Perspective

The search

The thrill of the search can be intoxicating. When we realize that there is something missing we commit to a plan to find the unknown “it.” With our search party put in place, there is a sense of anticipation for discovering the thing that we’ve been been waiting for.

The most innocent of searches can become exhausting if we lose sight of what we’re searching for. And even more anticlimactic is realizing that what we’ve been searching for has been with us all along.

While the thrill of the search can be fun – First be sure that what you’re looking for is not already in your possession.

Perspective

I don’t know

We live in a culture that strives to know the answer to everything, which ironically, limits the parameters of our knowledge and experience.

What happen’s after we know? We may cling to what we know, feel pressure to defend what we know from further exploration, and challenge others with our knowledge.

The person who doesn’t know has more options. There is no pressure to defend what we know, we can explore deeper, and it makes us more open to share with others.

The only thing I know for sure is that I don’t know.

Perspective

Radius

Someone once told me that they don’t travel outside of a 10 to 15 minute driving radius. And because they are not centrally located in the city they live in, this limits the people they visit and the things they enjoy within their region.

Curious about this radius, I started to observe how we all create a radius within our lives. It may not be as obvious as the 10 to 15 minute driving radius of the person I know, but it may be a limit on the foods we try, the media we consume, the friends we have, the cultures we learn about, and the books we read.

We all operate within a radius, the important question is, do we know where the lines have been drawn?

Perspective

Who I am today

Each morning I wake up and think about “who I am today.” It does not always happen as a conscious thought, but I am aware it happens on some level. As I go through my morning routines, I reinforce who I am through my actions, environment, thoughts, etc. My personality gets “put on”, and when the process is automated, who I am becomes shaped by how the world has defined me and how I have defined myself in the past. It operates like clockwork until the moment I am willing to interrupt these dominant structures.

When the process is automated, it feels like much of this happens behind my back. Who is responsible for defining who I am in a particular moment if it’s not (consciously) me? I imagine that’s the only logical reason to explain why I would choose to be the same person today that I was yesterday.

It takes intentional direction, radical action and uncharted willingness to let go of even a day old personality. But, it’s the only way for me to truly establish who I am today.

Perspective

Man made

We come into this world with everything we need. Then, the first years of our life are spent acquiring all the man made items that we are instructed we need for our journey.

Once we have been properly initiated with our man made items, we learn the different levels of value, acceptability and worth, in comparison to the man made items of others we encounter.

This shapes the way we see and interact with the world on such a powerful level, that we use this man made system as a direct measurement of our worth, and the worth of others.

There is a point where we can forget, or no longer see clearly, that the origins defining our worth and shaping our perspective, are man made.

Man made items are created through the manipulation of raw materials, and manufactured for the profit of its creator. Crafted to give the illusion that the raw materials are not manipulated, and that nobody profits, many people willingly decide to maintain and support production.

Once a person is able to recognize the origins of the items given to them, they can decide to hand over their possessions and see the world beyond its man made qualities.

Perspective

Dreaming of fear

Last night I had a dream that someone was chasing me with a weapon. At first, I started to run. Then, I stopped, turned around and started to chase them. They looked surprised at me facing them and I could start to see their real weakness with every step. When I finally caught up to the person, I took the weapon away only to see it could not have done any harm to me in the first place.

I interpreted this dream as fear or rather, the perception of fear. When I was running away, the fear had me under its spell. As I turned to face it, the illusion was broken and it lost all the power it had over me. Reminding me that facing my fear is always better than being paralyzed by the illusion of its power over my life.

Perspective

Unlearn

Learning is a process of unlearning. We must be willing to let go of the things we think we know in order to learn the things that are known. Without the ability to unlearn, we become rigid in our thinking and behaviors.

Unlearning opens us up to new information. It creates space for a new idea to flourish and feeds our curiosity to learn more. If you’re not willing to unlearn, you’re really not ready to learn.

Perspective

The story of us all

Our individual stories feel personal. As we recite them in our heads or share them with others, we have an experience we feel belongs to us alone. When this happens, we may think nobody else could understand or connect with our experience.

The story of one of us is the story of all of us. It’s the reason a single person can express an idea that connects with many, and why a smile can be interpreted accurately despite language barriers.

We should not hesitate to share an inspired idea based on the false belief that our stories are personal. Everything that exists in the world is the story of us all.

Perspective

In my mind, I see a line

Viola Davis evoked the words or Harriet Tubman in her acceptance speech after receiving her first Emmy award for best actress in a drama.

“In my mind, I see a line…..”

Were the first words uttered from her mouth. With those 6 simple words a deep emotion awakened inside me, and at once, I became heartbroken by its awareness, yet liberated by its voice.

The opportunity for change happens at the line. In direct opposition to change, is the collective willingness to avoid the lines existence. We may lack the courage to observe and acknowledge its presence, for fear that we will alienate those who are on the other side, or in belief that we will suffer by accepting the reality. But, what is the shared cost of our refusal to see the line?

“In my mind, I see a line.”

Growth

How does it end?

Knowing how things end takes all the excitement out of the experience. It’s the journey, the steps, the unexpected twist and turns that makes life interesting.

Some people plan so they can be in control, as much as humanly possible, of how it ends.

My plans give me a good starting point so that I can let go, have options, be surprised, and enjoy the ending that is impossible to plan or know for sure.

Are you planning for the illusion of control or to establish a good starting place that allows you to enjoy the ending?