Tag: Belonging

Possibility Blindness

Achieving Goals, Happiness, Relationships, Success

We are largely defined by the environment we live in. The opportunities we have in most western countries are very different to those in third world countries. Our opportunities, or lack of them, will have a direct impact on how we see life.

We are also shaped by the people we spend our time with. Our parents have a significant effect on how we see ourselves and what we are capable of. We learn from a young age views of how easy or difficult it is to make money, how easy or difficult relationships are, and what our self worth is to us, etc.

When we let the views and beliefs of others become ours, we become blind to the possibilities available to us. To see an opportunity we must first think that it is possible. If you are living your life small, then it is likely that you have some limiting beliefs acquired from others. If that is the case, it is time to rewrite your beliefs and become an opportunity seeker. To believe in the possibilities life has to offer. Don’t let the views and beliefs of others give you possibility blindness. Open you eyes and begin to believe that you can, it is possible, but first you must believe that it is.

What Is Normal?

Happiness, The Pathway To Fulfilment

When we look at a bottle of shampoo it will often say that it is for Normal Hair. In our culture we have an idea of what normal is, it is what the majority of people we know do or say, or in the case of shampoo, the type of hair that the majority of people have. I would like to suggest that normal is simply what is most popular, it is not a trait by which people should be judged.

In marketing, companies will often aim their interruptions at the majority in the hopes that everyone will pay for their product or service. There is a fundamental problem with that. Either the product or service is designed for a particular kind of person, in which case it is not for everyone, or it is aimed at everyone and therefore no one, because we are not all the same.

In culture, we often want to be ‘normal’ and to fit in, but when we try to act or think in ways that are the most popular then we are not being ourselves. We are performing a role to be accepted, but everyone ends up doing the dance of normality and losing themselves in the process.

What we should do, in my opinion, is to figure out what our values are, what we believe and, importantly, what our ethics are. This will determine which people we will enjoy spending our time with. We can identify our ‘tribe’ and we will then genuinely fit in and thrive. The goal with this is to belong rather than to be accepted, and these are two very different things.

Being Together

Happiness, Success, The Pathway To Fulfilment

Yesterday we went to a Halloween party as a family. The children played musical statues and musical chairs and everyone ate well, danced and had a great time. It was good to be with other people.

There is something special about coming together for a shared celebration and just having a good time. This is something that left a hole in our lives when such things were banned during the several pandemic lockdowns over last year and this year.

We thrive when we are part of a ‘tribe’ and we celebrate together. The shared experience solidifies relationships and helps us to feel as if we belong. To be happy, successful and ultimately fulfilled in life we need to belong and spend time with those in our tribe, our community.