SELF-AWARENESS 101 #4: THE ONLY MEANING ANYTHING HAS IS THE MEANING WE GIVE IT.

Today we’re going to take a look at a lesson from “A Course in Miracles ” and the lesson is, “The only meaning that anything has, is the meaning that WE give it.”

As I became more self-aware, one of the fascinating things I learned about human behavior and psychology, and one of the greatest gifts that ended up giving me a freedom I never before imagined, is that we are the ones that attach meaning to the experiences in our lives. More specifically, it’s not what happens to us, but it’s how we view it, how we perceive it and ultimately, the meaning we attach to it. We’re going to explore this topic today, and if you feel inspired to get into the subject at length, I suggest reading the book A Course In Miracles.

As an example, you may be aware from other articles that I lost my leg when I was eight years old to bone cancer. Being a young child and having a very limited perception of the world, I attached a very specific meaning to that experience. The meaning was partially self-generated, but as is often the case, it was majorly influenced by other people’s “meaning”. I was influenced by the beliefs and perceptions that other people had so it wasn’t even my meaning that I attached to the experience.

The meaning that I attached to losing my leg was that I was being punished, that there was something wrong with me. Based on the religion that I grew up in as well as the community, that was the answer a child was given. When bad things happened to people, they were being punished. Attaching that meaning to losing my leg affected and directed every aspect of my life for years. I abandoned the religious beliefs that I had been brought up with, I actually rebelled against them. I turned to alcohol. I turned to drugs. Along with the meaning I attached of being punished, I also thatched a meaning that I was not worthy of any of the good things in life. Based on this meaning, I embarked on a very self destructive path for many years.

I came to a point when I was 24, much later in life, where I was offered this amazing concept that said, “You know Willard, you are able to look at any experience, and you are able to make it mean what you want it to mean. You can “choose” what it means to you.” The mentor said, “Why not choose what’s going to best serve you in that situation?” Initially, it was a hard concept for me to accept. But when I did look back at the experience, I looked and saw there were other options, other possibilities, rather than perceiving it as being punished… there was a possibility that there was another meaning. At the first, the opportunity of a new possibility was intriguing. One of the first possibilities I explored was that maybe losing my leg was about leading me on a path that would give me experiences that I never would had otherwise .

And if there was one possibility, then there surely could be others. I asked, “What could another meaning be?” Another possible meaning was… maybe this was for me to teach. Maybe it was for me to be able to stop other people from following the same path I had taken. All of a sudden, I came up with numerous possibilities of what that one experience could mean.

Everything that happens in your life, you ultimately choose what meaning you want to attach to it. Why not choose the one that serves you best? There is no “right or wrong” meaning. Only right or wrong based on whether it serves you.

Take a look right now, at some area of your life where you have attached meaning to something that is not serving you. Maybe something that you’ve attached a meaning to, that doesn’t support you and who you choose to be. Then ask yourself, what would another possibility be? What else could this mean? How could I look at this experience in a different way?

All it takes is a small shift, and it can dramatically… dramatically change your life. Again we choose the meaning that we attach and it’s up to you.