By Silvia Mordini
“It’s dark and hairy! says the first one. “No it’s bright red and soft!” says the second one. “What are you talking about? It is completely white and juicy!” says another one. Amazing how perspective can change when you go around a simple apple! Imagine going around the world!” -Dr. Danie Beaulieu, PhD, Psychologist and Author
Trying to change our perspective on ourselves is not easy. After all, the way we think mirrors how we see our lives. Yogically this process of self-reflection is known as vichara. It starts by asking outside the box questions to change the habits of our minds. Habits keep us from living up to our potential as we get stuck in seeing things just one way.
We can make a difference by making some key changes. First, start by thinking about what you can do close to home within the next 24 hours. You can expand from there later. As Thoreau writes, “This world is but a canvas to our imagination.” Here are some suggestions to stoke your creativity:
1. Eat the unusual thing. Instead of choosing the same thing you always eat for lunch or dinner, try a new alternative.
2. Cook something new. Try cooking a new recipe. Or experiment with an old recipe by adding something unexpected.
3. Mix up your music. Try some new music; especially something you wouldn’t normally listen to.
4. Photograph something from a fresh angle. Instagrammers/Casual Photographers trying taking something you’ve photographed before or something new and try out some new angles. For instance, instead of staying at eye-level get down lower or climb up above and shoot from top to bottom. Lie on your back and shoot up. Get closer than usual
5. Take a different route. To work or to school. To your gym or home. See something new even in transit.
When we push the boundaries of our imagination by getting creative on the inside, this colors and creates our outside reality. As Einstein puts it, “the ancestor to every action is a thought.” In the laboratory of our minds, it is important to engage in life’s experiments like a rising scientist. That way, we can develop new formulas and get re-inspired. Let’s Play, Transform, and Evolve together!
Love yourself, love your day, love your life!
Silvia
