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When you are working to improve yourself and upgrade your inner techs, it is inevitable that you will find that the way you look at the world has changed. Like I said here, don’t panic. The world may seem weird, or even you yourself may seem weird, but that’s a normal step. I’ve come up with some common questions that people would ask.
I held certain views that don’t really hold as true for me anymore. Does that make them inauthentic? Was my life not as valid?
Just because you have a new view on the world does not necessarily mean that your past views were not authentic. You are in a situation now where you have a larger view of the world. Think Star Wars. For some who need clarification, think Star Wars: A New Hope. When Luke first felt the force, Obi-Wan told him that this was good, he’d taken his first step into a larger world. Not a better one or a worse one necessarily, but a larger world. This is you now.
But the world is different now. Scary. I don’t know what’s what anymore.
What is scaring you is the unknown. It is natural to be a little nervous when entering unknown territory, but listen to yourself: Is that actually fear, or just nerves? Quite often, we mistake the one for the other. When your heart is racing, and you’re having extreme difficulty staying still, it may actually be fear. It can go that way, if you let it, but you may find that it can just as easily be excitement and anticipation. You are exploring your life. There are two ways to go at this point: You can try to shrink back into your old life and pretend that this all never happened. Although I have never heard of this being done successfully, you can try it. In my experience, it’s rather self-destructive. The other option is to “roll with it” so to speak. You’ve taken the icy plunge into the water, so start swimming. You’ll find yourself warm before you know it.
But let’s get back to how my views have changed. Can’t my old views and my new views co-exist?
Short answer: Sometimes. Long answer: When you gain perspective, it will not always be easy to adapt. The great majority of your views are usually left more-or-less intact. In my experience and from what I have seen, there will be a big shift to one or a few of your views in particular, which will spread out like ripples. The only time any incompatibility will bother you is when your old views and habits were harmful based on your new mindset. Usually, this will be a case where the old view or habit may be ok, but is “not for me” so to speak. Occasionally, you may find that your old view or habit is now so abhorrent that you feel a drive to spread the word. Sounds crazy? Picture a lifelong racist who finally learned better. Or someone who robbed peoples’ houses for a living but got straightened out and now does security consulting. Far stranger things have happened.
Ok, that much sounds good, but how do I know I can trust myself?
Ah, that’s a good question. Once again there is a short answer and a long one. Briefly, you either trust yourself, or you don’t. Look inside and you’ll know in a flash. If you do, you have nothing to worry about. If you don’t, there’s some work to be done. My suggestion is to simply monitor yourself after your revelation. Act in accordance with your new views and see how it affects you and those around you. Don’t jump to conclusions about how it is going to be, just try it out. You will usually find that this will enable you to earn your own trust. The motto here is “Does it work for me?”
All right. I can try it out and see what happens. But doesn’t that mean that I’m not the same person?
There are two fundamental ways to answer this question. One theory is that we are never “the same person”. It could be argued that the person reading this post is not the same person who was carrying groceries into the house that was certainly not the same person who was fast asleep and not doing anything. That’s to say nothing of the person who was so tiny and uncoordinated that they couldn’t stand up without holding onto something. If you adopt this view, then I would say that if you feel any responsibility to the future versions of “you” that you should focus on putting them in a good position and supporting them. Not that it will really matter to the you in the present, because the you in the present is already done.
I would instead argue that you are more “you” than ever. One theory on this process is that you are in the process of awakening to who you truly are inside. As the noise and the external programming fall away, you unleash greater capability, a more joyous life, and more expansive awareness. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the person that is you is not your body, your mind or even your life. Those are things that you have. The person that is you is beyond all of that. By expanding your awareness and acting in concert with your true self, you become more yourself than ever before.
