Sunday Newscape Magazine

There’s something afoot. Can you feel it? It lays heavily upon the still air like a storm brooding on the horizon. It’s Change. No, not the “look out here it comes” change that your business, the economy, or your insurance company dangles before your change-weary eyes. It’s much bigger than that! And you may not see it coming…because it doesn’t approach with neon lights flashing. It stealthily oozes in beneath your skin from somewhere deep in your soul.

Those of you already infected know what I say is true. You may not know what it means yet but, like the caterpillar within a chrysalis, you have a vague stirring that something big is about to happen and that you’ll never be the same again.

It used to be called Mid-Life Crisis. But what do you call it when every age and all walks of life throughout the planet are questioning their choices and searching for greater meaning? You call it revolution!

Not the bloody leave-dead-bodies-in-your-wake revolution. This isn’t about dying, it’s about finally living. Finally shedding all the hand-me-down identities you’ve donned to become the you that your parents hoped you’d be, that your spouse wants you to be, that your job demands you to be. It’s peeking beneath the garb and exposing the you that God created you to be. The one-of-a-kind, potential-rich, magnificent Being that you are. No one on this earth is who you are, can do what you do, offers the contributions you have.

Think about it! God gave us a most precious gift…the ability to create. To take all of who we are and make any life we choose. Don’t blow by that last word – Choose. It is the unbiased mechanism of creation. 

You do create…everyday. That’s all you ever do: make choices and create! Some creations bring a gasp, some a sigh. Some throw us into doubt and fear. But, they all share a common point of origin – you!

Life presents us with un-molded clay and dares us to make something magnificent. And we always do. Perhaps it’s a magnificent mess, but hey…it’s magnificent! 

For a moment, stop looking at what you created and look with awe on the fact that you can create! The real challenge is to create that which will enrich you, not destroy you. Ability is your potential, principles are your tools. Marry those together and you can sculpt whatever blob of clay the world throws at you. I’ve found these principles have helped me master my potential in the last year.

1) Know Thyself. Creations reflect their creator. Don’t judge your creations, they are your children. Look within if you don’t like what you see without. Plant a tomato seed and you’ll get a tomato. Don’t blame the tomato.

How clean is your integrity? Are you a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of person? Do you live by the values you hold in your heart? Are you swayed by the crowd to abandon what you know is right for you? Are you selling yourself out for what others say you should want more? Who are you when no one is around to impress, oppress, or address?

If you’re having a hard time answering these questions, your creations/life will reflect confusion. Some things will work, some won’t, and some will do you in! This is the hardest step of all, and no other step makes a whit of difference if this one isn’t mastered.

Get off by yourself, get to know yourself.

Ask the tough questions. Don’t be afraid of the answers. And expect change; expect revolution! It’s you emerging from the cocoon.

2) Choice = Creation. The most fascinating thing about creation is that it doesn’t discriminate. It won’t manifest if the choice is good and lay dormant if the choice is bad. It just abides by the instructions it receives.

Choose hatred and you’ll create anger and indignation; you’ll attract retribution and oppression. Choose forgiveness and you’ll create release and empathy; you’ll attract gratefulness and respect. Choice = creation. 

The mechanism is unbiased. It’s good to remember that the next time what you get isn’t what you want. Life is feedback. Every choice you make has a result and the result is feedback echoing the flavor of the choice. Your life to this point is a sum total of the choices you’ve made. And those choices are based upon who you think you are (#1).

3) Reality is Internal. What you experience in life is only happening inside you. It is not determined by what’s out there. It IS determined by how you interpret what’s out there.

All of your experiences, beliefs, values, and ambitions taint everything you see. You aren’t, and no one IS, objective! A friend of mine once said, “We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are.” Surely, you’ve gone to a movie with a friend and walked away with very different impressions. Which one of you was right? Neither! Both! You might have both been watching the same screen, but you saw very different movies. Yours was filtered through your unique set of life experiences but your friend has different filters. Arguing about it is pointless. 

We sometimes think that disagreeing means that someone is wrong. Actually, disagreeing is to be expected. We’re different people seeing the same thing differently. It’s a true wonder that we ever agree on anything! When you understand that reality is internal you’ll create fewer conflicts and engage in more dialogue. You’ll judge less and explore more. You’ll find a world of endless variety, not endless aggravation.

There are many more tools than these, but I don’t want to give away ALL my secrets! And I know in the long run that MY secrets aren’t of any use to you. You may agree or disagree with what I’ve said here. It doesn’t matter, because you will discover your own tools and your own way. Life is a school and your teachers are everywhere. The key is to pay attention to your best teachers…and they’re often the ones you have the most trouble with!

They are the ones who’ll reveal the core of who you’re choosing to be at the moment. They’re the ones who’ll challenge you to become the person you want to be.

© Karen Wright - http://wrightminded.com