It may seem that the outside world shapes our reality. The events of the world, our city, neighborhood do impact us after all. The outside world will always be a part of our reality that is undeniable, but what if we had more control over how we feel about it? What if, we could have our own experience? One independent of whatever was going on around us.
How the brain works
We are learning that the subconscious mind has a great deal to do with how we frame our realities. In his book The Biology of Belief, Bruce H. Lipton teaches,
“We only run our lives with our creative, conscious mind about 5 percent of the time. Ninety-five percent of the time, our life is controlled by the beliefs and habits that are programmed in the subconscious mind.”
When we create a new habit, we create new neural passageways in the mind. It’s like learning a new route to school or work, the more we practice it, the more ingrained it becomes, and the old route is forgotten.
In this way, we can retrain our brain, toward healthier and more heart-aligned choices developing healthy habits.
Presence opens the door
When we are present with what is, we are not escaping into something old. We are not repeating the past. We stay present instead of what arises for us. If something happens, you hear upsetting news, you see a sad story online, watch your reaction. Stay present with it, it is through this practice that you can create a space for choice. Will you go down the old route once more or will you choose something else?
Presence gives you the opportunity to test out new things. What are you passionate about? What feels right in your body to be doing? And what doesn’t? Often, we are so locked into daily routines that we don’t even know.
When we are present with ourselves we give ourselves a tremendous gift, we open up the lines of communication between ourselves and our higher consciousness, to source, to the universe.
It is in this connection that you are able to open the door to awareness.
Stay connected to silence
In the space that you have created, keep it silent. Quiet your busy mind. Spend time in nature, reconnecting, taking a walk, go to your garden. The more you bring in nature it grounds and clarifies things for you.
Silence brings peace.
Peace reconnects you with yourself. Those parts of yourself that you may have let slip away. The parts of yourself that need attention. It isn’t about filling your mind with these things as much as it is about letting them drift to your surface where they can be observed.
The mind can be silenced, it can be calm, just as it can be brought into chaos. Choose to find silence, calm, peace. This allows you to see things in a balanced manner.
Your Unique Experience
Each one of us views the world through our own unique lens. Even though we are seemingly sharing our current reality, in truth how we perceive it is very different from person to person.
Knowing this, consider that everything that happens in the world, in your life, doesn’t have to be seen in the way you have been viewing it. No matter what might be going on.
You can at any time, use the techniques listed above, being present, connecting to silence and peace. To bring about an entirely different lens through which you view your life.
One that is more aligned with your heart, happier, balanced, at peace. There doesn’t have to be a continuation of how you have viewed things. An important thing happens when you change your lens.
The things that come into your life will change as a direct result of how you view them.
You can experience love, health, or financial independence, whatever your goals are, in a more complete and profound manner. They aren’t some unattainable goal any longer. The freedom to choose is what opens the door, recognizing you have that and releasing old habits that prevented you from seeing this way in the past.
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Life will always present challenges, but how we meet those challenges can change radically based on our perceptions. If we look at challenges as being unfair, overwhelming, and feel victimized, we set ourselves up for more limited experiences. If we can stretch beyond our normal tendencies and grow into a more flexible, flowing state of mind giving ourselves the presence and awareness to do so, we open up to a new path.
The choice is ours.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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 The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer |
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Photo credit: Zulmaury Saavedra on Unsplash
