I arrived early to a lunch meeting and while waiting began fiddling with an age-old toy called “The Magic Sword.” The sword appears to cut through the solid knife and even a toothpick that I had asked the waiter to bring to me! It is undoubtedly a cool illusion that I have yet to figure out.

There is a theory that the sword rotates backward so quickly the eye cannot see it happening. I cannot confirm or deny this, but as with most things, it got me thinking.

It is said “Perception is Reality”, and for the most part this is true. Two people may view the same situation or object and see something entirely different. It can cause conflict or create synergy. The thing we both agree on is that it IS real to us.

What if we were both wrong? What if it was nothing more than an illusion?

Our rightness, wrongness, stuckness, smartness, dumbness, brokenness, richness, poorness, madness, happiness, sadness, sickness, and so on?  We perceive our situations as something “fixed” or permanent, like a solid brick and mortar landscape we have created for ourselves.

While our life experiences are very tangible and even painful at times, I thought about the concept of the sword moving in a different direction to project a forward-looking motion.

We live in a world where pushing through is promoted and rewarded. At times it seems like the only choice we have. Sometimes trying to move the mountain can be overwhelming and very daunting.

What if instead of trying to move it, we simply decided to accept it and find a different path or way around it?

Acceptance, in essence, removes the power from the mountain, and instead, we look at what it “does” to us and our lives as an “illusion.” Easier said than done I know, but something worth considering.

The circumstances in our lives impact us to the degree that we allow them to.

Acceptance of a situation does not mean defeat. It re-directs the energy to an entirely different place.

When we choose to focus on the negative aspects of our health, finances, relationships, careers, we may or may not be able to change the outcome. What we can guarantee ourselves is that we make room to create fear during the process.

If instead, we think about the situation as something we would rather not pay attention to and focus on a different aspect of our lives, we may find ourselves bolstered by hope, dare I even say joy in the journey.

The outcome or circumstance still may or may not change, but when we take our power back in the ways we can, we inspire others and give our spirits well-needed relief.

That’s a trick worth learning to master.