Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at will change.
I have experienced this truth at two levels: inside and outside.
As Chuck Chamberlain points out in his book, A New Pair of Glasses, our perception of the world changes when we change the lenses in our glasses. With new glasses, we will change how we see things. This change is within us; the world does not change, only our mental representation of the world. I have seen the truth of this. (Spoiler alert, intended pun.)
The second level of change is mysterious: when I change my mental representation of the world, the world changes. It seems like magic, something you would see in a Marvel Comic book, a mutant superpower. But I have experienced it, so count me among the believers.
Let me share one story of many.
I read Joseph Murphy’s The Power of Your Subconscious Mind: Unlock the Secrets Within, where he describes how our subconscious mind affects the world. According to Murphy, my subconscious mind affects the world around me. And I can imprint my subconscious mind with a mental representation. Properly imprinted, my subconscious mind will bend the world to fulfill that vision.
Shortly after reading his book, I became embroiled in a dispute with a neighbour over a house she wanted to build. The dispute made me angry, and the fact that I lost the argument at the hearing did not help. The house was built, and my resentment was established.
I tried Joseph Murphy’s technique. Though I had not seen the neighbour since the house was completed, I thought about seeing her on the street. My default vision was to imagine greeting her with a single-finger salute. Instead, I created a new vision. I imagined seeing her, making eye contact, giving a friendly wave and driving away with a feeling of peace. Every morning, for over a month, I pulled out the small card on which I had written the new vision and read it quietly.
One day, I backed out of my garage and turned onto the street. There she was. We made eye contact. She frowned. I gave a half smile and a slight wave; she acknowledged the wave. I drove away with a feeling of peace. Over the following years, I never saw her again. But I had accepted her and the house.
Had the imprinted vision caused this? It seemed to be so. The transaction played out precisely as I had imagined in my morning meditation. It seemed incredible but true.
This, and many similar stories, have convinced me. When I change my mental representation of something, it will change. My imprinted subconscious vision can affect the world.
When I change how I look at things, the things I look at will change.
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Another gem. Thanks for the book recommendation. Life’s how you see it, and the power of visualization. Prep for future interactions. Totally explains how some people just seem the same events in a different light. The mental framing matters when displaying the picture.
So true that Kate.
this short essay got me thinking about Appendix 2 to the Big Book
the spiritual experience (or awakening, if you will) arose for me when i started looking at thinks from a different perspective. To some degree I found that putting myself in another’s shoes would temper my actions and reactions often for the better.
thanks for your thoughts
Doug
Thanks for the comment, adds to the scope of the blog.
I enjoyed your article…..
I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks Andy!
Love,
Roxana
I love this Andy!
John