Shattering Paradigms--Small Shifts Create HUGE Changes (Parts III & IV)
These are the next two installments to "Shattering Paradigms." There is one more to come in a few days.
Part III--Paradigms
It is our conditioning and our culture that holds us back. It is the framework through which we have been taught to live life—not actually taught, but the boundaries we learn as we go through life. These are paradigms. What is the definition of a paradigm? It is: a model that forms the basis of something: an example that serves as a pattern or model for something, especially one that forms the basis of a methodology or theory.
We’ve all heard the phrase “think outside of the box.” I have used this analogy before: sometimes we get out of the box and find ourselves in a room with no windows or doors—those are the boundaries laid by our paradigms—the boxes/rooms within which we feel we think and act freely.
Our modern society teaches us that “you’ll never make it, so why try so hard.” For those with children—the ultimate infection can be your children’s school guidance counselor! Many children, when asked by their guidance counselor what they want to do with their lives, offer up their dreams to the slaughter—the counselor’s response: “well, you should probably be more realistic.” Nothing like shattering a child’s dream—no wonder we end up living these lives of mediocrity! No wonder we look for the “easy way out.”
Everywhere we are confronted by these negative propositions about our ability to succeed at anything. Listen for it—it’s all over the news. We hear it in popular music. We see it in the streets. We watch it on film. We hear it from our friends and neighbors. We are surrounded by negative feedback. We resign ourselves to living a “settle for” life. We don’t have to achieve our dreams, we just need to be happy with what we can manage to get. It’s so much easier if we don’t push ourselves, if we don’t try so hard.
Part IV—The Paradox
Ok…here’s the paradox…how many people do you know who are just getting by? How many are living lives of quiet desperation? How many have given up on their dreams? How many are living “settle for” lives? And…how many of those people do you know who are actually happy? How many of them NEVER complain? How many of them jump out of bed in the morning and can’t wait to start another day? How many always have a smile on their face and a kind word?
Very few, if any… They are no longer in the pursuit of a worthwhile dream or goal. They are no longer growing, learning, expanding their minds, looking forward to new and fascinating things. They are taking it easy, getting along through the daily routine with minimal effort.
My question: is that easy? Is it easier to live a "settle for" life--to back off from the edge and live in mediocrity and not grow? The last time you were out at a bar did you notice the bar was full of them--people drinking their lives away because they can't live life on that edge anymore (more accurately: don't want to). I don't know any person who is not growing and is happy. But, look at those people--they have destroyed their own confidence, they have destroyed their dreams and abandoned them. They have a negative outlook on everything. They have developed, nurtured and engrained in themselves a failure mentality. I don't call that an "easy" life!! Some of those people HATE to wake up and get out of bed every morning--is that an "easy" life?
Our thinking has been flawed by a culture that tells everyone that the vast majority will never achieve their dreams so they have to learn to be happy to settle for what they have. We have allowed this culture to program us to thinking that it is easier to live a life of quiet desperation. I don't call that easy at all. To live without hopes, to live without dreams--that doesn't make life even worth living--now THAT'S a HARD life!
That’s the paradigm within which we live. So, we are made to believe that what is truly hard, is what our society and culture says is easy. That is why, to bring about real change, we must not only think beyond our paradigms, we must shatter them!
Now...what I want you to think about is...what does this have to do with us, with ARTShift?
Part III--Paradigms
It is our conditioning and our culture that holds us back. It is the framework through which we have been taught to live life—not actually taught, but the boundaries we learn as we go through life. These are paradigms. What is the definition of a paradigm? It is: a model that forms the basis of something: an example that serves as a pattern or model for something, especially one that forms the basis of a methodology or theory.
We’ve all heard the phrase “think outside of the box.” I have used this analogy before: sometimes we get out of the box and find ourselves in a room with no windows or doors—those are the boundaries laid by our paradigms—the boxes/rooms within which we feel we think and act freely.
Our modern society teaches us that “you’ll never make it, so why try so hard.” For those with children—the ultimate infection can be your children’s school guidance counselor! Many children, when asked by their guidance counselor what they want to do with their lives, offer up their dreams to the slaughter—the counselor’s response: “well, you should probably be more realistic.” Nothing like shattering a child’s dream—no wonder we end up living these lives of mediocrity! No wonder we look for the “easy way out.”
Everywhere we are confronted by these negative propositions about our ability to succeed at anything. Listen for it—it’s all over the news. We hear it in popular music. We see it in the streets. We watch it on film. We hear it from our friends and neighbors. We are surrounded by negative feedback. We resign ourselves to living a “settle for” life. We don’t have to achieve our dreams, we just need to be happy with what we can manage to get. It’s so much easier if we don’t push ourselves, if we don’t try so hard.
Part IV—The Paradox
Ok…here’s the paradox…how many people do you know who are just getting by? How many are living lives of quiet desperation? How many have given up on their dreams? How many are living “settle for” lives? And…how many of those people do you know who are actually happy? How many of them NEVER complain? How many of them jump out of bed in the morning and can’t wait to start another day? How many always have a smile on their face and a kind word?
Very few, if any… They are no longer in the pursuit of a worthwhile dream or goal. They are no longer growing, learning, expanding their minds, looking forward to new and fascinating things. They are taking it easy, getting along through the daily routine with minimal effort.
My question: is that easy? Is it easier to live a "settle for" life--to back off from the edge and live in mediocrity and not grow? The last time you were out at a bar did you notice the bar was full of them--people drinking their lives away because they can't live life on that edge anymore (more accurately: don't want to). I don't know any person who is not growing and is happy. But, look at those people--they have destroyed their own confidence, they have destroyed their dreams and abandoned them. They have a negative outlook on everything. They have developed, nurtured and engrained in themselves a failure mentality. I don't call that an "easy" life!! Some of those people HATE to wake up and get out of bed every morning--is that an "easy" life?
Our thinking has been flawed by a culture that tells everyone that the vast majority will never achieve their dreams so they have to learn to be happy to settle for what they have. We have allowed this culture to program us to thinking that it is easier to live a life of quiet desperation. I don't call that easy at all. To live without hopes, to live without dreams--that doesn't make life even worth living--now THAT'S a HARD life!
That’s the paradigm within which we live. So, we are made to believe that what is truly hard, is what our society and culture says is easy. That is why, to bring about real change, we must not only think beyond our paradigms, we must shatter them!
Now...what I want you to think about is...what does this have to do with us, with ARTShift?
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