6/4/18—Believing New Reality Into Being

Not actual lizard. Image from VA Herpetological Society.

I chatted with a neighbor through the fence the other day, and then the strangest thing happened. 

While chatting, she mentioned being afraid of seeing snakes. I didn't realize we had snakes. If I didn't have dogs on patrol all the time, I would suspect my yard's "natural" growth would be a snake breeding ground, but I've never seen one hanging out in the neighborhood. 

She said seeing snakes is rare, "but the lizards!" I've never seen a lizard, either. And I sit out back all the time. She said there are little lizards all over her porch each morning. While I had no reason to doubt her, it all sounded a little bit wacky to me because I didn't even know there were lizards in Virginia. 

But then two seconds later, I actually saw one. It was maybe 5" long, head to tail. Maybe it was a salamander. It was crawling up my tree. 

In one minute, tiny lizards my neighbor saw in droves didn't exist in my reality. And in the next minute they did. Opening my mind to the possibility either made me more observant or it manifested a new reality for me. 

This same phenomenon served me well when I quit smoking 15 years ago. I tried to quit for 10 years, but "it was so hard!!" Finally I allowed for rhe possibility that it could be easy. And it was. 

This is the point in this blog entry where I say, "Just open your mind to new possibilities! It works like magic!" And sometimes it does. But I have been working on "I can win the lottery. SOMEBODY has to win it!" for years now and I haven't won yet. And there is probably a part of me that doesn't REALLY believe it could be me, but there was a part of me that didn't believe lizards lived in VA, too. On the other hand, the lottery could just be waiting for the perfect moment to surprise me with a win. 

There is a metaphysical principle that says we create our own realities. The further down the rabbit hole I go with that particular theory—for example, that you only exist because my mind conveniently made you exist—I can't quite get on board. But I have clearly seen evidence that I can manifest situations and things just by thinking of them. And I have had evidence of "changing my reality" just by opening my mind to possibility. Chances are, you have, too.

So if there's something that's got you stuck this week, eludes you, or "just isn't possible", why not try living as if it is possible? Each time your thoughts drift back to "It's too hard" or "I'm not talented enough" or "It just isn't in the cards for me", stop yourself and turn your thoughts around. Carry yourself like you've already gotten your wish. Be grateful for receiving it. See yourself doing or having your wish. What could it hurt?

I have found on more than one occasion that the more rigid I am, the fewer possibilities I have. And I may get what I want, but I haven't given the universe enough room to do something super amazing in my life. Yet when I don't try to control the exact way my wish will be fulfilled, I usually get a nice bonus from the universe. 

Let's face it. Sometimes the universe knows us—and knows what's best for us—better than we do ourselves. So leave some room for possibilities you didn't imagine. And greet what comes with an open mind. Start asking for "XYZ or better" and if "W" shows up, give W a fair chance.