Last week I wrote about two important questions for getting to the essence of things. A perfect follow-up post seems to be my colleague and good friend David Robinson’s blog post from April 12, 2013. Both of these posts are ultimately about the stories we create and how they shape our perceptions of reality. So as this week’s post, I share David’s words with you:
I’ve been walking across the city every morning and again each night late as I return from the studio to where I am staying. Since I know that I am projecting my view of the world on every person I pass, I decided that I’d play with my projection. I decided I would see through more consciously intentional eyes.
We assign a story to people in a nanosecond. Pass someone on the street and, if you’re paying attention, you’ll find that you’ve dropped them into a story compartment. Listen and you’ll hear the labels you assign to people – labels based on a first glance or the briefest encounter. If you are generally fearful, you will see fearful or fearsome people. You’ll see a dangerous world. You’ll create a dangerous world. You’ll create fearful labels. You generate your labels based on what you believe.
This morning I was dreaming about the possibilities of my latest project, and it occurred to me that each person I passed was possibly doing the same thing. I began intentionally seeing every person on the street as a dreamer. Almost immediately, I noticed that instead of sticking a label on them, I began wondering what were their dreams. I became curious instead of protected. Anonymous commuters shimmered and became people with rich internal lives, hopes, struggles, and dreams. They became specific and unique. They became three-dimensional and richly complex.
I wondered if they were walking toward their dreams, or had given up on their hopes and silenced their possibilities. Since the projection was mine, I decided that, like me, all were moving toward their hearts’ desires. I believe that all people, even when they’ve dulled their senses, are striving for wholeness. The pathway to wholeness is always through dreams and desires.
Mostly what I noticed was that my view of the world shifted. I was seeing hope and possibility everywhere, so my hope and sense of possibility magnified. The tangible changes were within me. I felt energized and vibrant and light of spirit. I wondered what our world would look like if we saw each other as dreamers and keepers of creative fire. I wondered what would happen within each of us – and therefore, what we would create outwardly – if we looked through more consciously intentional eyes.
P.S. If you would like to explore shifting your own worldview, a helpful resource might be Chapter 19 from my latest book, Create A World That Works. The book is available in bookstores everywhere, on amazon.com, or through our website store.
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