REALITY DISTORTION FIELD
I recently finished reading a book titled, "Subliminal;" "How your unconscious mind rules your behavior." I enjoy reading and in the last year I have read an insane number of books. This one particular book, I have to thank my wife because she got it for me thinking that I would enjoy it. The type of topics I usually read about are in the personal development genre. The aforementioned book I can confess was not on my radar. However, I enjoyed it immensely and found it interesting. I would absolutely recommend it. I am thankful that she got it for me. In summary, it's about how our mind's subliminal processes and not the conscious ones, as we have longed believed play a significant role in how we view the world. The author, Leonard Mlodinow has a PhD in Theoretical physics and is well acclaimed in other related fields. To me, it was a mind opener into an area of our thought process that I found helpful in particular how individuals fill in the blanks to coincide with their world views. It got me thinking about how accurate witnesses in court can be. It's not that they lie but rather their testimony may not be as accurate, as we want to believe because of this connection with their world view. Their world view should be irrelevant when testifying in court. I now know why judges usually do not allow experts to opine on the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. It's too complicated and confusing. Where I like to focus on is the very end of the book where the author writes about his son who has a dream of someday playing professional basketball. His son, however, has a problem. He's been cut by his middle school and junior varsity coaches. He continues to describe how his son would practice countless hours until he finally made his high school team. He would never give up. He mentioned his son had "reality distortion field." Hence the title of my article. The only previous time I came in contact with this phrase was in the Steve Jobs' biography where his associates and colleagues would describe him in the same reality distortion field. What this is, is the ability to block out distractions, fears, and doubts in an effort to focus on a nearly impossible goal. I continued researching and found out that business leaders and entrepreneurs use this personal force to persuade their teams or employees into accomplishing a difficult task. So, to simplify it, it's to never take no for an answer. Whatever your goal is, it can be accomplished. It may currently be a fantasy until it no longer is.
We all have this potential. This isn't a psychological disorder as a pessimist may want you believing. Although from the outside looking in it may seem that way. All it really is, is never giving up on your goals. I have learned throughout my years that individuals in general do not like to feel uncomfortable. I'll bet that most individuals rather give up on their dreams and point to all sorts of excuses. But the real excuse is that it's too difficult. Or they may say, "if it's possible, it would already have been done." I really don't think that life is supposed to be lived in a state of comfort. You see, comfort leads to complacency. Complacency leads to excuses to not grow. I understand that life can at times be ugly but that's how it's supposed to be. That's the price to pay for your admission into the promise land. Marcus Aurelius stated, " Ask, why is this so unbearable? Why can't I endure it? You'll be embarrassed to answer." You see, you can live a full life without adversity. Life can be hard at times, but the rewards are immeasurable. If you want to live an easy life, you can. That is your decision. In my opinion the only way to truly live an easy life is to do nothing. You will not offend anyone or feel uncomfortable. There are plenty of examples of that type of lifestyle. All you have to do is look under any bridge. To me, that is not living. I rather offend, try and perhaps even fail in an attempt to pursue my goals. The lack of not even attempting is the ultimate failure. The irony is that if you do the hard things, your life will be easier. As far as I know, we only go around this planet one time so why not make the best of it? Therefore, let's all meet at the field. The reality distortion field and start playing the game. Live your life on your terms! I leave you with a quote on point. "In the end we only regret the chances we didn't take." Author unknown.
Just a thought
We all have this potential. This isn't a psychological disorder as a pessimist may want you believing. Although from the outside looking in it may seem that way. All it really is, is never giving up on your goals. I have learned throughout my years that individuals in general do not like to feel uncomfortable. I'll bet that most individuals rather give up on their dreams and point to all sorts of excuses. But the real excuse is that it's too difficult. Or they may say, "if it's possible, it would already have been done." I really don't think that life is supposed to be lived in a state of comfort. You see, comfort leads to complacency. Complacency leads to excuses to not grow. I understand that life can at times be ugly but that's how it's supposed to be. That's the price to pay for your admission into the promise land. Marcus Aurelius stated, " Ask, why is this so unbearable? Why can't I endure it? You'll be embarrassed to answer." You see, you can live a full life without adversity. Life can be hard at times, but the rewards are immeasurable. If you want to live an easy life, you can. That is your decision. In my opinion the only way to truly live an easy life is to do nothing. You will not offend anyone or feel uncomfortable. There are plenty of examples of that type of lifestyle. All you have to do is look under any bridge. To me, that is not living. I rather offend, try and perhaps even fail in an attempt to pursue my goals. The lack of not even attempting is the ultimate failure. The irony is that if you do the hard things, your life will be easier. As far as I know, we only go around this planet one time so why not make the best of it? Therefore, let's all meet at the field. The reality distortion field and start playing the game. Live your life on your terms! I leave you with a quote on point. "In the end we only regret the chances we didn't take." Author unknown.
Just a thought