Day 1 "A New Beginning: A Shift in Paradigm"

Many of us might say, "If only my circumstances would change, I would be happier. If only I could win the lottery, certainly a few million dollars would change my lot in life. If I could reach the top of where I work, then, surely, I would finally earn the respect and admiration of everyone around me. If I could only find that one person to fall in love with who would complete me, then I would finally be happy. Maybe, then, people would like me. Maybe, then, I wouldn't feel so lonely inside. If only... " (you fill in the blank).

The problem with "if only's" is that, in most cases, one is dependent upon the notion that if one could only change the circumstances around oneself, life would be totally different- much like the proverbial saying, "The grass is always greener on the other side." But there are numerous examples that counter such thinking. You can Google lottery winners who have eventually wound up far worse off then how they were before they won the lottery. You can read about corporate executives who have reached the top of their corporate world only to find in retrospect that they sold their souls and used people in order to achieve their success, some who never seem to enjoy the moment because of the internal fear they might lose all that has been achieved, and others who have climbed the ladder of success only to find unfulfilled satisfaction and questioning, "Is this all there is to life?" Statistics show that 40-50% of people getting married today will end up getting a divorce. And let's not forget the rich and famous, many of whom have tumbled from their mountain top experiences into a dark abyss of alcohol, drugs, and other addictions losing everything they have- including their own lives! And if you're are a teen or young adult today struggling with peer pressure and trying to be accepted by your peers, suicide is the second leading cause of death in your age group- in 2017, alone, 6,200 people in this age group took their own lives here in the United States.

Okay, so where is the positive to all this stuff? Where is the hope for a brighter today and a better tomorrow? I believe the answer lies not in the changing of our circumstances, but rather in changing ourselves from within to where we are no longer affected by our circumstances and the way that we look at life takes on a new perspective. For that to take place, we need the help of paradigm shifts in our thinking. Many of us, if we are honest, continue to do the same thing day in and day out expecting different results- the classic old definition of insanity! Sometimes, blinded by our own actions and motives, we need something outside of ourselves to give us new insights and point us in a different direction. Paradigm shifts do that for us.

Stephen Covey, in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, illustrated the point of a paradigm shift rather well through a personal situation he shared:

I remember a mini-paradigm shift I experienced one Sunday morning on a subway in New York. People were sitting quietly — some reading newspapers, some lost in thought, some resting with their eyes closed. It was a calm, peaceful scene. Then suddenly, a man and his children entered the subway car. The children were so loud and rambunctious that instantly the whole climate changed. The man sat down next to me and closed his eyes, apparently oblivious to the situation. The children were yelling back and forth, throwing things, even grabbing people’s papers. It was very disturbing. And yet, the man sitting next to me did nothing. It was difficult not to feel irritated. I could not believe that he could be so insensitive to let his children run wild like that and do nothing about it, taking no responsibility at all. It was easy to see that everyone else on the subway felt irritated, too. So finally, with what I felt was unusual patience and restraint, I turned to him and said, “Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. I wonder if you couldn’t control them a little more? The man lifted his gaze as if to come to a consciousness of the situation for the first time and said softly, “Oh, you’re right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don’t know what to think, and I guess they don’t know how to handle it either.”

That Sunday morning, Covey experience such a paradigm shift. Covey's mindset shifted from being aggravated by wild kids to becoming compassionate and caring for a family who had just lost a wife and a mother. "I am so sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?" Covey went on to ask the man. Meanwhile, the kids were just as wild and loud as before. Paradigm shifts transform our understanding and the way we look at things. When our understanding changes, our actions and outlook have the capacity to change too, much in the same way like walking through a one-way door. Once a new thought or idea is encountered by our mind that radically changes our understanding and thinking, we find ourselves unable to go back to the old way of thinking, thus, requiring a new response or action as a result.

When I was a child, I enjoyed looking at the world around me through different pieces of colored cellophane- yellow, blue, and red. Everything I looked at took on the particular color of cellophane through which I was looking through. The colored cellophane was my filter system. If I changed the filter system, I then saw everything in a different color. In the same way, our minds are our filter system through which we understand and see the world around us. We don't need to change our circumstances to affect a change within us and to see our lives differently. We need only to change our own perceptions and understanding which in turn will change our mindset and how we view the world. Grace Corners is all about helping to discover those paradigm shifts.

As I begin this spiritual blog, I invite you daily to come join me here at Grace Corners. It is my hope and desire to share with you spiritual thoughts and insights for reflection that may challenge your thinking and better your life. Some of these insights I discovered living life itself. Many of the others simply came to me just reading the Bible. In either case, my life has been profoundly changed. I hope yours will be, too.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of

your mind."

Romans 12:2

I believe that when we begin to see ourselves as God sees us and understand the love that He has for us, we will encounter spiritual paradigm shifts that will change our lives forever.

I hope to see you, again, tomorrow for day 2.