Article Source: The Positive Observer

Written by - J. Sorrells - October 2008

When you read or witness something, where does your reaction to it come from? Is the reaction based on a belief system that may not even be truly your own? Maybe it stems from a seed that was planted in your past. These seeds may have come in the form of a parent, teacher, elder or group. Maybe it stems from becoming conditioned by the environments you have lived in through the course of your life…maybe even your current environment. Consider the influence of the media and advertisements that weave through every aspect of our lives. Also consider the reach of government and other regulatory entities. Again, where do your beliefs and reactions come from? Are they yours?

Now, take notice on the manner in which you read a piece of information. Do you typically skim through the articles you read? Do you find yourself “stimulated” by certain repetitive buzz words in today's language? Words themselves contain emotional representations and they can differ with each of us. Repeated over and over, these emotional images become compounded, regardless of where a person started. Again, ask yourself if you are moving towards or away from certain topics? Within the topics, are there certain buzz words that steer you in a direction? Within these buzz words, are there certain emotions that steer you in a desirable or undesirable direction? Did it ever occur to you that maybe the emotions that we avoid the most are the ones that can assist us the most in our own evolution and well-being? The big tip here is to take a moment to consider and recognize the messages and lessons that are being presented by each emotion? Ask yourself, why you see something the way you do? Where does that come from?

Reading…Perceiving…Reacting is a choice…your choice. You choose to read or decipher as you want; not by “other” standards. Physically and mentally, this may initially be a challenge since your brain tends to process information in the quickest and most efficient ways. Your brain likes shortcuts. As a result, it has a habit of pulling from past experiences in order to arrive at a quick interpretation or response. This approach requires less energy usage for the brain. But then again, if you solely pull from the past and the past has created strong emotional associations to people, places, things and words, then your end result is some what predictable and repetitive.

Instead, why not start sorting things your way? You know you can. For starters, try not skimming through an article every time, especially when the title contains an undesirable word for you.  Instead, pay attention. Put your mind to work. It is ok to see things from new angles.  Don’t quietly “float” into common words that generate predictable responses in you, especially not with today’s news content.  When you read the words on a page or screen or even witness an actual event, ask yourself what your definition of a word is, not the currently accepted or inherited definition of it. Again, where do your current definitions or beliefs come from anyway?

Consider the notion of having a “bad day.” Now ask yourself if it is really a bad day or did the day just become less predictable than how you thought it was going to be when you started it? Instead, maybe unpredictability is the hang up. What then, is your definition of unpredictable? How is that represented in you? Keep going. Huh! Maybe the bad day is really an ok day. It is just that changes in your original routine caused you to actually think or think differently. Is that bad? Is having to exert a little extra brain energy to think through a new situation unhealthy or does it give you a boost and a handful of new learnings?

A Different Perspective:

Driving a car is one of the more unconscious acts we perform in the course of a day. As the driver of a car, especially when you are alone, how often can you recall everything you drove past along the way? Ok, how about recalling at least 25% of the surroundings? Unless some major incident occurred in route between destinations or unless you passed something of extreme interest to you; you probably cannot consciously recall much. Rather, you unconsciously or instinctively just reacted to things a long the way.

The other day, while driving, I looked at the reflection of the road ahead off the hood of my car. I used the reflection of the road instead of the actual road to guide me. By being in an unfamiliar situation, I consciously paid attention to the road markings, curves, surrounding cars and topography through the reflection. One of many things that I quickly noticed was that my viewpoint was upside down. More importantly, I began to notice how incredibly detailed my peripheral vision became. Our peripheral vision is huge part of how we actually see, but rarely do we consciously notice ourselves using it. So you are constantly seeing “the bigger picture” in everything, but don’t even know it. Bringing awareness to this aspect of yourself is extremely powerful. Take notice of different situations or viewpoints in your own daily activities where you become consciously aware your “expanded vision.” Tweaking your senses a little and putting them in overdrive offers whole new perspectives on a lot of things. How can you tweak them when interpreting a story or news article?

Notice the Window Frame Image:

Take a moment and look at the mountain image contained in this article. What might your initial reaction be? What do you notice here? You may notice cloudy skies on the horizon. You could also notice the definition and clarity of both the foreground and landscape. See how the details are brought forth from the surrounding light. Notice the rich natural colors of the wood, flowers and the San Juan Mountains in the background.

Now let us stretch things out a little. Pictures are basically stories in themselves. How might this image relate to today’s socio-economic outlook? Even in the grayness of clouds overhead, there is a raw natural beauty present throughout this setting. In some ways, our current economic situation is revealing a few cloudy days on many landscapes. But as is typical with Colorado weather, the cloudy conditions could change within minutes, thus revealing a crystal blue sky. Clouds represent many different things to different people. The prospect of rain, moisture and water hold even more representations. Water nourishes the earth. It has cooling properties. It nurtures. Water is feminine energy. Most importantly, it heals. Whether cloudy or sunny, all can be good depending on how we choose to flow through them.

Notice the frame within the picture. Look beyond and through it. Frames come in different sizes, textures, colors and appearances. Frames are not always needed in our lives or in how we see the world. What framework do you allow to be hung around your viewpoints in the world? Just notice the “whole” picture and all the elements that preside within it. Now, consider taking a new approach in how you read the news or an announcement or how you are shown the world. Read and take notice beneath the surface. Cushion the space between the presentation of information and your reaction to it.

On many levels, some challenges are upon us. The general media attempts to remind of us this every single day. The manner in which you view these challenges determines the complexity of them. Regardless of ones viewpoint, we, as Americans, still live in an incredible country, with incredible resources and opportunities. There is greatness all around. Atmospheric conditions constantly change, just like one’s reaction to them. Just take notice. Elevate your level of awareness by optimizing your full vision (think car hood). Consider why you see, hear, feel or read things the way you do. Where do those beliefs come from? What is yours…truly yours?

So…start asking yourself what new learnings are now available to you?