So, what happens in our minds, to make us..well us, is that collection of everything that we have ever experienced, heard or seen.  I think this was discussed in episode 1 or 5 can’t remember.  A big factor of this is ( sorry to say this but) radio, news, television, movies and even social media. Your brain collects all this together to help you make quick decisions to keep you safe or just to keep you comfortable in whatever state you are in. Some these decision are very valid while others….not so much.

The term preconceived based on Webster means to form (as an opinion) prior to actual knowledge or experience. As we know everyone has an opinion. So the more we hear a particular opinion, the more it actually influences us on a subconscious level.  As a result, we limit the people that we say hello to, the journeys that we choose to take, even the jobs that we take.

For example being from Florida, I remember watching the News about a big Blizzard that hit New England maybe 10 years ago. and I remember saying Why would anyone want to live there. That’s so silly. It cold, there’s no sun, northerners are rude. You will get shanked walking down the sidewalk (lol) Boy oh boy, look at me now! Living and loving New England. The difference, someone convinced me to take a trip and see it for myself. New England turned out to be beautifully green, a different kind of green than Florida and the people were so sweet! Not a southern hospitality, but New England sweet! The more I learned, the more I thought that maybe this is the place that I want to start my next chapter in.

I read a book a long time ago called the Celestine Prophecy and while it was fictional, the thing that I remembered the most was the fact that it mentioned that everyone you meet in your life is for a reason. Sometimes it is for love/friendship, sometimes it is to teach/learn/help and other times it is simply to deliver/receive a message to help you or them on their way.

As my expectations or preconceived opinions changed about strangers from one of either they are trying to hit on me, rob me or just something bad was going to happen, to being a blank canvas and simply enjoying the experience of meeting people. I can’t tell you how many times I have been sitting at the airport, or a bench waiting for a friend and someone will just sit down and start telling me about their lives, what’s bothering them..whatever and then thank me for listening and just leave. At first, I thought that was the weirdest thing, but sometimes you just need someone to listen so that you feel better. I’ve also learned about many hiking trails and places to travel to and visit as well as the abundance of cultural food that is out there in the world just waiting to be discovered by me. All this from simply by changing my mindset of what to expect. This in return changes your attitude towards life and people.

Now I’m not saying walk down a dark street saying hello to everyone. That in itself just doesn’t sound right. Follow your gut or intuition. This is very different than your subconscious trying to keep you in a certain way of life. I will say it doesn’t happen overnight, but the more you wean yourself off of negative (although you don’t think it is at that time)  media, news, movies, and etc. and consciously push yourself into having no opinion at all when interacting with someone. This also makes it easier for you to attract your cheering squad that we talked about in episode 20.

I leave you with the words of  Bob Marley “Love the life you live and life the life you love”


References Webster (2017) Preconceive https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preconceive