Two extreme ends of the spectrum regarding social interaction
Positive scenario:
- Every person you encounter is a potential portal to knowledge and ideas you do not possess.
- Every interaction is a new possibility — energizing.
Negative scenario:
- Every person you encounter has judgment in their eyes and makes you want to leave the room.
- Every interaction is a potential for negative outcomes — something you want to avoid.
What is the difference between these scenarios? Mostly subjective, I think. Depending on your mood and worldview the same party of people will look very different. One is creative and energizing while the other is defensive and anxious. The real world is often some kind of mix between the two.
We have all experienced these different scenarios — similar social interactions but vastly different depending on our state of mind. This seems to mean it is your inner world (feelings, energy & thoughts) that affects your view of the outer world more than we might think. It is too easy to explain your inner world to external circumstances. If only instead we can realize how much our subjective view paints the color of reality — then we could focus on what actually matters.
In other words: take care of yourself, and your inner world. When your inner world is in order, the outer world will soon follow along. If you feel bad it is more often than not something about your inner state.
Of course, it is more complicated — the outer world affects your inner world and vice versa — it's a wonderful mess. However, the point here is that your inner world most certainly affects your mood more than external circumstances.
The question is — to live a more enjoyable life, which lever should I pull and focus on? The inner lever of understanding myself or the outer lever of setting the external world in order?
I would argue to focus on the inner lever more for better results.
Thanks for reading.
