Impressionism & Abstract Expressionism October 9, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Life Balance, Mindfulness, People.comments closed
We have as many reputations as acquaintances.
Friends, family, co-workers, and even strangers view us through the distorted clouded lens of their own judgments, experiences, attitudes, and opinions.
They form impressions about who we are based on abstracts from our lives, mingled with their own beliefs, views, and values.
As a result, our reputations with others are closer to impressionistic paintings, or abstract expressionism, than the school of realism.
People who have known us for a long time tend to include our past bag and baggage with our present and ever-changing personas when forming opinions about who we are.
As a result, the person they see often has little to nothing in common with the person we’ve become.
People hang on to their pasts and our pasts and use that filter to look at the present moment . . . instead of emptying their minds of preconceived notions to see this moment as it is, right here, right now.
And then they wonder why our actions don’t mirror the image they hold of us.
Once we accept that our reputations vary from person to person, and even day-to-day (depending upon the topic under discussion), we stop getting so caught up in the opinions of others which tend to be based more on who they are than on who we are.
Instead, we strive to do our best while focusing on our reputation with the “man in the mirror.”
Quotes to Ponder:
* The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. ~ Dan Zadra
* When we stop hiding who we are, we have more energy to become more fully who we want to be.
* Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. ~ Dr. Seuss
Aah . . . that’s better!
Spirit Lights The Way 