Crafting the best personal story

After having lived in third world countries since 2011,I’ve come to accept roosters crowing at all hours of the day and night as part of the background noise – like motorcycle engines or the refrigerator motor, for instance.

If you haven’t experienced roosters crowing lately, suffice it to say the sound is quite disharmonious.

I’ve always appreciated birdsong – particularly in the morning. It’s a particular treat to hear the sound of exotic birds and mourning doves.

Today during meditation the only sound that broke through the absolute silence for a short time was the fingernails-on-blackboard  crowing of roosters. A thought occurred to me – instead of grudgingly accepting them as background noise, what would it be like to appreciate them – like birdsong? Might it not reinforce my sense that Life Loves Me?

I’ll be trying this on over the next few days, smiling with appreciation each time I notice crowing. Just like I do with birdsong!

What’s the trick to this? What’s to be gained?

I’m intending to change my mind about the nature of roosters crowing – from an irritating sound to a pleasant one like birdsong. By doing so I come into acceptance of reality instead of arguing with it. I replace a negative thought with a more positive one. I go from annoyance to appreciation. What’s coming into my ears doesn’t change; just my judgments about it. The story I hold in my own mind about it shifts in a positive way. I am crafting a new reality for myself.

These are key concepts in creating an elevated state of happiness that comes out over and over in the Upgrade Your Lifestyle book. Developing the skill to notice a source of displeasure – i.e., reality, and consciously shifting to more positive thought forms. A Course in Miracles puts it quite succinctly: “A miracle is just a change of mind.” And a miracle can happen in any moment, at our total discretion.