Beliefs About the World
What are your deepest held beliefs about the world?
Is it a good place?
A bad place?
Do things generally go well or poorly?
Why is this?
Your answers to these questions point to what your narrative about the world is. We develop these narratives in all sorts of ways. How we are treated when we are young, how people treat us in general, the religion or ideology we have placed on us as children, the general culture we live in, our thoughts, and things like mental illness.
We do have some say in all of this though. We can test our assumptions and assertions against reality and make note of what sticks and what does not.
Our Ledger
When we are operating under the narrative that the world sucks, we are constantly placing check marks on the “World Sucks” side of the ledger without even realizing it.
My car has a flat. Of course it does.
My friend canceled our plans. Of course they did.
My house is a mess. Of course it is.
I hate my job. Of course I do.
Each of these statements carries its own opposite though, and cataloging this can help change our default side of the ledger.
I have a car.
I have friends.
I have a house.
I am able to work and have a job.
What Goes Right?
There is another simple way to do this. If the mind has an automatic tendency toward noticing what is wrong, we can intentionally notice what went right. More things go right in the first 30 seconds of the day for most of than go wrong in the entire rest of the day.
This starts just by opening our eyes. We have another day to live. We have eyes to open. For most of us, we are opening them in a structure that protects us from the elements and creatures. For most of us, our body is able to move, to get us out of bed and, no matter how groggily, to move us around to start our day.
This continues throughout the day if we pay attention.
It’s all about which side of the ledger we are focused on.
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