You have three options for change when facing any situation, and it is significant in more severe situations. Those three options are involved when you are in the common pattern for life change. That pattern has three steps, and it sounds like this:
“I was living this way. Then, one day, THIS happened. Now I live my life this way.”
That is the same format of every testimony you hear at church, a 12-step program, or a system that helps people change. The three options show up at the "THIS happened." Ultimately, we need to determine what "THIS" is, but let's look at your three options for change. Working through these options will help us see what "THIS" is.
Three Changed Beliefs
Could you take a minute to think about your life?
Consider spiritual, career, social, physical, family, financial, and mental categories. Think about any one category and then state a principle or belief you have now. Next, determine if your belief has changed from what it was in the past. Finally, identify what that former belief was.
Some examples from my life are:
Here is the question that we need to answer. What happened that moved us to change? What happened between the former belief and the current belief? Look at the red line on the chart above - what happened between former and current beliefs?
Required Different Thinking
One thing most likely occurred: if things got better, you adopted different thinking. So, consider this great principle.
If people are changed, they are mainly changed
because their thinking has changed.
Notice how that statement fits my items above.
My common pattern for the Career item can be stated as “My energy for all I did at work was to get to the next level in an organization. Then, one day, I started thinking about how I focused my energy on comparing myself to others. It was also evident that it created less satisfaction with daily work. So, I decided it was better to work to my strengths and do the best job I could. It radically changed my life and relationships.
Your 3 Options for Change
Change can be discussed using three options: get better, stay the same, or get worse. So a “Change Table” would look like this:
What’s evident about the BETTER column? Right, it involves believing TRUTH!
Truth is not just a component, but a cornerstone of a 'better' life. When your life takes a positive turn, truth is always a part of the equation. In this context, 'better' doesn't necessarily mean a sudden windfall like winning the lottery. It's about a life that aligns more closely with enduring values and timeless truths.
If you look up the definition of truth, you will find something like: “the quality of being true, genuine, actual, or factual; a proven or verified principle or statement; fact.”
Let me introduce another word to consider: reality. Reality is defined as “in actual fact, the quality or state of being real.”
While those definitions are not identical, they show remarkable similarities. When you believe truth, you see what is actual, genuine, and factual. Reality looks at things objectively and factually. Yes, lies are real, but the content of the lie leads to what is not accurate and factual.
Truth and Reality Are An Acquired Taste
Truth is often difficult to accept, and reality is an acquired taste, but both are better than the alternatives despite any unpleasantness they may create. Why? Because it is what is REAL, not fiction or fantasy!
By the way, the phrase “perception is reality” is inaccurate. Reality does not change because you perceive it differently. The phrase is correct if from the view that people think their perception is reality, but reality doesn’t care about your perception; it is what it is.
Now, you need to see how change and reality work together to see what "THIS" is.