“What We See We Become”

According to Deepak Chopra, what we see we become, so choose carefully. If you pay closer attention to one’s own behavior throughout the day you can see how this is true. If at any point in the day you find yourself getting angry at someone, try to step back and observe your behavior for a minute. Where did that come from? Are you really mad at someone, or did you very recently see something you didn’t like? Perhaps you had a bad encounter with someone and now have become what you saw.

Several months ago my son and I were waiting in the car at a drive through to get a cup of coffee. My window was down and I heard a big commotion to my left. I looked over and saw a man yelling at what appeared to be his three young children. Two kids were in the backseat of the van, and a very young child was in the front in a diaper standing up on the seat. The man was standing outside of the van yelling at the kids, and then I saw him push the baby to sit down, in an inappropriate way to say the least. I was, shall we say, a bit enraged! At that moment it was time to drive up and place our order. Ripped by what I just saw, I unintentionally and  abruptly gave my order to the girl and my son started shouting  from the back seat that he wanted a chocolate donut too, and I found myself very agitated that he interrupted me, and I shouted at him to be quiet! It was then, at that very moment, that I realized that I became what I saw earlier, and that that behavior didn’t belong to me. It makes you wonder all day and everyday, whether we truly understand someone or not. Perhaps that grumpy person we just saw or spoke to isn’t a …. (you know what), but rather a person who witnessed something ugly prior and simply became that. Now consider that you’ve been around someone who is like a Debby Downer for a while, and you become a downer for the rest of your encounters. What happens is then like a domino effect. We are responsible for what we put out in the universe. Question is what are we putting out? Collectively we are good and bad, and the one that wins is the one we pay most attention to. See for yourself. Try to be an observer of yourself. Listen and pay attention to your behavior during your interactions.  What I have concluded from witnessing things all day everyday, is that  I should choose carefully what I want to see, and when I do, I have a better day. Much like a movie, I like to choose what I want to see. With this information on hand, it makes for better communication, more compassion, understanding, as well as better relationship’s. Look at the company you keep. Look at the things you are drawn too, and ask yourself, is this contributing to the kind of behavior that makes me a better person? Is this behavior contributing to the well-being of our world? Each and every one of us has influence as to the way this movie we’re all playing in plays out. Let’s make it good! It’s all how you look at it.

Gems Within

Have you ever noticed how good you feel after finishing a job you set out to do? Not just a big  job, like a project from work, but rather something as simple as washing dishes, cleaning out a closet, or even shoveling snow. I often find myself very centered when I’m doing something of that nature. It is in that moment when you are most closely in touch with your soul. Leading with your soul makes for a better walk in the park. On a daily basis we are all constantly bombarded with stimulus that makes it difficult for us to hear what our natural guidance system tries to communicate. Some of us deliberately turn on music, or the TV, to keep from hearing complete silence. Some people need the T.V. on just to go to sleep, but the greatest sound can be found in complete silence, or when you are completely focused on what you are doing.  It’s the place where all answers lie, where peace resides, and where you are in perfect alignment with who you really are. 

 When people ask you who you are, we usually respond by saying what we do, or what we do for a living, but who we  really are is a soul, living in a body, having a life experience. Then as we grow up, we find out things about ourselves that are good and not so good, and the not so good things tend to stick, especially if  heard often enough.  There is a  children’s book called, “You Are Special”, by Max Lucado, that talks about this very thing. Everyday, all day small wooden people called Wemmicks would stick either gold stars or grey dots on one another.  The talented, pretty ones  usually got gold stars, and the Wemmicks who were tarnished, ugly, and couldn’t do much would receive grey dots. It became quite evident to all who each Wemmick was. Good or bad, if you were covered in grey dots, that meant that you were useless, no good, and those Wemmicks probably walked with their heads down in disgrace with low self-esteem, and most likely had no energy to do anything because of what others thought about them. But one day, the main character Punchinello, met Lucia who had no stickers at all. People tried to give her gold stars but they wouldn’t stick, so then they tried to give her grey stickers, but they wouldn’t stick either. Punchinello realized that that’s the way he wanted to be too. He didn’t want anybody’s marks.  He quickly asked how she did that, and she replied, “Everyday I go see Eli. Eli is a wood-carver, and told Punchinello to go see him for himself. So off he went to meet Eli, with much fear and anxiety, and discovered that Eli recognized him right away, and was very happy to see him! Eli scooped down to pick him up and said, Let me look at you. Hmmmm. “It seems like you’ve been given some bad marks”. Punchinello said,  “I didn’t mean to, I really tried hard!” Eli lovingly said “You don’t have to defend yourself to me, child. I don’t care what the other Wemmick’s think, and you shouldn’t either”. “Who are they to give you stars or dots?” All that matters is what I think about you, and I think you are pretty special. Punchinello laughed and said, why me, my paint is peeling, I can’t jump, I can’t walk fast ect… Then Eli put his hands on Punchinello’s shoulders, and spoke softly. “Because you’re mine. That’s why you matter to me.” No one had ever looked at him that way before. Eli explained to him that the stickers only stick, if they matter to him, and stickers don’t stay on Lucia because she decided that what I, (Eli), thought was more important than what others thought. Punchinello discovered that Eli was his maker, and when he changed his thoughts about himself the stickers started to fall off. 

 Therefore, don’t be afraid to go deeper within yourself, there are gems waiting to be discovered that will help you on your journey in life. Some people have to meditate to get there, but you can absolutely get into alignment with your soul, by enjoying what you are doing in the moment too, like preparing a meal, gardening, singing ect…  Checking  in with your own God-given guidance system is the place where alignment, peace, and answers reside. The more often you go there, makes for a lovelier walk through the park. It’s all how you look at it.