We experience the world surrounding us through our senses and the filter of our personal history- During our life time we collect conclusions and beliefs based on our past experiences and their outcomes. These conclusions create our belief system, our outlook on life and mold how we react to reality.
We experience our reality through the filter of our own personal history, creating automatic responses that distort our ability to see things as they really are. We experience everything in life through the filter of our own personal history. From the moment we are born, we collect knowledge, beliefs, conclusions, abilities and a self image that influence our perception of reality. These are not created consciously, rather an automatic way to control our present without paying attention if our reaction is at all relevant to the situation at hand.
Shifting our attention to 'what is' rather than 'what was' is a physical experience that demands our intension and will power. Our attention is caught in our past. From childhood experiences up to events that happened a few seconds ago. These experiences are molded in our body, creating our belief system, our knowledge, our automatic reactions, our way of thinking, our way of expression and there for our reality. In order to gain more personal freedom we must be willing to let go of the things we wanted in the past that are no longer relevant and allow ourselves to shift our will to the things we wish for today.
We focus our attention to the past in order to create a sense of control and security, as we have overcome things in the past, we can do so now as well. The past is intangible. It is only present in our scars, our memories and our ideas. There is no way to change the past. Humans make a lot of effort to make sense and rearrange the past in order for it to make sense, but it can't succeed. Our past is more comfortable for us to deal with than the present, as we already know we've survived it, this gives us a sense of control and that everything will be ok, the proof being that I am here.
We perceive ourselves through the self image we've created in the past (near or far), creating a cycle that constantly reassures itself. We have a strong image and a strong idea of what we know about ourselves. We already know from our past experience who we are and what we can or can't do. We are defined by an idea we have of ourselves in our mind. This creates a repetitive cycle were we act the way we're used to, and reality fits into this idea only making it stronger. For example, if I believe I am not attractive because of things that were told to me as a child, I keep this belief even when I grow older and have changed physically. The self image I have of myself reflects to the world around me, so I keep experiencing myself as unattractive and so do my surroundings. My beliefs continuously create the same outcomes and conclusions.
Being able to stop the automatic way of being, allows us to see what really is in the present. If we are able to physically drop our automatic reactions, self image and beliefs, we will be closer to experiencing every new thing that happens for what it really is. Each moment then can be exciting, fresh and intriguing; we don't know its outcome and can't tell how it will affect our life. In order to stop this automatic way of reliving our past, we must wish for it, have the motivation to experience reality as it really is and bring our will, energy and attention to stopping the way we observe our life