That which we see on the outside, resides within us. Our projections of who we are shall decide how we interpret our reality. It is often that we hear people complain, but rarely praise about a given situation. As we paint our Canvas of Life, be aware of the projections of our inner thoughts.

Ani Po, while at her favorite gym, witnesses this firsthand. She listens as two Pilgrims  complain about the day…

First Pilgrim: I am officially sick of summer already.

Pilgrim two: why is that?

Pilgrim one: I’m tired of the ups and downs with the weather, I wish it would make up its mind.

Pilgrim two: me too. This heat is going to kill me.

Ani Po smiles as she recalled these same people complaining, not too long ago, about the cold weather. This is just one example that Ani Po witnesses during her daily adventures. She’s reminded it’s not how the day actually turns out, but how it is interpreted. People who live at the North Pole, and that’s always know… And they are happy. People live in Africa in the hottest of hot, and that is all they know… And they are happy.  Then there are those, who no matter where they live, complain about their day. Is it because their day is so terrible? Their reality is so miserable?

Whatever your visions, accomplish them. Whatever your ambitions, persevere in them. The sage understands that through fulfillment, you can then move beyond ambitions and visions. – Lao Fzu
The reality is this… We see in the world how we feel on the inside. If we see terrible things on the outer-world, witnessing a miserable day, then look within and chances are you’re not happy. Find happiness in the outer world, and you shall find happiness within. Vice verse…find happiness on the inside and see the world as paradise.

 
What causes the negative outlook on life? Is it because their reality is truly horrible? Is it truly that bad because they said it is? The reality of this is…no matter where we go or conditions, there will always be somebody who finds the silver lining in every cloud. Adversely, there are those who see only the cloud. Ani Po recalls a man who lost both legs to amputation, lost his wife and lost his pride when a surgeon had to cut him open for “Open-Heart” surgery. All happening within a month and he was still happy. When Ani Po asked him, “How can you possible be so happy?” He smiled and said it is better than the alternatives!

 
The magic formula, I believe to be this…move. Those who become stagnant or non-mobile, those are the ones who have no purpose. Having no purpose, seeing only misery. Get up, do something today, go for a walk, play outside, go for a bike ride, go for a swim, go somewhere…but just be on purpose. Really, we do not have to do anything to have happiness, however the human psyche cannot handle stagnant. Unless you are an enlightened master, you will not find happiness unless you find a purpose. Even enlightened masters who do nothing but sit in the hills or the mountains, eventually they come down, sharing what they’ve learned. In sharing what they have learned they have become on purpose without even knowing it. Be on purpose, this is what we are to do. Find something… And live it to the fullest.

 
Stepping into the canvas with a new outlook on life. That which we see on the inside, we project to the outside and vice verse. See the world as a happy place and find happiness. Be on purpose, because that’s what we are. Do nothing, and be happy; or do something, and be ecstatic. The choice is ours…And how we see our outer-world, so shall be the internal. Tired of summer already?… Chances are you’re tired of yourself… Be the change now.