Life is Vivid
Hey Friend,
What a week! For some reason last week's letter found traction on LinkedIn like never before. As of this morning over 41,000 impressions have been had and almost 300 people liked it. That's an extremely high number of engagement for me. The whole "Don't Live in the Five Minutes" really resonated. I may have to write a book about it now.
Even more spectacular was that somehow the Northern Lights showed up in our backyard. I don't know what they are. I don't get how they could have come this far south? What was most spectacular is that you could see these rich deep reds in the sky and something like a wispy cloud of light, but that was about it. Until you took a picture. Then the colors exploded!
One more thing I don't get. As you can see, the colors look like they are vertical, but to the naked eye they appeared horizontal. The magic of the camera lens opened an entirely different reality I wasn't expecting. The different shades of green, pink, teal, and purple were invisible until they were captured by the camera.
As you might expect, my mind was swirling with considerations. Primarily - I wonder what else I'm missing in life because the lens I'm looking through has limited capabilities? Is there a rich beauty existing all around me that I can't see because my default lens is weak and lame? I don't want to miss what I'm in the midst of because of my poor perspective!
REALMS
As a person of Faith, I believe our natural world co-exists with a spiritual realm. The Northern Lights seem spiritual to me. Maybe because they're in the heavens. Maybe because they take the natural sky (which is already a spectacular sight) and turn it into a majestic demonstration of lighted goodness. I'm sure there is science that explains it all, but that doesn't take away the wonder of it, from me. It actually amplifies my faith.
I suspect in our relational, mental and emotional realms there is a similar reality. We live in the surface, natural day-to-day of it. But there are deeper things below: Foundational. And there are loftier things above: Essence. Sometimes we glimpse the revered beauty of the higher realm or find ourselves deep in the dirt work of the lower realm. Both impact our experience on the normal, common layer.
MINDSHIFT
What if you kept your heart, mind, and eyes open for the possibility that your lens is limited and there is a different reality to the experiences you're currently having?
UNIVERSE
I'm not trying to be spooky or goofy. I don't believe in the multiverse or parallel universes. I think our one, dynamic, never-ending, always-expanding universe is sufficient to contain the awe of the divine. I'm also convinced the universe of our mind, emotions and relationships is an eternal source for discovering the most joyous existence while living on this planet.
How do we access the Essence more? Getting the Northern Lights Glow to manifest on our dally lives in a way that illuminates the ordinary to extraordinary, seems an innate desire. I suspect it's directly related to our willingness to go deep into the Foundational level, huh? Gotta get in the dirt to enhance our lens to see the luminous more clearly.
MINDSHIFT
What if you took an exploratory trip into the universe of your mind, emotions, and relationships, looking for artifacts that reveal where you still need foundational work done?
LIFE IS VIVID
On the other hand, what if the Northern Lights are the actual reality and we're living so significantly less brilliantly than designed? Life is vivid! Your life, my life, possess the vibrancy to radiate a tangible splendor that ignites something in others. What would it require for us to live there? I dare you to find out.
Encountering the Northern Lights through an accurate lens impacted my soul. I want my life to do the same.
Speaking of, we are officially announcing my new book this week. I know it's old news to you since I've shared throughout the process. But the general public is going to get a campaign of awareness. I would greatly appreciate any little efforts you could contribute to boost visibility for it. Thank you! And if you're in the OKC area on January 20th, we are hosting a book launch party that night. I would love for you to come!
SHIFTING
I hope this week you light up your world and use an accurare lens to see the beauty all around you! #ShiftAway
