How do our perceptions affect us?

If ten people look at a cloud, there will be ten different perceptions of it. It all depends on our mind – our sadness, our memories, our anger, our love. Thich Nhat Hanh said that our perceptions carry with them all of the errors of our subjectivity. We either praise, blame, condemn or complain depending on our perceptions. He said that our perceptions are based on our afflictions – craving, anger, ignorance, wrong views and prejudices. Whether we are happy or we suffer depends largely on our perceptions. He said to look deeply at our perceptions to be free of them. Asking ourselves things like “AM I SURE?” can help us realize that the answer is NO. He said that looking deeper helps us get to the right view. As humans, we all do and say things according to our perceptions and it’s a good idea to take a breath and look deeper. I too have allowed my perceptions to dictate my thinking in the past and I am looking forward to continuing to notice them as they come up and look deeper before taking action.
How do you watch your perceptions?