I grew up, and I guess most of us did, with the idea that we should do what is deemed ‘possible’, ‘attainable’ and ‘realistic’. Yes, we should be realistic at all times about what is attainable. And we are lucky when we attain what is possible.
Where I am standing now, I can’t believe I ever truly believed that. What a BS! Somewhere along the line we confused reality with mediocrity and realism with generalism. Reality, realism and realistic talk about what is real, and that differs from person to person. Just because our reality looks grim through our lens, doesn’t mean someone else’s reality is looking grim as well. The reality of an entrepreneur who is filing for bankruptcy is a different reality than that of Donald Trump. Or is it? Did you know that Donald Trump filed for bankruptcy five times? The first of which was a personal bankruptcy with a debt of over 900 million dollars, or at least that is what I read in Forbes Magazine. There is something intriguing about Donald Trump as he seems to view reality differently than most us. Same with Oprah Winfrey, Russel Simmons, Bill Gates and the late Steve Jobs.
People say that Steve Jobs suffered from a Reality Distortion Field, a term coined by an Apple employee with regards to how Steve Jobs viewed ‘reality’. I say we all ‘suffer from’ a reality distortion field, Jobs’ field just was an extraordinary one. Like that of Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Russel Simmons and Bill Gates. You see, what is missing from their ‘field’ are the limiting thoughts of what is attainable, realistic and possible. Their possible isn’t limited in any way. They believe in unlimited possibility. Calling their view of life a ‘reality distortion field’ simply indicates that we have chosen to view our ‘reality field’ as normal -they are the exceptions, we are the rule. But what if we are simply limiting ourselves by playing by the rules of what we consider to be ‘reality’. What if we could be just as successful in life and business as Bill Gates or Oprah Winfrey? What if this so called ‘reality distortion field’ is in fact the Ultimate Reality Field, that is available to all of us if we are willing change our beliefs about what is possible. If we are willing to believe that we are deserving of our every dream, that Life will conspire to make it happen if we believe in the beauty of our dreams as Eleanor Roosevelt put it so eloquently.
Last week, I discovered two things. After fifteen years, I am ready hunting for happiness. I AM happy. Period. Plus, I don’t care about living a ‘realistic’ life anymore. All my life, I have focused so much on what is ‘attainable’ that I have no clue about my dreams. It feels like a new era has begun, as if this last period of releasing concluded a phase in my life. I am different in ways that I cannot pinpoint. I am embarking on a new journey, it’s called ‘Living the life of my dreams’. I have, unconsciously, been looking forward to this point in time. Life has taken a new direction and it feels like a fresh breath of air. I have left the burden of the past behind and I feel relieved, lighter. Over the past decade and a half, my beliefs about what is possible for me have changed dramatically and with it my reality distortion field. My view of life has changed I ways I could never have imagined. I went from a deep sense of undeservingness to a healthy sense of deservingness. I intend to stretch my beliefs of deservingness as far as I can. I am soooo excited to go on this expedition, to discover new things and new ways of life! I am thrilled about the undiscovered territories that await, the possibilities that will present itself to me. I am aiming for the Ultimate Reality Field. And nothing’s gonna stop me now.
image by Sigurd Decroos