Discard Your Box
(Don't just think out side of it.)

At a recent conference I spoke at as a Key Note speaker, I talked to them about why people have Jobs I asked "Is there anyone who goes to work out there who DOESN'T want to?"

About half the audience raised their hands. I looked out, "You're all liars."   :P  Of course said very sarcastically.  However, they are indeed lying to themselves.

What was my point?

We all do "what we do" because we WANT TO.  If you go to work... it's because you woke up, got dressed, and made the affirmative decision that you WANTED to go to work. No one forced you into your car or onto the subway... you did it of your own free will!

One can not honestly say as they drive to work, "I do not want to go to work." We as rational self-interested human beings only ever do what we want... based on a complex guide of weighed consequences. When evaluating each action, each thing we do there is a whole list of pro's and con's that are listed in our brains. Then we go through a cost benefit analysis of each possible action and choose the one that "Makes us happiest".

Because we all strive to be happy... we will always choose the thing that makes us happiest. Always.

The consequences of not going to work are far more painful in our minds than the consequences of going to work... and so... we continue to go... willingly.

If we can be honest with ourselves... and if we can clear away emotional interfering perceptions that surround every issue in our lives... then can we empower ourselves with the ability to think outside the box and perhaps even discard less reasonable perceptions. 

The simple fact of understanding why we make decisions the way we do, how we react to situations and people, and the root function of our behavior and decision making processes helps us break free of stereo types, false perceptions, and miscommunication.  It also helps free us from cultural dogma or what is called  "Cultural Norms" that may be rooted in something other than fact or reality.

While we as humans are unable to entirely separate ourselves from our emotions it is something we can learn to harness for powerful Expression and Passion. However, passion is not objective. So, emotion is extremely detrimental to rational thought.  The very emotion that makes us so complex and interesting as humans also shapes our perceived reality.

For example: We've all heard "Give me Freedom or Give me Death." This honestly isn't a rational statement. It is laced with pure passion and conviction. Life for him was nothing without Freedom.

(My emotional status (my box) perceives things the exact same way... I am a FREEDOM FREAK! Emotionally I am unable to stand not being 100% in control of my life. Working At Home (WAH) is a great example of this. My point here is that even I have Box's... and my box is my passion and emotion about WAH and MLM.)

Emotion is a powerful and wonderful part of humanity, yet it also causes us to create mental walls that form our perceptions.

WEBSTER:

emotion n.
1 a) strong feeling; excitement b) a state of consciousness having to do with the arousal of feelings, distinguished from other mental states, as cognition, volition, and awareness of physical sensation
2 any specific feeling; any of various complex reactions with both mental and physical manifestations, as love, hate, fear, anger, etc.

Wikipedia is more clear.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotion

"Emotion is sometimes regarded as the antithesis of reason"

A person falling in love doesn't think clearly... and can't... we humans are horrible messes when it comes to love.

A person who has strong conviction about issues is typically unable to "Discard their Box" and try perceiving reality through a different perspective.

My charge to you and everyone reading this was to throw away their box... to "Discard their Box". Some can do this better than others.

A great man once said, "You can not change someone's opinion until you change their perception." My Father. It's true.

I am only able to change your opinion, through changing your perception first. The only way to do that is to encourage you to remove the emotional and passionate box that surrounds this topic for you... or to get you to discard your box.

Good Luck on your Journey,
Mel Atwood