“Draw what you see not what you know,” a former art teacher used to say. She wanted us to really look at what we were drawing and put that on the page rather than working from a perception of an object built through time. I want to adapt this saying for myself regarding the world. Perhaps the adapted saying would be something like this: Believe what you see not what you know. What I believe and what I think affects how I perceive the world.
I have been changing old patterns of thought the past few months with a steady mental diet of prayer and positive affirmations. Since I have some pretty ingrained patterns of thought that are quite harmful, I have spent hours a day listening to programs with alternative positive thought patterns that help me feel better. This rigorous practice is changing how I see and experience the world. I see more love, more goodness, and more possibility. What we believe about the world is often what is reflected back to us. Even though my life hasn’t changed much on the exterior the past few months, my perception of it has changed dramatically and for the better. My whole life is flourishing as a result. My relationships are becoming more intimate, my work has been more effective, and my health is improved.
Earlier in the life of this blog, I wrote about my obsession with checking in mirrors. It is a deeply entrenched habit related to my relationship to anxiety, most often manifested as obsessive compulsive disorder. Rather than try to stop looking in mirrors, as I once was, recently I’ve been telling myself that every time I check a mirror, I need to tell myself I love myself. I’ve had lots and lots and lots of opportunities to do this every day. I am finding that the love I am offering myself is now more likely to be reflected back to me in my surroundings. This practice makes it easier for my love for the world and the people who inhabit it to expand and expand and expand. This means the love I have for myself enables me to better love those around me.
