It Isn't What It Is

The world is a lot of things. Grand. Mysterious. Infinitely beautiful.
But it’s also a mirror. That is, whatever you experience on the outside is a reflection of your beliefs, thoughts and character on the inside. Likewise, the faults you see in others are often your own.


This weekend while I was on a wonderful bike ride I slowed to a more leisurely pace (rare for me) and decided to take in the neighborhood. There were a thousand things going on. I couldn’t possibly take in the full scene; so instead, my mind applied a selective filter. I noticed the two older people holding hands while walking by the swimming pool. I noticed a woman changing in full view with her windows open. Two birds landed on the mail box at the corner fighting over a large chunk of birdseed. Of the thousands of things going on around me, I can onlyfocus on just a few.


The filtering system isn’t arbitrary; there are reasons why we notice what we notice. Our beliefs, thoughts, character, etc. serve in powering (at least to some degree) the selectivity we experience when filtering the world around us.


If we go through life with anger and hate, then it is anger and hate that will determine our experience of the world. If, instead, we hold love in our hearts, our life experience will be all the more joyful. I recently spent some time with a friend and was shocked at then negitative attitude. Had this been there the whole time? Are we growing apart faster than I first perceived? This person’s attitude was bringing down my own mood and I didn’t like it one bit! So, I encourage you to adapt your outlook and focus on your life, your surroundings, and your relationships and try to make the best of everything. It is never as bad as you think it is. “Whatever”or“It is what it is,” are two phrases that express nothing more than your defeated and complacent attitude.