Always do your best………..learn to listen to conflicting points of view. There is much to be learned about ourselves when we examine our reactions to the various circumstances and people we encounter on our journey. Especially when we are faced with people who think very differently than we do. When we are required to search for the greater good….and there is no clear path forward. How do we respond when we can’t get all of our own way. We learn by holding the mirror up, as we stay committed to our own personal development. We need to regularly examine our belief systems to ensure that they are still serving us; not blocking us from being our best selves.
Important to remember that everyone has their own unique way of looking at the world. We see the world as we are…..through our own “smoky mirror.” Self-love, self-actualizing means we recognize when our mirror is really smoky and needs to be cleaned. The greater the level of attachment we have to our beliefs……the less likely we are to listen, or to respond favourably to conflicting points of view. We develop a kind of cognitive dissonance that doesn’t want to hear opposing points of view. We ostensibly close ourselves off to a lot of knowledge and creativity. Openness and an attitude of acceptance allow us to hear everyone; to be open to a new way of thinking, and to change as the world changes. The more inner work we do; the more in harmony we seem to be with our world.
Don Miguel Ruiz Jr. said “In the Toltec tradition, we have a concept called the Smokey Mirror – which refers to the filter we all have when viewing reality. Seeing the world through the Smokey Mirror means that whatever we see is distorted by our own beliefs and ideas, or our preconditioned point of view. With awareness, realize that everyone you come in contact with is viewing the world through his or her own belief system. The key is to become aware of how clouded your own mirror is or how attached you are to your own point of view. Your mirror is the only one you can wipe clean.”
By Lisa Scott Executive/Life Coach