We see the world as we are, not as it really is.
We see the people around us through lenses that are shaped by our own experiences. Our paradigms or mindsets really determine how the things we see look. Two different people can see the same picture or situation and come up with different interpretations and responses.
To see the world differently, we need to be different. We need to change our paradigms.
Our paradigms or mindsets are created by the formative experiences we’ve been through. Some authors call it conditioning. Others call it domestication. Regardless of what we call it, these past experience mold our minds and create for us a lens that often doesn’t line up with the truth about who we are but merely represent where we’ve been, the kind of childhood we had, the places we hang out at, etc.
If you are frequently having a negative picture of the world or the people around you, can you guess who needs to change their paradigms?
You, obviously.
Being comes before seeing. As Steven Covey says, “Paradigms are inseparable from character.” Paradigms flow out of our being, out of the abundance of our hearts.
What does that mean? If you have been seeing the world in black and white but want to start seeing it in full color so that you can enjoy the amazing beauty the universe offers, then you must first change who you are inside — your character.
Seeing, speaking, and doing are all functions of being. All three depend on our being, our inner character or self.
