How Your Mind Shapes Your Reality—And What to Do About It

Peace and blessings to you,

Arlin here, and today I want to talk about something profound yet simple—something that has the power to change your entire experience of life.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Your mind creates your universe.” 

Well, that’s true and not true. 

The universe exists—has existed long before you arrived. Your mind didn’t create the universe, but it does create your experience of it—which is in part a creation of the universe, see? That’s the crucial distinction. 

The world is mostly out there, coming in through your senses, but you don’t experience it directly. It has to pass through the filter of your mind first. And what your mind thinks about the world—what it likes, what it doesn’t, what it fears, what it desires—shapes everything you experience.

Here’s the deal: the universe isn’t out to get you.

It’s just unfolding. But your mind? That’s another story. 

Your mind and emotions are conspiring, creating thoughts and feelings that color your entire reality.

Your mind produces thoughts—chattering away, making judgments, creating stories. Meanwhile, your heart generates emotions, which you feel as vibrations, sometimes subtle, sometimes intense. These thoughts and emotions are what determine your experience of life, not the actual events happening around you.

Think about it: two people can experience the same event and have completely different reactions. Why? Because it’s not the event itself that determines their experience, but the thoughts and emotions it triggers in them. It’s like this: something happens, your mind reacts, and before you know it, you’re feeling something—maybe joy, maybe anger, maybe fear. 

But here’s the catch: often, you don’t even experience what’s actually happening because you’re too caught up in your reaction to it. You’re listening to your mind’s commentary instead of truly experiencing the moment.

This is the foundation of spirituality. It’s not about what you do or believe. It’s about waking up to the fact that you’re inside your body and mind, and there are thoughts and feelings swirling around in there with you. Those thoughts and feelings—not the outside world—are what determine the quality of your life.

Let me repeat that: your thoughts and feelings are what determine the quality of your life, not what’s happening outside. If something happens and it triggers pleasant thoughts and feelings, you have a nice day. If the same thing happens and it triggers unpleasant thoughts and feelings, you don’t. 

It’s that simple. 

And yet, it’s everything.

Most people go through life without realizing this. 

They think the outside world is responsible for how they feel. 

If someone says something hurtful, they think, “You made me feel bad.” 

Notice that - “YOU MADE ME”... “feel…” “bad…”

If something good happens, they think, “That made me happy.”

Or if you’re asked about someone you generally like hanging out with or someone you love you might say, “They make me happy.”

But that’s not how it works. 

It’s your thoughts and feelings that create your experience, not the events or people themselves.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. 

Because you don’t realize that it’s your thoughts and emotions creating your experience, you spend your entire life trying to manipulate the outside world. You think, “If I can just get this person to act a certain way, if I can just avoid this situation, then I’ll be okay.” 

So, you devote your life to trying to control everything around you, thinking that’s the key to happiness.

But here’s the thing: it’s not. In fact, it’s the source of your misery. You can’t control the outside world, and even if you could, it wouldn’t solve the real problem—which is that your mind and emotions are running the show inside of you. The world is just doing what it does, unfolding in front of you, but your mind creates anxiety, stress, and all sorts of problems that don’t actually exist. The events of the universe are neutral—it’s your mind that labels them as problems.

Imagine this: the universe has been unfolding for 13.8 billion years, and it’s doing just fine without your help. Planets are orbiting, stars are shining, seasons are changing, all without a hitch. And yet, here you are, stressed out because your girlfriend won’t go on a run with you, or because your boyfriend hasn’t proposed to you yet, or because not enough people are noticing your artwork. 

That’s your mind at work, creating a problem where there is none.

The truth is, there are no problems. 

There are only events unfolding in the universe. The only problem is your mind’s reaction to those events. Your mind is constantly creating thoughts and emotions, and if you don’t learn to handle them, they will ruin your life.

Here’s an uncomfortable truth: most of the time, the things you think you don’t like, the things you think you fear, they aren’t even real. 

They’re just thoughts in your head, leftover impressions from the past. You didn’t consciously decide to dislike something; it just happened. You had a negative experience once, and now your mind has a built-in reaction to anything that reminds you of it. That’s why you find yourself avoiding certain situations or people, even though they’ve done nothing wrong—they just trigger old memories stored in your mind.

This is where spiritual growth begins. It starts with the realization that you are in there, and your mind and heart are in there with you, constantly generating thoughts and feelings. Once you see that, you can start to work with it. You can begin to separate yourself from the constant chatter of your mind and the ever-changing emotions of your heart.

So, what do you do? You learn to relax. You learn to be at peace with your thoughts and emotions, even when they’re uncomfortable. When your mind starts to create a storm, don’t get swept away by it. When your heart feels heavy, don’t let it drag you down. Instead, just relax. Watch what’s happening inside of you, but don’t get involved. Let the thoughts and emotions pass through you without clinging to them, without letting them control you.

This isn’t easy, especially at first. 

Your mind will try to pull you in, your emotions will try to overwhelm you. 

But with practice, you can learn to stay centered, and be calm in the middle of the storm. Sometimes I like to picture a force field of peace around me that I stay aware of as the universe unfolds around me… I’m literally picturing that I'm the eye of the storm.

And when you do this, you’ll find that most of the things that used to bother you simply don’t matter anymore. 

They’re just passing thoughts, fleeting emotions—nothing more.

Eventually, you’ll reach a point where you can handle anything that comes your way. You’ll be okay, no matter what happens, because you’ve learned to be okay with yourself. And when you can do that, life becomes fun. No more dreading anything. Just full joy and anticipation of exciting things all the time.

You can enjoy the experience of living, no matter what it brings, because you’re no longer at the mercy of your mind and emotions.

This is what it means to live a spiritual life. It’s not about controlling the outside world or even controlling your thoughts and emotions. It’s about learning to live in peace with them, to let them be without letting them run your life. 

It’s about being okay with yourself, just as you are, in every moment.

So start today. Practice relaxing in the face of your thoughts and emotions. Let them come and go without getting involved. Over time, you’ll find that your mind and heart become much quieter, much easier to live with. 

And as they do, you’ll discover a deep, unshakable peace within yourself, a peace that doesn’t depend on anything outside of you.

And that, my friends, is the key to a beautiful life.

If you're interested in exploring these concepts further and supporting your own creativity, consider joining The 8AM App. Use the code arlin2024 to try the first month for just a dollar. It's a space where we delve into ideas like surrender and spirituality, fostering an environment that nurtures original thought and creativity.

With love and in truth,

Arlin

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