Reset the lens (6 of 8)
Most of us think that what we see is the same as what others see. Therefor we assume that we have the same eyes, the same glasses (if needed) and the same field of vision. And even more important, that we have the same experiences and beliefs. Now you might ask what has that to do with my sight? Well, we are not seeing the same as everyone else. Actually Isaac Lidsky, who became blind in his twenties, says that with sight, only 10% of the data comes from the eyes. Our beliefs are thereal filters through which we see. These beliefs are the reason that we see things differently. Have a look at the picture of the elephant that clearly illustrates this process.
Imagine now that you wear orange glasses for a day. Then what you will see is an orange world. If you wear blue glasses, you think that the world is blue, and not orange.
I think the same is the case with listening. It is not our capability to hear that determines what comes through, but our beliefs that act as filters to the noise. For example, many people are already in their mind preparing the next question and don’t listen to the answer from others to a previous question.
Through our senses we create in our mind an unique perspective and that perspective becomes our reality. As we are not aware of these filters, we think that what we see and hear is reality. Well, it is our reality, and only our reality. Other people have other filters and therefor experience another reality.
Reality is perception. The way you perceive the world, shapes your reality. People therefor live in different realities.
Through the straitjacket strategies we have been conditioned that we are not good enough. That is a powerful belief, a powerful filter that has become the major influencer on how we view ourselves, life, work and the world around us. Many people think that we can’t do certain things or that we can’t do them properly because we are not good enough. That limiting belief (I am not good enough) impacts each and every of our capabilities, whether mental, emotional, spiritual or physical. Please remember that the goal of conditioning is to make you average and predictable. By constantly enforcing the lens that you are not good enough, that lens becomes your reality. In that way you are not a threat to those who want you to live their dreams, not your own.
“Whatever I am perceiving out there I will manifest a physical complement to it in here. So, if I have a healthy vision, my mind’s chemistry converts my body into health. If I live in fear… Fear causes 90% of the illness on the planet. And it’s all generated by the perceptions of the mind. The picture you hold in your mind creates the behaviour and biology you express in life.” ~ Bruce Lipton
When we think we are not good enough, that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, as we will continually proof to ourselves that we are not good enough. Dan Sullivan says that your eyes only see, and your ears only hear, what your brain is searching for. All of these ‘negative’ experiences of not being good enough strengthen our perspective and thus our reality.
The good news is that we can change this negative perception of ourselves by resetting the lens, by putting on other glasses. These other glasses will give us different perspectives. Those different perspectives will then shape a different reality. A reality where we are beautiful and powerful! A reality where we are good enough to do extraordinary stuff!
First, allow me to start with an example of resetting my own lens. For a long time, I thought that strength-training was only for boxers or weightlifters. People whose work was to use their strength. Then for the last ten years or so fitness became popular to look good, to shape your body to become more attractive. Both applications were not appealing to me. However, now my body is getting older I started to understand the need to improve my strength as well as my mobility. And also I do experience the positive influence on my brain health. That new way of looking at strength training, resetting my lens, proves to be very worthwhile.
So, what can you do to reset your lens?
Reset the lens
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Power of potential
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Unleash uniqueness
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Augment ambitions
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Choose confidence
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Finish fear of loss
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Obstacles as opportunities
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Love for different perspectives
Nobel prize winner Daniel Kahneman proved that humans all suffer from cognitive bias, that is, unconscious -and irrational- brain processes that literally distort the way we see the world. He discovered more than 150 of these biases. One of the most common is confirmation biasthat is our tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses. That bias doesn’t help us grow and learn as we stick to the same beliefs. We can only grow if we are ready to accept something different from our existing habits and beliefs. At the same time confirmation bias doesn’t help if we want to be compassionate in relationships or collaborate with others in a team. If previous generations wouldn’t have love for different perspectives, we still would think that the earth is flat.
One of the key advantages of the Internet is that we can easily find people with different perspectives. It is only through seeing these different perspectives that we can decide whether we want to stick to an old opinion or that we are ready to change our point of view. It is preferred to make decisions in a detached and loving way.
It is love that will guide us, as real love is fully accepting others. Nowadays we judge people who have a different opinion, but what would happen if we just fully accept their perspective? It doesn’t mean that we have to buy into their perspective, but just seeing it as another way of looking at the world. It is sad that people who did have a near death experience said that they felt accepted for the first time in their life (Zach Bush on Rich Roll podcast 8thof January 2019).
Acceptance of different points of view is the starting point for getting into a real dialogue. No conflict or war can be ended without being open to the perspectives of others. That openness is the gateway to a solution. People have different stories to convey their message, their perspective. That is fine as long as we are willing to listen to stories that are different from ours. Let me share two examples.
A few years ago I did attend a series of talks at the CEU university in Budapest where each session an ambassador from a country in the Middle-East would share his point of view about the conflict. In the next session, an ambassador from a different country would share his perspective. That process was very revealing. There was also a lot of respect that emerged from these sessions.
Another example is related to a serious car accident that I had many years ago. I was in intensive care for a couple of days and I was told that I had severe injuries and that I had to stay in the hospital for at least four months. I was just laying in bed and that was it, they didn’t tell me what to do. Then my uncle (who was a professor in languages) went to the doctor’s room and asked about my condition. It was only then that they explained what all my injuries were and that especially because of my collapsed lung that I had to get moving as soon as possible. So, that is what I did. I started walking up and down the stairs in the hospital, every day. The result was that I could leave the hospital after one week. Just because they gave my uncle a different perspective on how I could get healthy again. Now asking for a second-opinion is becoming a standard practice in healthcare.
These examples show how important it is to have love for different perspectives. It can help you personally as well as help the progress in society.
“When we look in a mirror and see a scared face, we are only seeing habit and conditioning. Our real image is of power and love, waiting to be acknowledged.” ~ David Richo
