Cut and Paste

choosing how to proceed with an idea

From my perspective, life is a series of cut-and-paste moments. We go through everyday experiences, editing often. Whether conscious or not, we are editing. Deciding what we like and don't like, altering (where possible) what works and what does not.

That applies especially to our minds. While a lot of what goes on in the world at large appears outside of our personal scope and control, our minds are a multiverse of limitless horizons, a place where we can [*under optimum conditions] control the narrative. 

The mind and imagination are
gifts. Use them wisely!

Think of this: a healthy mind is a playground, a powerful super-computer that can generate all manner of beautiful, or not so beautiful, possibilities (humans were doing  it long before AI!). We carry this crazy, powerful tool with us everywhere we go. What a gift! (continued)

With practice and perspective, we can harness the power to shift what's happening in said mind every single day. Our brains can truly, by simple effort, give us superpowers. 

And those superpowers allow us to, millions of times every day, cut and paste our personal experience in this world. Every day we are presented, whether we are conscious of it or not, many many choices. And we are, in the best circumstances, able to choose how to react, not react, interact or not to engage. 

For someone like myself who likes a level of control, knowing that is empowering. And it causes me to be more aware of how and what I'm choosing or moving past in my daily existence. Not only do we have the ability to choose good things ("I'll take the chocolate cake with the caramel sauce, please!"), but we also have the ability to choose to steer away from things that do not serve our elevation, growth, happiness, or peace. As in, the "comments section" is not your friend! 

Yes, there are sometimes unavoidable "negative" circumstances in life. I have my share. We all do. But our power over those is choice. It is choosing how we perceive, respond or, when possible, choosing NOT to respond at all. 

photo: cyoa.com

Recently on social media, I saw a post referencing a beloved book series from my childhood. When I was a kid, my brother and I owned several of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" series of books. Throughout each book were points where the reader would be called to choose how the story proceeded, then follow the prompt and skip to the specified page. We would read them together and make collective decisions as to how the adventure should proceed.

my vintage CYOA books

Each choice would lead to a different outcome, (and who are we kidding- we would sneak a peek at the outcome we hadn't chosen, too) allowing the reader a truly interactive experience. Life is a choose-your-own-adventure situation. And though we sometimes don't want to feel responsible for some seemingly outwardly governed circumstances, when we sit with things and think about how they come to fruition, it is, more often than not, the result of our own decisions, good or bad. That's a personal conviction I sometimes have to place on myself. 

Some examples: "I received recognition for ..." Not by chance. By choosing to invest time and effort into the thing that received the recognition. So I choose to celebrate myself, not downplay the validity of that recognition. Or, "I messed that up." Because I chose to wait until the last minute to address the details and I ran out of time. And I'll choose to give things their proper focus and time going forward. It all comes back to choices. I.E. cut and paste. Choosing your own adventure. And then in the end, celebrating the power to make those choices. Aren't we powerful?

*All jokes aside, if you're feeling less than optimal, it's perfectly fine to seek help with that. Here's a Google search to get you started.