Forming a Positive Outlook

Forming a Positive Outlook

Looking back over the last few years of rapid transformation I've been experiencing, I've noticed several trends emerging. One is that my worldview has become increasingly more integral, complex and comprehensive; this is clearly driven to a large extent by spirituality. Seeing the One in Many and Many in One seems to provide a driving impetus to seek out people, data and framework which support this and the incompleteness of data and actions which do not. This journey, though initially begun in the critical objective mind with my discovery of quantum physics and the scientific studies in the paranormal realm, has been largely nurtured by a sense of spirit in matter. Other such trends include a desire to develop a lifestyle which reflects this worldview, such as vegetarianism, right livelihood (Buddhism), communication skills (NVC), emotional fluency and authentic leadership skills (MKP), spiritual community (Unitarian Universalism), etc. However the most alarming phenomenon, and the one I'd like to devote this exploration to, is that of my exuberance for everything I discover.

If you have been a reader of this blog for awhile you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's amazing that literally everything I discover begs me to extol its virtues to the world. Very few of the posts over the last few years have been critical of new discoveries. There are several possible reasons for this:

1. I'm batting .999 with my selected endeavors
2. I see the world through rose-colored glasses
3. I want to manifest my mission of unlocking and igniting human potential and therefor want to encourage others to share my experiences

I believe it is all three.

Intuitive decision-making

Although I have not batted .999, I'd say that at least 90% of the endeavors I've undertaken have been worth my while, i.e. transformative, even my decision to work for command-and-control company! Though the ones that were not all that great I haven't really mentioned, such as a lecture I saw at UC Davis on agriculture justice, or a workshop I attended on water justice – these two were angry and mostly worthless to me. The lion's share of the endeavors I've chosen have been incredibly pleasing with regard to the experience and subsequent insights.

This might be surprising considering I've made virtually all of these decisions intuitively, without much rigor or research. By relying on my intuition, I set myself up for the world of possibility, the chance at becoming pleasantly surprised. For example, my month-long trip to India in 2004 was done over two 30-second phone calls with a guy I've never met. I knew since he was also a CPM alumni, that I was likely to be happy with the results. I showed up in Dehli, not knowing anything but my contact's name and email address. I saw a sign at the airport with my name on it and the rest is history, enjoying 28-days of utter bliss and radical transformation. Without expectation of outcome it is difficult to be sad about the way anything turns out!

Rose (God) colored glasses

However, I also have the mechanism built into my perception to see the good (God) in all and thus, even an ignorant or emotionally hijacked conversation can be a worthwhile experience to me. The 10-month sentence I served with SunTechnics is a great example. Though many things did not work for me, so much did. Great people, resources for travel, self-exploration, courtship, family connection, exploring Sac/Davis (community/spirituality/etc.), management insights and behavioral analysis are but a few of the wondrous things this decision brought me. Easily this could have been rendered a colossal mistake, taking me away from my vision, mission, values, etc. or adding yet another short stint to the old resume, but it is not. Not for me.

The journey is vast and endless. If you have a spiritual core, i.e. aren't a dyed in wool materialist, its easy to do this, whether you believe in a place called heaven, past & future lives or just the great Oneness. Looking at life, our 70-150 years on this planet, like college, just four years to develop ourselves and have a great time, provides one with a generally positive outlook on the world. When every little detail in life, such as an argument or boring workshop or unfulfilling job, can be seen as unimportant now, as a less than awesome grade on an anthropology quiz or a snub by your bartender seemed then, it's hard to really take any of it seriously or operate in the dire life-or-death manner we tend to when dealing with things that are classically referred to as unpleasant. Big whoop. Sometimes I scream “Spring Break!” like I did back in the wayback, just to remind myself of this 4-year learning extravaganza/party.

When we stay present with our spiritual core and corresponding worldview its incredibly difficult to view events or feelings in this life, this 4-year stint, as all that relevant to the big picture. Yes, there is spirit in everything and little things when done rightly from the highest self do add up, however, when something doesn't go as we planned it, that's ok too. A positive thought carries a higher frequency or vibration and therefor has more energy than a negative one, so even stacked in opposition to a mound of negativity, a single positive thought can cut through the low-vibrating clutter and prevail. During and after every experience in our lives we have the opportunity to write our Cliff's Notes however we choose. We can fill it with highlights or lowlights. How do we want to remember our life? As one that sucked? Or one full of high energy thoughts, great experience and learning?

Mission-driven communication

This outlook also seems to resonate incredibly well with my mission in life – to unlock and ignite human potential. Everything I do is garnered towards this. The mornings and evenings I devote to the man-in-the-mirror, unlocking my own potential (yoga, reading, writing, spiritual/therapy groups, etc.) and the afternoons I focus on doing so for others. I cannot take anyone anywhere I haven't first been myself. Thus, in order to be of the greatest service to the world, I must also, if not first, cultivate myself. Everything I do, therefor is yoga, both path to enlightenment and calling. The manner in which I interpret and communicate my own growth experiences is an integral and vital part of this. So virtually everything I do is presented with the intention to pique the interest of the reader. Does positivism resonate with your mission/career?

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many reasons that I tend to have a positive outlook on life - my spiritual core, intuitive decision-making and the perception of a higher calling to do so. I think these are good, net positives, and can be widely applicable. I humbly submit them for your review. Developing a spiritual core, relying on intuition and creating a life mission compatible with seeing the world positively are all things anyone can do. How is it you want to think of yourself, your experience and the world? We create our own realities. While this is forward looking with respect to our intention, it is also backwards looking as we take insignificant pieces of data and give them meaning, or create the story. What kind of story do we want to read? Does the main character prevail? The answers to these questions determine your fate, your happiness and beg your careful consideration.