We tend to think that we are pretty objective.
That when we look at the world we see it as it is.
We are fairly certain about our interactions with other people.
AND WE KNOW WHAT WE KNOW TO BE TRUE.
Whether it is about our history, our lives, or our relationships.
What that person said, we are certain, meant one thing.
How our boss treated us the other day was because she doesn’t like us.
Or the reason why our friend didn’t call us back is because they are mad at us.
WE ARE SO SURE AND SO CERTAIN THAT WHAT WE THINK IS TRUE, WE RARELY OPEN OURSELVES UP TO OTHER POSSIBILITIES.
Perhaps your boss got some bad news that morning and she’s upset.
Maybe your friend’s child is sick and they are in the hospital with them.
There are so many possibilities that we don’t see when we look at a situation.
BECAUSE WE DON’T SEE THE WORLD AS IT IS, WE SEE IT AS WE ARE.
When we are scared and afraid, the world is a scary place.
If we are happy and filled with joy, the world is a beautiful place.
But wait, how can that be the same world?
WE LIVE IN A WORLD THAT IS SHAPED AND MOLDED TO OUR OWN THOUGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES.
Where things happen because of the reason we come up with.
And those reasons are merely a reflection of how we feel about ourselves.
How we truly feel about ourselves is constantly reflected in the stories we come up with about what is happening around us.
When we feel good about ourselves, then wonderful things are happening to reward us.
Should we feel we are unworthy and bad, then the world is trying to punish us.
Both can be true, and neither.
FOR WHAT IS HAPPENING IS HAPPENING REGARDLESS OF THE MEANING WE MAKE OF IT.
Why things are happening the way they are is unfathomable.
There may be a thousand reasons why things are the way they are.
When we choose only one and latch on to it, we are limiting our view of the world.
We love to make meaning out of every little interaction and experience we have.
THE TRUE MEANING MAY BE SOMETHING FAR BEYOND OUR UNDERSTANDING.
So if we are going to assign a meaning to any given situation, why not assign a meaning that uplifts and empowers us?
It is our choice to see the world as a dark, scary place.
Yet we can also choose to see the world as a hopeful, beautiful place.
We can choose to believe that people are bad and evil and the world is going to destroy itself.
Or we can decide to see the good in people, and know that they are on their own path of discovery and self realization.
IT IS NOT ABOUT SEEING THE WORLD THROUGH ROSE COLORED GLASSES.
Rather, it is about being more conscious of how we feel and noticing how that affects our interpretation of events around us.
This understanding can help us navigate the world with a deeper appreciation of who we are and the part we play in it.
For in the end it is not about who is right and who is wrong.
IT IS ABOUT HOW TO LIVE A MORE KIND, MORE LOVING, AND MORE COMPASSIONATE LIFE.
Not because it benefits other people.
Because it benefits us.
And in the end, is that not the type of world we all want to live in?
Can you see how you feel affects how you see the world?
And can you be open to the possibility that there just might other ways to see things?
~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant
Host of The Conscious Consultant Hour
