|
If you’d like to fulfill your long-held dreams, try a radical approach.
Radical people create their own breakthroughs for getting the job, love
and health they really want. Nonconformists open to options for
achieving “extraordinary” goals that others don’t see.
Take
Christopher Columbus for example. Columbus played outside the box. When
conventional wisdom proclaimed as fact the world was flat, he held the
extreme notion that he could sail over the edge and land in China
instead of deep space. This rebel sailed his clipper ships where no one
had ever gone before—and reshaped people’s view of the world!
Discovering Fresh Options
Five
centuries ago, Europeans reacted with disbelief when they heard that the
world is round. So mind-blowing—and threatening to their current belief
system—was the discovery that people wanted to discard the news as
rubbish.
What
about enlightened people of the 21st century? If Columbus
were to sail into our modern lives with revolutionary factual
information about our world, would people believe him now? Let’s see how
open we are!
Besides
demonstrating that the earth is round, Columbus made another equally
mind-popping discovery. His revelation is about the power of cultural
belief systems and how people see only what they believe they
will see. And, like the Europeans, most people of our time want to
discard Columbus’ radical news as rubbish.
What
information could be so extreme that our educators and media—our
mythmakers—would try to exclude this vital data from schoolbooks and
public knowledge?
A World of Beliefs
Columbus’ arrival in the New World revealed how cultural belief systems
determine what people see—or don’t see. Columbus found that the native
people in this new land couldn’t see his clipper ships. The natives were
unable to see the big ships because they didn’t believe that big
ships existed!
You See What You Believe
In 1492, Columbus landed on the island of Hispaniola, now the countries
of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Until Columbus’ arrival, the
islanders had only seen and heard of small boats—like their own canoes.
The tribe had never seen nor heard of large ocean-going sea craft. So
when the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria arrived, the natives couldn’t see
the big ships of Christopher Columbus! And the vessels were floating in
plain sight right off shore!
“I Don’t See Any Big Ships!”
Why
couldn’t the islanders see the big boats? Because nobody in their
culture had ever seen big boats before. And nobody had ever written or
talked about big boats in their society.
In any
culture, the mythmakers—teachers, historians and media—decide people’s
reality. The specific world that mythmakers talk and write about
determines the aspects of reality that people are able to perceive. The
world that these storytellers talk and write about creates a belief
system unique to each culture. And this belief system acts as a filter,
screening out realities that don’t fit into the cultural conditioning of
the society.
The
mythkeepers who shaped the islanders’ belief systems didn’t recognize
the possibility that large ships might exist. And the filter of this
belief prevented the natives from seeing the three large sea vessels. …
At first!
3 Keys for Unlocking New Possibilities
The
island shaman wasn’t able to see the ships when they first arrived. Like
his tribespeople, the shaman medicine man wasn’t able to see past the
filters of his cultural conditioning.
But
unlike the common folk of his tribe, the medicine man was educated by
radical mythmakers—shaman elders. These nonconformist teachers were
always exploring “new worlds.”
From
these elders, the shaman learned that a person only sees the elements in
the world that the person’s mind has been exposed to. The ego-mind
filters out realities that don’t fit its picture of what exists in the
world. But the shaman also learned from his teachers how to bypass the
limitations of the ego-mind.
The
elders gave the shaman these 3 keys to help him see “outside the box” of
his belief system—to perceive the world as it really exists.
Key 1 - Look for a Different Pattern
The 1st
key, made famous in the movie Star Wars, is to notice “a disturbance in
the force.”
Anchored just offshore, Columbus’ ships are creating out-of-the-ordinary
patterns in the ocean waves. Even though he can’t see the ships, the
observant shaman does notice unexplained variations in the waves.
Key 2 - Don’t Listen to Your Mind!
Curious, the shaman investigates the unusual wave patterns. As he begins
his inquiry, he uses the 2nd key: “Don’t trust your mind!”
Generations of medicine men and women have passed down this key to
happiness. The 2nd key alerts the shaman to the limitations of his
ego-mind. The shaman understands that his mind only perceives realities
that his mind has been exposed to by his culture. Limited by its belief
system, the mind is unaware of a boundless world teeming with unfiltered
possibilities.
Key 3 - Open to New Possibilities
From
his elders, the medicine man learned that any unusual pattern in our
world always indicates that something has changed in our reality. But,
in this instance, the shaman is not yet seeing the specific element that
has been added or taken away. In order to see what element has changed,
he lets go of how his ego-mind “thinks” the world operates. He opens
himself to making a fresh discovery—the 3rd key.
As a
result of deciding to allow new possibilities into his life, the
shaman sees the cause of the peculiar patterns: the
never-before-imagined clipper ships! As soon as the shaman perceives the
large ships, he tells his tribe the ships exist and points to exactly
where they are. The rest of the islanders are then able to perceive the
vessels.
Where Are Those Darn Car Keys?
This
remarkable true story resonates with me as I recall comparable
experiences in my life. There have been times when I haven’t seen my car
keys sitting on a table—even though they were clearly visible.
The
dynamics of my situation are similar to those of the islanders who don’t
see the ships because of their limited belief system. At first, I don’t
see my car keys on the table. So, I decide the keys aren’t there. Once
I’ve decided the keys aren’t there, I’ve created a belief that “my keys
aren’t on the table.” This belief then filters out my ability to
perceive the keys sitting on the table in plain sight. Only when I let
go of the belief that “my key’s aren’t on the table”—and decide to open
to new possibilities—am I able to perceive the keys.
Freed
of his limiting belief filter, the shaman was able to see the big ships.
Then by pointing out the ships, he enabled his tribespeople to see the
element—the ships—blocked by their belief filter. Free of my
preconceived belief that “my keys aren’t on the table,” a friend of mine
is able to see the keys on the table. Then by pointing out the keys, my
friend enables me to see the element—the keys—blocked by my belief
filter.
Live Your Dreams!
Columbus discovered a radical new world—a world that’s ever-changing
based on what we believe is possible.
What
“extraordinary” possibilities have you already decided don’t exist in
your world? Have you quit looking for that dream job? Seeking great
health? Searching for satisfying love? If you previously made up your
mind that you’ll never have a terrific job, body or relationship, guess
what … ?
Be Your Own Shaman
You
don’t need a shaman to point out the opportunities you aren’t seeing in
life. Become a shaman yourself! Use these 3 radical keys to see the
world as it really exists—and to navigate onto a new, fun playground.
1st Key:
Look for out-of-the-ordinary patterns in life. “A disturbance in the
force” indicates that there’s an opportunity to see a solution or a
course of action you haven’t yet seen in the situation.
2nd Key:
Don’t
trust your mind! The suggestions of your ego-mind are limited by what
you’ve experienced in the past and learned from your cultural
mythmakers—your teachers and media. The beliefs of your mind filter out
many advantageous choices and options that are available in life.
3rd Key:
Open to fresh possibilities. Invite the unexpected. Allow exciting
new options to appear “out of nowhere!”
The island natives
couldn’t see the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria clipper ships because the
ships were filtered out by the islanders’ limited belief system. Why
miss your boat because of the limited belief system of your island? Hop
on board! Sail into a new world of fulfilled dreams!
|
