Let me illustrate it with a scenario that I’ve been through many times in real life. Picture this:
After many long hours of travel, you arrive at your hotel, and you hate it at first sight. Its many flaws stand out like bright neon lights. You hate the tiredness of the decor, you hate the vibe, you don’t like the people who work there, you dislike everything about it. You feel unhappy and want to leave.
And you were already not feeling great before you arrived. You were exhausted, or cranky, or hungry, or hot and sweaty, or all of the above.
But the next day, after a shower and a good night’s sleep and breakfast, suddenly everything looks and feels different. The hotel flaws start to fade out of your awareness. The vibe feels different, the decor has become more charming, the people seem more likeable.
The hotel didn’t change, though. It’s you who changed. The way you felt inside changed and then your perception of everything around you changed.The story you were telling yourself about your external reality changed. The story shifted from, “this hotel is awful and I’m going to have a miserable time here” to “this hotel is not bad at all, and this buffet breakfast is delicious, and I feel good here.”