This world isn’t what you think it is.
I saw a picture yesterday of Albert Einstein giving a lecture in 1922 on the Theory of Relativity. I can’t imagine how those people felt, listening to this man who they knew to be one of the greatest geniuses the world has ever seen.
In teaching them about relativity, he was taking their current worldview and allowing them to see that there was a much greater, deeper, richer and more complex universe available to them than they had ever imagined.
Sometimes, that can be a tough pill to swallow.
I’ve been doing that recently with a coaching client. This brave new friend has amazed me with her insight, wisdom, courage and tenacity. She has been willing to look deep into her story and find the ‘truths’ in her life that have failed to serve her.
This has been painful, yet she has persisted and continues to expand her awareness of herself and her place in the universe.
As we met this week, she had followed through on an assignment to consider 5 truths (or stories) in her life that might not be exactly the way that she thinks they are. Again I was impressed by her willingness to go deep and bring out the hard truths, not something light and fluffy.
As we picked apart each of these stories and the assumptions that were an intrinsic part of her acceptance of that truth, we began to uncover an interesting statistic.
That 80% of these ‘truths’ that contributed to her worldview were not truths at all – they were merely one way of looking at a situation that fit too neatly with some of the stories she had already been taught to believe by a world that had not treated her kindly.
As our coaching time drew to a close, I gave her an assignment that rocked her back in her chair a little. I reminded her that since 80% of what was holding her back seemed to be false, and yet she was prepared to accept it as real, then maybe it was time to look at some ‘truths’ that she could accept that would support her, empower her and bring her greater light and happiness, even though she wasn’t sure she believed in them right now.
She looked at me like I was crazy. I get that a lot. :)
One of my mentors put it like this. If you are going to believe a bunch of things that aren’t true, then why not believe things that empower you and make you happy.
In my experience, the ‘lies’ that we don’t want to accept about ourselves are usually the things that can bring us happiness when we understand who we really are, and accept our place and potential in this universe.
We would rather accept a lie that demeans us, than accept a truth that uplifts us.
Wherever you are on your journey today, I invite you to start a process of examination to see what ‘truths’ in your life may not be the sure foundation that you think they are.
You might come to realize that a lot of the stories you tell yourself about the world around you are merely a misunderstanding, and that the reality of who you are is more powerful, more radiant, and more ennobling than you are comfortable admitting.
See yourself anew, and become who you already are.
-- Dr. Alan Barnes
@maddrbmusings