360 Degrees of Reality

Now that the flurry of New Year activities has subsided, it's time once again to get down to the business of life. New year resolutions have either been tossed aside or continue to be a goal out in front of us, but I know that there is one thing that I continue to see, no matter what time of year it is...that is the idea of what is real and what is not. As a counselor, I have the opportunity to speak with a lot of people and the one thing that I can count on is that everyone believes that their version of reality is the correct one. Depending on your state of mind, hormonal balance, food allergy response etc reality can change dramatically.

So, if we have a sense of reality that has as many facets as there are degrees in a circle, what is real? Answer - life doesn't change as fast as our emotions do. What is real should be based on what is consistent over time, what produces good fruit over time. In regard to people, what is real is based on the things about them that don't change. Our personal identity doesn't change....it is the way God made us. If you are a musician, you will always be a musician. If you have brown eyes, you will always have brown eyes. Basic values that you hold near and dear very seldom change and if they do, they change very slowly, over time.

If you want to do something good for yourself this year, get to know who YOU are and then live your life authentically....in congruence with who you are. You can only have confidence in yourself if you know who you are. Once you know that, you can admit your strengths, your weaknesses and have fun with life. You will know the type of person you want to have as a friend, the type of career you want to have and where you want to go in life. It doesn't work the other way around, in my opinion.

The important thing is understand that everyone has an opinion, but it is your opinion about yourself that matters. If you know who you are and life is going well, then you have the optimum balance. If you know who you are and life is not going well, then you can consider other opinions about what might need to be changed, but it is ultimately up to you to decide what to do next.

This is not to say that we are alone in the universe and God has no place in all this. On the contrary, He has much to do with it. He made us, He knows us better than we know ourselves and He is a resource that we don't often turn to for this type of information. I would encourage you to go to the Source, the one who holds the blueprint for your life and begin to explore the wonderful, unique creation that is YOU!