The Stories we tell ourselves … Oh, my, the stories we tell! And they’re all true! Every one of them!

Some believe they’re a cat. Some say Halie Selassie is God, some say God is a woman and some say she doesn’t exist. Some say the earth is flat and some think it round. To some, allopathic medicine is the answer and some say it’s questionable. People are against us, people support us, people conspire against us, people don’t care about us either way. The meaning of life is to be kind, the meaning of life is money, life is meaningless.

Despite these wondrous stories all clashing about and contradicting each other, they’re all true. They’re true because the Evidence is there. And the evidence doesn’t lie.

No, the evidence doesn’t lie. We do. We tell ourselves that the evidence proves our stories.

Wrong! Our stories prove the evidence.

You see, it’s just not possible for all opposites to be true at the same time and in the same place.

So, how does it work? Simple. The evidence comes last.

Now, most of us think that we see a thing or experience an event and, from that “evidence”, we know a truth.

Wrong. It happens the other way round.

We decide there are conspiracies everywhere and, WHAM! The evidence hits us in the face. The chap sitting next to us disagrees and just thinks people are stupid and fallible and, WHAM! The (different) evidence hits him in the face.

We decide that people are supportive and, WHAM! Someone picks up the wallet we didn’t know we’d dropped.

The next day we decide that people are out to rip us off and, WHAM! Someone steals our wallet.

There is as much evidence for the goodness as there is for badness of allopathic medicine. The doctors do not see the “badness” and the natural health people do not see the “goodness”. Their different stories have them looking in different cupboards for their individual truths. We can’t and won’t see what we don’t believe.

The evidence comes last. Every time.

So, don’t tell me you can prove your version of reality as you see it. I know you can. Whatever you believe will bring that evidence to you.

Just tell me your theory, your story, and I’ll know you a little better. If you’re suspicious of people, you’re frightened of yourself. If you believe people are good, you trust yourself … and you’ll probably be trustworthy to others.

Your version of reality tells us about you – not about Reality.

For example, I’ve recently been struggling with people and situations at work. I was feeling abused, trapped and inconsequential. It was very difficult and I hated work, believing it was demeaning, futile and fearful. All of my stories produced ample evidence and I was right. Not happy but right.

Then at yoga this morning, a woman said, “I treat every day as a holiday!!” Cheerful sod!

I couldn’t help smile as that thought sprinted into my mind. And it stayed in there, wriggling and chuckling to itself. I suddenly feel happier and lighter about work. Then I realised I was sitting on my balcony, looking through the trees to the beautiful city of Brisbane, while all the other workers lined up on their congested roads for another day of work. I was enjoying a stunning view, coffee-at-elbow and writing … one of my favourite things to do … the sort of thing I would choose to do while on holiday! It’s a work day and I’m on holiday. Well, feels like it, anyway.

I have the thought of being on holiday and, WHAM! The evidence is there.

I will, of course, go to work a little later but, before that, I will join the Carindale Writing Group to help them publish their latest collection of suspense stories. Because it’s about writing, it doesn’t feel like work. It’s what I’d be happy to do on holiday. Then, when I do go to work, it won’t feel like work because I’ve held on to the thought, “Every day is a holiday!”

The thought (or story) came first and the evidence came last.

So, in this moment, what story would you like to change? Then let God (or whoever) show you the evidence. WHAM!

Try it, you’ll love it!