I'm fascinated by the degree to which the world we experience is dictated by what we believe about the world. So I loved this quote from a traveling free spirit who is profiled in a post in Ode magazine's Readers Blog. Talking about his footloose lifestyle, he says...
“I trust. I trust people. I trust jobs will come. I like to put myself into situations of risk. But I trust I will come out OK. Friends always ask me, ‘Aren’t you afraid?’ And I reply, ‘I never let fear get the best of me. I want to trust people are good. So, I go out into life to prove it.’”
I love that last bit. "I want to trust people are good. So, I go out into life to prove it." It's goes beyond a passive hope that the world is the way he wants it to be. He jumps in with both feet and goes out of his way to prove it. In the process, that creates his experience of the world.
Want an easy way to try it yourself? Next time you're at the grocery store, smile at people. When I go, I often notice people who seem unfriendly and disinterested, unhappy even. But then I flash a quick smile and something magic happens...they smile back! Suddenly their whole persona (as I perceive it) has changed, and with one little smile, my world has become a friendlier, happier place. But if I simply scowl back without ever smiling...well, you can see the world that that creates for me.
How about you? What do you want to prove about the world? It's an important question, because it gets down to the fundamental notion of what world we want to create and, more to the point, what world we want to actually live in.
Spend a little time with that question. Do you want to prove that people are waiting and willing to help you achieve your dreams? That people are basically good and trustworthy? That abundance is there, just waiting for you? That it's possible to make a difference that inspires you and thrive in the process? Something else?
You may come up with one important idea, or multiple things. Once you have them, ask yourself, "How would I act if this were really true? What can I do to help this be true? What action do I need to take to bring this truth to life?"
The more you consciously go out and act as if what you believe is true, the more potential there is for it to actually be true in your experience of the world.
--
Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst TM
Comments