“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
Henry David Thoreau

Isn’t it funny that the word “matter” is in the word “matters”? I mean if that is not a divine coincidence I don’t know what is. And of course this has been a subject of many different philosophers, mathematicians, physicist and so on but, I like talking about how things feel to me. Because, I believe it’s in my feelings that I recognize what rings true to me.

When I saw this quote I immediately thought that there are 2 different ways to perceive the world, as “it is” on the outside and as I would like to perceive it in the inside. I have talked about this multiple times here, the fact that having an optimistic view of the world doesn’t mean dismissing what is happening around us. On the contrary, I believe that the world is here to show us the possibilities we have to create a new one.

I’m sure at some point in your life you have heard someone say “I know you are hearing this but are you really listening to it”? There is a subtle but powerful difference between hearing and listening just like there is one between looking and seeing. Think about whenever you want someone to look at something and you say “look at that” your hand and fingers are most likely extended all the way and pointing at the subject you are trying to show them. But, how do we signal “see that”? As I was writing this I was curious about the use of these words in sign language, here is a video I found and well… it supports where I was going with this.

It’s interesting to see that in sign language the expression of “look at that” is performed with your hand and fingers looking outwards and the expression “see that” is performed with your hand and fingers looking inwards or at you. Where I’m going with is that there is a clear distinction between how the world looks like in the outside and how we can possibly perceive the world in the inside. Failing to see this is really a disservice to the world and a disempowering way to embrace the gifts we have as human beings.

As I’m writing this I’m thinking about a reflection I had the other day when we went to dinner with one of my husband’s friends. He recently sold a company he created a few years ago and is currently enjoying the fruits of that transaction. I didn’t really know much about this company but during our dinner he shared the reason why he had created the company in the first place and I had one of those moments of “ah… life really is what we make out of it”.

While we were enjoying a delicious Italian meal in one of our favorite spots in Miami (shout out to Luca Osteria because it never disappoints) my husband shared with his friend the news that I had become an American Citizen. After he congratulated me we went on to talk about how I had taken at least 3 years to begin the process because I dislike from the core of my being filling out application forms, like it is border line offensive to me, to what his friend (also a Taurus) responded “I freaking hate applications, that’s the whole reason I created my company.” So, his company (ZenBusiness) turns out was initially created to help people with all of those annoying application forms you feel completely overwhelmed with when you first start a company, like incorporating the business, taxes and so on.

Driving back home and while my husband snored in the passenger seat I had many reflections about that conversation. I thought about how my inner conversation about this subject has been more like: “why are you this way? why do you hate this? why don’t you just get over this and do it?” Seeing his friend using something that I would consider in myself a weakness or a problem and turn into a powerful tool that not only has given him many rewards in different ways but also is serving people, really helped me remember that the way we see the world and what we make of it truly creates our reality.

And, with this reflection I’m not trying to create more shame around the way that I have approached this. By no means I’m trying to once again look at the world from a lens where I have to ask “why is this this way?” but instead my hope is to plant a seed to really be aware of the amazing opportunity we have by seeing the world from a place of possibility.

So, when you look at the world, how can you turn what you see into a physical manifestation of your perception? What intention matters to you so much that you can turn it into actual matter?

love, Nat.