Somewhere along the way, somebody decided that certain things were simply the way life worked. Careers were supposed to follow predictable paths, success was supposed to arrive at an acceptable age, and respectable people were expected to make sensible decisions. Apparently, somebody forgot to tell the Universe that the rules had already been written! Consider how many remarkable advances in human history began with someone asking a disruptive question: “Who decided THAT was the only way?” Every convention began as somebody’s idea, and every idea remains available for reconsideration. It’s very liberating to step into the realization that yesterday’s conventional wisdom does not automatically deserve a lifetime appointment as tomorrow’s truth!
Dr. Ernest Holmes wrote, “Principle is not bound by precedent.” Now THAT’s a statement worth examining! Spiritual Principle operates according to its own nature, while human customs and expectations are continually evolving. A longstanding tradition may hold considerable wisdom or an established method may serve beautifully. Yet consciousness possesses the extraordinary capacity to evaluate, reconsider, and introduce something different. The question becomes whether a particular rule serves the experience we intend to create. Creative Intelligence provides the principle, and consciousness determines the direction in which that principle is applied. Imagine approaching a familiar challenge with the expectation that an entirely different solution is already available for discovery!
Consider the fascinating story of Dick Fosbury, the American high jumper who transformed his sport during the 1968 Olympics. At a time when competitors typically cleared the bar facing downward or using a straddle technique, Fosbury developed an approach that looked downright ridiculous to traditional observers. He ran toward the bar, turned his back, and sailed over it headfirst! His unconventional technique earned him an Olympic gold medal and eventually revolutionized competitive high jumping. Imagine the conversations before that happened! “Dick, everybody knows you’re supposed to face the bar!” Apparently, nobody thought to ask whether the bar cared which direction he was facing! Fosbury demonstrated something profoundly practical: A different approach can produce an extraordinary result when someone is willing to question an assumption that everybody else has accepted.
Paul Selig teaches that the way we perceive and identify with our experience influences what we claim as possible. His perspective invites us to examine the authority we give to familiar conclusions. A statement repeated for decades may sound convincing simply because it has become familiar. Yet familiarity and spiritual truth are two entirely different things! Toni Morrison wrote, “Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined.” Some individuals accept inherited definitions of achievement, prosperity, relationships, or aging without ever examining whether those definitions deserve their agreement. Conscious living invites a more deliberate response. We can honor useful wisdom while exercising the creative authority to establish expectations that support the experiences we intend to bring into form.
Every meaningful change begins somewhere, often with a decision that appears quite ordinary at first. A different conversation, a fresh approach to an old problem, or the courage to propose something that makes the committee clutch its pearls! The Creative Process responds to consciousness expressed in thought, conviction, and corresponding action. The future takes shape through the ideas we are willing to entertain today and the actions we are willing to take because of them. The next time somebody declares, “Well, that’s just the way it’s always been done,” smile, appreciate the history lesson, and remember that history is still being written. And YOU have a pen!
