Wednesday Whiteboard Quote: Week of April 1

"Before fixing what you're looking at, Check what you're looking through." -The Book of Awakening

When I moved to Atlanta in 2022, I didn't have a job lined up and really no idea of what I wanted to do. I had a little money saved and a partner who was covering most of the big expenses, but I wasn't in a position to sit back and relax for 6 months to a year. I needed a J-O-B.  

As with most uncertain times, we rely on our friends and family to keep us grounded and steady. I remember one friend who would regularly call me during this time to check in and see how I was. Inevitably, partway through the conversation, she would ask, "So how is the job search going? Have you found anything yet?" 

After a few times, this question started to get under my skin. You see, I have identified as someone who wants to appear as if I have it all together, and I HATE the feeling of someone feeling sorry for me. When I looked at her question through the lens of scarcity, fear, and smallness, it felt like she was questioning my adaptability and my work ethic. It felt like death

Luckily, I never acted on these initial mental reactions, which suggested I needed to defend myself, scold her for asking, and tell her I was a grown adult and to stop asking.

When I switched the perspective to see that she was only asking because she cared about me and wanted to make sure I was ok, the situation completely changed. The important thing here is that the situation changed WITHOUT ANYTHING ACTUALLY CHANGING OUTSIDE.  

How many aspects of our day-to-day lives could we apply this to? How many things outside are we always trying to fix, or do we say need to be just a little different? If we slow down, we'll see that what needs to change is our perspective. This should be a breath of fresh air because we have 100% control over our perspective. This is where our true freedom lies.  

As Rumi said, "Yesterday I was clever so I wanted to change the world, today I'm wise so I'm changing myself."