| Author: Fred Tutwiler |
During a typical lifetime, we have all concocted a menu of issues that we perceive as problemsinjustices, betrayals, failures, disappointments, etc. But none of that is the truth. The problem isn't the problem; our view of reality is the problem. Those problems usually feel like problems because of a particular view of reality. In another reality, they wouldn't be problems at all! Metaphorically speaking, you are viewing the world around you through poop-colored glasses. Things look like poop! The solution lies not in sorting out the problems, but in sorting out your view of reality, which defines certain things as problems.
Over time, we all begin to believe what we hear again and again. It becomes part of our reality. We think the way we are trained to thinkand that thinking tells us certain things are problems. For example, after being told for most of my life I wasn't very smart, and after struggling mightily with chemistry and physics in high school, I assumed I was destined for jobs and careers that didn't require much analytical thinking. I spent ten years in sales, construction and different types of retail before I went to college and majored in microbiology and genetics. Along the way, I earned money in college by tutoring other students in algebra and chemistry. Although I was trained as a child to think I was 'not good at math and science', and spent 10 years of my young adulthood believing that propaganda, the experience of college ultimately showed me it wasn't true.
The reality we are living inside of is telling us who we are and what we should do. Whether the reality is correct, beneficial or harmful to us doesn't matter; what matters is that the reality WE ARE LIVING INSIDE OF is always calling the shots. Most of our individual realities are quite brilliant and reliable. Yet, some pieces of reality are misleading us, possibly even sending us down the wrong path in life (as was the case with my reality about not being good at science). The task is to honestly and rigorously examine what reality you're living in, and challenge the parts of it that are holding you back.
The good news is that you can have pretty much anything you want in life regardless of what your view of reality is telling you. The process of challenging your view of reality requires three stages.
AWARENESS. Most of the forces impacting your view of reality are invisible to you. You have unconsciously trained yourself to succumb to the dictates of these forces. Despite their power, they are not the 'truth'. They are propaganda. So subtle and convincing is the process that, for the most part, we never question the reality the propaganda constructs.
Propaganda is not the truth, no matter how convincing it may be and no matter how many people believe it. If one is to interrupt the reality that propaganda constructs, one must become aware of the truth. For centuries ancient Greeks and Romans constructed myths about life. Those myths provided comfort and the illusion of understanding. However, the belief that a poor harvest is because the gods are displeased won't tell you what you need to do to make next year's crop bountiful, no matter how comforting the myth may seem.
PURPOSE. The pursuit of Awareness can be an unsettling process, and we don't like feeling unsettled. So if we are going to wage into that battle we need to have a purpose big enough to withstand what we learn about ourselves.
Quite distinct from creating new affirmations or developing a new kind of goal, discovering your purpose is about discovering the essence of your passion for life. There was a time, years ago, when you knew what that was. But it got lost in the process of growing up and succumbing to the propaganda. When you re-discover your purpose, you will never look at life the same way again.
CREATION. In 1965, a Yale business student submitted a writing assignment in which he outlined the premise of an overnight package delivery system. As good as the paper was, his professor was reported to have commented, 'The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C', the idea must be feasible.' The student, Fred Smith, went on to establish Federal Express Corporation.
Smith went beyond improving what already existed in conventional thought. He looked at the situation from outside of the current reality to create something brand new. This process of thinking from a different reality is not our natural way of dealing with life and is difficult to execute at first. But it IS possible, and the more you do it, the more natural it becomes.
Once we understand the authentic nature of our individual realities (Awareness), and then discover what it is that makes our heart sing (Purpose), we have the tools to begin to design the future from a perspective of original thinking (Creation). Our normal learning process in life does not equip us to create much of anything. It equips us to preserve our view of reality, no matter how disruptive or uninspiring that reality may be. When you become aware of the invisible machinery that is mischievously sabotaging your dreams, you will have the ability to bring sanity and intention to your actions and attitudes. Then you'll start looking at life through something more delightful than poop-colored glasses! |
Author Bio:
Fred Tutwiler has worked with companies, individuals and athletic teams, including the 17 time NCAA Champion UNC Women's Soccer Team and the WUSA League Champion Carolina Courage. Fred, The Reality Coach, challenges non-productive views of reality. He is the author of www.megaginormousrules.com/pages/MGRsp2.html��>Your MEGAgiNormous Rules: The invisible rules you live by, why they keep you stuck, and what you can do about it. Download Fred's FREE e-book "Why DO We KEEP Doing The Same Thing Over And Over Even When We DON'T LIKE the Result We Get?" . |
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