Louis Michael: Altering reality sans drugs

It’s a little known secret that humans have the power to alter reality. Films and books would have you believe that such a power is beyond mere mortals. Granted, what we see on the big screen is more flashy and colourful. But the power inside each and every human is more real and more fantastic than any CGI could ever hope to be.

The power is rooted in humanity’s gift of contemplation, cognition, self awareness and spiritual awareness. Thanks to these functions we are able to form opinions and beliefs, unlike plants and many animals. This means that through the power of our mind we can alter reality by altering our perspectives.

When you are ungrateful having a glass of water is nothing special. You have a tap and can have water whenever you want. You might wish you had juice or a fizzy drink, and in fact you resent not having the choice between water and anything else. But as soon as you become grateful you realise that people across the globe would do anything for a glass of water. You see that you are so lucky to have unlimited, clean water at the turn of a tap. The fact that you actually have a choice at all, and could have something other than water is even more of a blessing. A glass of water goes from something unremarkable to something treasured.

The ungrateful mind focuses on what is not there

But we are fooled by the fact that the glass of water doesn’t change shape. It looks the same, so how have I altered reality? You may not have altered external reality, but you have entirely changed your internal reality. And suddenly the water seems more clear, and when you take a gulp it seems to be more refreshing than it usually is.

The ungrateful mind focuses on what is not there. A mind that does this will forever feel that what they already have is not enough, because all they can see is the vacant space where they are constantly wishing for the things that they desire. But a grateful mind has no time for this. Someone who exercises gratitude realises that the very fact you were born healthy is a gift, and everything thereafter is an additional blessing.

The human mind has the ability to alter and shape reality. By embracing the simple concept of gratitude we can all create a world in which we are the richest, luckiest people alive. Remember, happiness is not about what you have, it’s about how you think about what you think you have.