A brighter tomorrow begins with greater awareness today

If you had access to a crystal ball that could answer one question about your future, what might it be? Maybe it’s how much money you’ll have, if you’ll be single or married, or if you’ll simply be happy? What if I suggested to you that you have that crystal ball in your possession right now? Would you take a look? You do have that crystal ball and it is called awareness. It’s more accurate than any soothsayer or tarot card reading. What are your thoughts about happiness and joy? When you think about money, how do you feel? When you talk about relationships, what do you say? Welcome to your future. Becoming aware of what you’re thinking and feeling each day will reveal the way your life will unfold. How we feel and what we think each day is one of the surest predictors of what we can expect from our future. What we choose to focus our attention on right now ultimately defines our destiny. Much of this creative process, however, is not conscious, it stems from what we believe. For example, if you believe that it’s difficult to meet the right person or that all relationships are hard, what is the likelihood that you will find, much less stay, in a committed relationship? What about money? It doesn’t grow on trees, you know. It’s also the root of all evil, in case you haven’t heard. Good luck trying to acquire any wealth or even save a little cash if one of these beliefs is deeply rooted inside you. And what about happiness, joy or bliss? I know some people who don’t even think they exist. So, do we believe what we see or do we actually see what we believe? Are our existing beliefs so ingrained as to preclude us from ever entertaining new information? In a recent movie called The Rite, actor Anthony Hopkins asks an intriguing question: “The interesting thing about skeptics is that they’re always searching for proof. The question is: what on earth would we do if we found it?” Sadly, the answer is we’ll usually rationalize it or push it away. Why? It contradicts our core beliefs, the foundation of our experience. To receive conflicting information is to acknowledge or accept that a new possibility exists. The implications of that knowledge can feel so overwhelming that it’s simply easier to stick with the old paradigm and continue unconsciously sabotaging our results. Gradually, our warm, attentive, loving partner will turn into a needy, clingy pain in the butt. A bad loan here, a risky investment there and voila, we’ve rid ourselves of the root of all evil. Let’s create a little family crisis, that ought to take care of any happiness we might be having. Ah, back to what we know, where even in our misery we feel strangely at home. What we believe is what we’ll see and, ultimately, what we will create. Becoming aware of our own self-limiting beliefs is essential to making long-term, sustainable changes for the future. A brighter tomorrow begins by keenly observing yourself today.