Just One Joey: We Only See What We Want To

My daughter is 7.

Like thousands of other children all over the world, we have an Elf On The Shelf.

Our elf’s name is Osmond.

Every morning from December 1st until December 24th, Osmond picks a new spot around our house to watch my daughter and take notes back to Santa. You know, so he knows if she is naughty or nice.

My daughter loves Osmond.

This is a good place to point out that my daughter is a bright, 7 year old. She picks up all of the concepts in school very easily, reads voraciously, and is learning how to use all the equipment I use to create media for my clients.

She’s a sharp cookie.

But for the last couple of years, I keep expecting her to notice that this little plastic doll, that never moves, that has a tag sticking out from her butt, is just a toy, and not a real elf.

Why doesn’t she see it?

Because she doesn’t want to.

She wants that elf to be real so badly, she completely bypasses all common sense, quality questioning, and well, reality.

She has convinced herself that it is a real elf, no matter what she sees or thinks.

But, she is just a kid, right?

Then why do we do the same thing? (hopefully not with an elf).

So Simple, So Scary

Is it reality? Or what we think is reality?

What is reality?

Is it the actual story being told, or the story we tell?

Are you happy? Or should you be happy?

Have you ever met someone who is positive? Do they say negative things? Do negative people say positive things?

We have so much power. We can create the world around us.

Your World

What we need to realize is we can control the world around us by the thoughts in our head. I am not talking Inception type stuff. We aren’t going to be in the next X-Men. I mean how we see the world. If we think positive, if we train our brain to be positive, things will somehow always have a silver lining. If we take mental dumps on everything, guess what? Things will be sh***y (yes, the pun was very much intended).

It sounds a little foo foo hippy dippy, and it is, but wouldn’t you rather see a solution than a problem?

You can either see a wall or a door.

What sounds better to you?

What you are facing very well may be a wall, but you know what? If you see a door, I guarantee you will find a way over it, under it, or through it. Knowing that a situation can be managed, no matter how difficult, is a very powerful mindset to have. It separates the weak form the strong. The fighters from the flighters (not a real word, obviously, but it gets my point across).

What Do You Want To See?

It sounds so simple, but if you are honest with yourself, you will answer this question: what do you want to see?

When you get up in the morning, what do you want to see? What do you expect?

When you talk to your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever, what do you see? What do you expect?

Work? Traffic? The store? Christmas? Hanukah? New Year’s? What do you see? What do you expect?

Choose Wisely

Like Indiana Jones at the end of The Last Crusade, you must choose wisely, or before you know it, you are dust and bones and everything is gone.

You control your world because you only see what you want to. If you see s***, you want to. If you see sadness, you want to. If you see happiness, you want to.

Am I saying nothing will happen to you? That you will be walking around with a force field protecting you from your daily life? Not at all. But with the right perspective, mindset, preparation, and outlook, big bumps become small, down days are minimized, and sadness can be cut short. Build the life around you that allows you to see what you want to see. Cut out the negative (things and people). Focus on the positive. Tell yourself wonderful things about, well, yourself. Think that you will do amazing things.

You will be happier. I promise.

Look at that goofy little elf, looking sideways all day every day, with a tag sticking out of her butt, saying nothing……..

What do you want to see?