Day 18

Today's Lesson:

I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.

I'm thinking this morning about how I see things. If I concentrate on noticing what is wrong in the world, then I will see everything as I think it should be instead of how it really is, which is neutral. If I am wanting to prove that I'm right about the way I think of something, I will always be looking for justification instead of just noticing what is. There is something both comforting and also kind of disturbing about knowing that I am not the only one who sees the world this way. When I realize that we are all connected, it becomes more effective for me to create dialogue with others using myself as an example for what I'm noticing, which brings more unity and support to my waking up process. If I try to teach what I'm learning by pointing out ways people are doing things "wrong," I don't build rapport - I end up pushing against something and, by pushing against what's "wrong," I actually give it validation.

As the text for today says, "to concentrate on error is only a further error."

Miracles I'm noticing:

This fits very well with the manufacturing training I'm conducting this week. The premise of the training is to show the attendees a 4-step method for solving problems with people they supervise. The upside down thinking we've been conditioned to see would point out problems - things that aren't working - and have us "solve" them. Part of the challenge is the context we've given to the word "problem." We've traditionally believed that "problem" = "bad" and so some of us avoid shedding light on that problem. Our more comfortable action is to avoid the problem. But the class defines problem as "anything the supervisor needs to take action on," which really doesn't have a context built in.

Today's text goes on to say "the initial corrective procedure is to recognize temporarily that there is a problem, but only as an indication that immediate correction is needed."

As we all learn this distinction - as well as all the distinctions we are learning through this Course and even the training I'm conducting this week - all of us expand in our thinking. Each of us is an integral part in the whole of humankind. That goes back to today's lesson - "I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing." It's the effects of my seeing - and effects come after the root cause is understood.

We are talking a lot this week in class about the root cause, which is a manufacturing term in the quality assurance realm, but really applies to everything this course is teaching as well. When I'm awake to what I'm noticing, the lessons apply to everything in my life. In fact, as I read the text for today, I notice that everything I talk about every day has some relationship to what I've studied that morning. As I go to class this morning, I will be teaching the attendees that this new way of seeing the problems they have with people they supervise will be a new process and will take practice to perfect. It's a skill they can develop over time with consistency and commitment. That's no different than what I'm learning in this course, which is a new way to notice the effects of my thinking.

The text says "readiness is only the prerequisite for accomplishment....As soon as a state of readiness occurs, there is usually some degree of desire to accomplish, but it is by no means necessarily undivided. The state does not imply more than a potential for a change of mind. Confidence cannot develop fully until mastery has been accomplished." I'm noticing in my class that as I tell stories about myself and how I can relate to their "problems," they are much more open to hearing suggestions for themselves. After all, we are all connected anyway.