid saying negative things about and to yourself. Use positive metaphors instead.

How you speak to others and the words you use determine the response you get. How people understand the meanings depend on their perceptions. But you can influence their thinking and understanding.

Don't underestimate the power of words. Your language will affect the way you or others feel and consequently respond and behave.

Try the visual thesaurus to improve your vocabulary.

• Broaden your knowledge.

There are several ways to input new knowledge into your mind and change your perception.

The easiest way to gather information and stimulate your thought is to read. Read books and materials that allows you to think and start noticing.

You can broaden your understanding about life and people by seeing and getting involved with more of them. Traveling, networking and observing will help you see new things and feel more optimistic.

• Explore your mind.

The internal stuff going on in your head determines most of your understanding about what's going on outside. Your ideas, thoughts, beliefs and assumptions can help or destroy you depending on whether they are more positive or negative.

Explore your mind and find out the frames that you have set. What kind of pictures and memories are there?

Everyone has her ups and downs. How many of your "ups" are there compared to your "downs"? Do you only remember the pain and hurt? If this is so, you may want to reprogram your mind so that you can form new associations to an event or person.

• Look at where you have not looked before.

Looking at the same thing won't help. Otherwise you would have improved. Look at what you have neglected to say or do. Looking inside is the best place.

Looking at things from a different angle is necessary because that will help you change your interpretation. This means that you have start questioning your beliefs and ideas.

• Expect the positive.

You have to develop the habit of positive expectancy. When you anticipate great things, you will notice them even when the unexpected happens. You'll remain strong because you understand that there is some meaning to events even if they are yet incomprehensible.

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