Answer
That kind of thinking is simply the voice of maya.
When the mind says, "I'm not qualified," you should not listen to it.
Instead, your response should be:
"Yes, I'm not qualified. That is exactly why I am here."
If you are not qualified, that is all the more reason to remain in devotional service. Only by staying engaged in Krishna's service will you become qualified.
You also mentioned that you are unable to change your perceptions about people or situations.
Please understand this carefully: you cannot change your perception on your own. Only Krishna can change your perception.
Our duty is to bring Krishna into our minds. As Krishna enters our consciousness, everything gradually changes.
The mind creates another trap. It says:
"First I must change myself. Then Krishna will come."
That never works.
The actual process is the opposite.
Bring as much Krishna into your mind as you can right now. Even a little remembrance of Krishna gives you the qualification to remember Him more.
The more Krishna enters your consciousness, the more qualified you become to bring even more Krishna into your mind. In this way, your qualification steadily increases.
It is just like chanting the holy name.
Someone may think:
"I am not pure. My chanting is offensive. Better not chant Hare Krishna because I will only commit offenses. I am not qualified to chant."
But what do the acharyas teach?
They tell us to chant anyway.
Even if your chanting is not yet pure, whatever sincerity is present will gradually increase your qualification.
Your chanting progresses from nama-aparadha (offensive chanting) toward nama-abhasa (the clearing stage), and eventually toward suddha-nama (pure chanting).
No one is one hundred percent offensive. If that were the case, the holy name would not even manifest on the tongue.
The very fact that the holy name is coming means that there is already some sincerity and some freedom from offense.
That small amount of purity grows.
Gradually you become less offensive, then less offensive still. Eventually you begin to experience glimpses of nama-abhasa, and later, by Krishna's mercy, the taste of suddha-nama begins to appear.
That is the process.
Therefore, this kind of discouraging thinking is incorrect.
In bhakti-yoga, the process and the goal advance simultaneously. This is one of the unique characteristics of devotional service.
The means and the end are essentially the same.
The goal is to reach Krishna.
The means is also to go to Krishna—as much as you are able, right now.
At the beginning, perhaps your consciousness is 90% influenced by maya and only 10% fixed on Krishna.
But that 10% gradually becomes 20%, then 30%, and continues to grow.
Little by little, Krishna occupies more and more of your mind until your consciousness becomes completely purified.
That is the gradual process of Krishna consciousness.
