Total Read Time: 3.5 Minutes

Amaryllis in bloom, third year in a row. Unrelated to this particular lift, however depicts a piece of beauty that I choose to see. © Kathy J. Sotak

I’m cutting right to the chase today:  this physical life is an illusion – perhaps the best virtual reality game of all. I can choose the game chip which creates my reality in this human experience. For example, if I see a threatening, dangerous world, I will think the world is out to get me. However, if I see a harmonious, perfectly-designed world, I will know that no matter what happens, I will be lovingly guided through life.

The movie Life is Beautiful reinforces this point; have you seen it? It was released 25 years ago in 1997. I’ve only watched it once, but its’ rich lessons have stuck in my heart since. It’s a heartbreaking story set in WWII about a Jewish family sent to a concentration camp. The father made a bold choice to create a different reality for his 8-year-old son. Although they were imprisoned, he convinces the son that it was a high-stakes game where the winner wins a huge military tank. The players, which are “acting” as prisoners, earn points through acts such as staying quiet and hiding from the camp guards. Due to the father’s wild and courageous imagination, the young boy did not even realize he was in prison, narrowly escaping death every day.

It takes practice to not be overtaken by our problems. I feel like I’ve written about this topic a few times, through the lens of swords and the movie Wall-E. Perhaps it’s a repeating topic because it takes practice to see the good in our days. To find the good in our days. To make the good in our days. Choosing our reality is a muscle that needs flexing every single day.

It’s easy to be spellbound with misery. Can we teach ourselves to fall in love with life instead? What if that is the only job we have?

– Dr. Cassie Huckaby

Perhaps that’s why in recent years we are seeing so many articles, recommendations and techniques about gratitude. After all, a regular gratitude practice has been scientifically proven to improve our mental health. I learned a powerful gratitude practice from John Foley, a former Blue Angels fighter pilot. I heard him speak a few years ago, where he shared this simple technique to re-wire our brains. Upon waking, perhaps with eyes closed, simply ask yourself:

  1. What am I grateful for right now, in this moment?
  2. What was I grateful for yesterday?
  3. What am I looking forward to today, which I will be grateful for?

By doing this simple 30-second exercise, we can re-wire our present, past and future into a more positive outlook. Try it for thirty days and let me know how it has transformed your life. It has changed mine by 1000%.

I’m learning to fall in love. Falling in love with my life and all life around me. With each presentation of a moment, I have a choice in how I feel it, observe it, assess it, then navigate to the next now. It’s the muscle that I’m choosing to flex.

Don’t get me wrong – I am still an expert at finding the problems. That’s why I need to practice the opposite. It is like realizing you’ve only been flexing your biceps (i.e., ability to see the problems) but then realizing you’ve neglected your triceps your entire life (i.e., ability to see the beauty). Our triceps are 2.5 times bigger than our biceps. I’m going to keep flexing my triceps, and soon it will be easier.

So, in this ultimate virtual reality game, called Planet Earth, I am committing to flex these new muscles. It is going to take practice, though. Will you join me?