Ed Mills’ blog post, Perception Becomes Reality struck a chord with me. He says:

The more I explore the Law of Attraction the more I come to see that what I call reality is nothing more than my perception of what is happening around me.

The Wachowski brothers, in their movie The Matrix, have Morpheus answer Neo’s question, “Is this real?” in this way:

What is real? How do you define real? If you’re talking about your senses, what you feel, taste, smell, or see, then all you’re talking about are electrical signals interpreted by your brain.

Your reality is what you say it is, what you believe it to be. People use the phrase “get real” to goad you into accepting their version of reality–of what is possible and what isn’t. But we know that anything is possible.

Don’t we?

In talking with people, I’m bombarded by variations of ‘how bad it is’. The economy sucks, the job sucks, the wife sucks ^oops, life sucks. Everything sucks.

I have to admit that it’s easy to get pulled down into that pit. Thankfully, I am beginning to recognize my whereabouts and change my view of the world.

When you change your focus, your attention, opportunities seem to materialize out of thin air where none had been before. But were they really not there? Or were they just hidden from view because of the direction you were looking?

My focus changed recently. I made the decision to become more aware of financial opportunity, because in the past that has been one of my problem areas. I am exposed to an idea or opportunity and immediately go over to the dark side. I dissect. I think of all of the reasons why it, whatever it is, won’t work. About the temporary difficulties it may entail.

One example: in the early 90’s, I was the store manager of one of a growing chain of auto parts stores. The decision was made to take the company public, and members of management that had been with the company a certain period of time had the opportunity to purchase a block of stock prior to the IPO. I had passed the time requirement the week before, so I was eligible. The only kicker was that I would have to borrow the $5,000 from a credit card because I had no cash.

I decided not to. Think of the interest on a credit card for a $5,000 cash advance! Besides, I really didn’t like the company. Yes, they were growing and took care of customers well, but treated management like dirt, at least at the store level. So, no thanks.

Now, 16 years later, the stock that I could have purchased for $5,000 is worth over $250,000.

What has happened in the couple of short weeks that I have changed my attention from lack to opportunity?

• I had, and followed up on, the inspiration to launch another website focused on weight loss, health and wellness, and anti-aging. A crowded arena, to be sure, but I have chosen not to compete, but to create. It is taking shape, and my goal is to launch before the end of May.
• I decided that I wanted my main source of income, Sawtooth Internet Development, to be more productive. I want to take a more active approach to business-building, networking, etc. Within a few days of making that decision, more opportunities for business made their way to me. My specialty is turning to problem-solving for existing sites, and I’m seeing more chances to do that. It is a fit for my analytical mind.
• My wife and a friend of hers had begun a business a few years ago that languished because of a lack of focus. They’ve decided to revive the business and it has started to take off. They’ve participated in trade shows, made new acquaintances and revived old ones that are already beginning to show signs of promise.
• My wife’s activities caused me to reconnect with an old and dear friend. I had, because of my level of thought, let our relationship languish over the past few months. Through her,…
• …I have been offered the opportunity to become part of a research group for the ongoing development of a personal development course to be offered nationwide in the near future. The close association with people of this caliber has already inspired me.
• I was offered the opportunity to partner with a small group of people developing some fantastic concepts in the areas of real estate, mortgage and commercial lending, and financial management. The outlook for this is mind-boggling.

What is especially mind-boggling is that every one of those opportunities, and more, have been right in front of me for a long time. Years, in fact. They’re nothing new. They’ve been right out in front of me, waiting to be seen.

How much is right in front of you if you’d only change your focus a little?

Are you closing the door when opportunity knocks?

Risk. The very word implies the possibility of failure, of injury, loss, even disaster. It also implies the possibility of gain, of growth, of advancement, or achievement.

When you see or hear the word ‘risk’, does it excite or intimidate you? Does it cause salivation or dry-mouth? Do you look for ways to run toward it or from it?

Risk is the spice of life, I think. Without it, the day is bland and boring. It may be a beautiful day, with much to be grateful and rejoice for, but how many of those quiet beautiful days can you endure before going stir-crazy?

Faith is the quality we have available to enable ourselves to risk, to cause ourselves to take actions that could result in discomfort, failure or loss. Faith that we can truly control and influence the direction of our lives; faith that ultimately our lives will improve when we stretch and move out of our comfort zones.

We risk when we get married; the alternative is to stay single. We risk when we get into a car to travel somewhere. Life is full of risks. How we respond to them determines our direction and our accomplishments.

Faith moves mountains–lack of faith causes a molehill to be a major obstacle.

Years ago, I wrote down a quote that illustrates this perfectly:

“If, despite our gnawing doubts, we can muster faith enough to take a single step on the road to where we’re going, we are well on the way to creative achievement. Every triumph of the human spirit begins with one step taken in faith. The single step is the small handle to great matters.

“No man or woman ever won a worthy triumph without faith to keep on and on, always able to last at least five minutes longer.”

Unfortunately, I didn’t bother to write down where that came from (if anyone knows, please inform me).

The point of all this is simple: without faith, without belief, nothing happens. Nothing is ventured; we stagnate in our own little pools of doubt and uncertainty. Not a pretty picture, eh?