How To Create The Reality You Truly Desire
“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.”
Aldous Huxley
You may not be familiar with that Huxley quote but I can pretty much guarantee you’ve heard this one: perception is reality.
And how about this one? We don’t see things as they are. We see them as WE ARE.
I see you nodding over there.
Well, not really, but I can imagine you are. And that right there? That imagined sense of unspoken agreement? That is giving me some affirmation to keep going with this article because this is important and I know it’s important and now that I know that YOU KNOW it’s important…
Get what I just did there? I just created something – a feeling of affirmation and encouragement – that produced a very real feeling that affected my reality thanks to my perception of it.
I’ve written before about how 2 people can have 2 totally different experiences while encountering the exact same set of “objective” circumstances. So, what is the truth? If 2 people can go through the exact same thing yet they interpret it completely differently, which one of them is “right”?
Here’s the issue with the words I placed in quotation marks above: just because we’ve been conditioned to believe that there is an objective, right, and true option doesn’t mean there is.
What if the “right” answer is that the reality of the situation is EXACTLY as you say it is?
If you have a miserable experience while someone else is in bliss (consider the inevitable holiday shopping experience that is now rushing at us at breakneck speed: if you’re planning on going with someone, I can almost guarantee that one of you will hate it while the other one lives for that sort of thing), the truth of the situation is that it sucks. For you.
Who’s right? Is it a 6 or a 9? Depends on where you are standing.
All of that to say this: your reality does indeed come from your perception. And your perception IS a complex bundle of your thoughts, feelings, emotions, past experiences, and expectations – basically, it’s YOU in any given moment.
And depending on which YOU shows up will determine your own reality.
I don’t mean this in a schizophrenic way. We all have our “best selves” and our bad-day selves and the person we aspire to be, etc. The trick is to become as unified and holistic (getting off autopilot and connecting to ourselves) as possible – and then seek to create the reality we actually desire.
You have the power to create your own reality and experience a total transformation in both your personal and professional life. And while it's not the kind of thing that typically happens in a single day, with consistent effort and a willingness to change, you will see and experience incredible results.
Ask yourself:
How often do you feel like you're not quite where you want to be in life?
Do you tend to get frustrated with your current position?
Do you wonder when you will have the opportunity to get further in your career?
Do you worry you will never experience true happiness in your personal life?
It’s natural to yearn for more. But consider this: if you replace the time spent thinking, worrying, or wishing for something more with time spent working to adjust your perception of reality, you will set yourself on the path to success in no time.
Sound hokey? Crazy? Woo?
I’ll return to the starting theme of this article with another quote: “Imagination is everything, it is the preview of life's coming attractions.” This one from Albert Einstein.
So, maybe it’s not just woo… but SCIENCE, too.
Let me assure you: you can, in fact, experience total transformation by simply shifting your thought patterns. Better yet: this is not a matter of IF but WHEN.
And the answer to the question of when is: as soon as you let go of any limiting beliefs and change your inner conversation.
Change Your Perception of Reality to Change Your Experiences
I hear you (see? I’m doing it again!)... Tihanna, if it’s so easy…why isn’t everyone doing it?
Simple: most humans have a distorted perception of their reality. This is rooted our natural tendency to lean into the what’s-wrong-with-life conversation, which just comes with the territory. Most of this approach evolved with us as we sought to take advantage of our in-bred fight-or-flight nature to survive and thrive in hostile physical environments.
We have effectively exchanged Murphy’s Law for universal tools like the Law of Attraction, The Law of Cause and Effect and the Law of Frequency because of our own past experiences. For example: suppose you had an uncomfortable or embarrassing experience asking someone a question. The result is that you may no longer want to ask anyone questions because you believe the outcome will be the same. Suddenly, you develop this uncomfortable level of fear that prevents you from moving forward, advancing your own knowledge or understanding of an issue, or even experiencing a chance at personal intimacy or happiness – all because you have developed a resistance to asking questions due to past embarrassment.
Want to develop an antidote to living in the now and being fully present? Of course not.
But we do this unintentionally by:
Living (and reliving) things that have happened in the past;
Worrying about the future based on things that have happened in the past
Don’t miss the chance to live NOW. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience the transformation you so desperately long for – a transformation which can only happen in the place where reality actually exists: THE PRESENT.
If you want to create your own reality professionally and personally, you must let go of the past. This is an ongoing and neverending practice. We’re all both neurotic and creative, which means we are constantly finding new things to make us mad, sad, and feel bad (really). Because of this, we must approach each day with the attitude of STARTING FRESH.
And this attitude can be remembered with the handy little acronym of F*CK IT.
And I know what you're probably thinking (here I go again): "Doesn't that mean giving up?"
But no, not quite. It's an acronym for something much more meaningful.
First, find the strength to let go. Once you do that, you can unleash your authentic power, showing courage, kindness, faith, and integrity to complete a true transformation.
Bottom line: this has nothing to do with giving up and everything to do with letting go of the past, moving forward, and doing everything with a positive mindset. Because when you're bold and courageous, acting with honesty and integrity, you can achieve a better outcome and truly create the reality you truly desire.
This approach to life, including your work as an executive leader, enables you to overcome challenges with grace, never allowing minor issues or roadblocks to keep you down. And while this doesn't mean things will always go your way or turn out perfectly, it does mean that you will be able to handle complex situations with less stress, panic, and frustration.
Interestingly enough, sometimes it’s the “little things” in life that truly help us experience a transformation from the inside out. For example, something as simple as being a loving, nurturing parent or lending an ear to a friend can help you become more present. This sense of presence enables you to create your own reality via your perception of it – one that allows you to experience a new sense of fulfillment in your life.
Once you create a reality that fully satisfies you – one that exists NOW – you can perform to your greatest potential, becoming confident in yourself and experiencing genuine feelings of joy and happiness in your professional and personal life.
You have the power. Are you ready to create the reality you truly desire?
