I recently completed an author interview for Smashwords, my e-book distributor (click here to read the full interview). One of the questions I answered was about what I would say to critics who accuse my writing of being idealistic and naive. In the interview I admitted that those critics were probably correct! My writing is intended to uplift the spirits; to celebrate the mysteries and wonder of life and to offer a more heart-connected way of seeing the world. However, the question got me thinking about the choice of being either a cynic or an idealist (or a so-called realist) and why we choose what we do.

I've heard it said that if you scratch the surface of any cynic, you will find a disappointed idealist.  I think that's true. Cynicism is the obvious choice when confronted with the realities of life. And yet, still I choose to be an idealist. I've been thinking about why that is. I’m certainly no starry-eyed Pollyanna. I’ve been trained as a scientist to think rationally and logically; I’ve done the MBA, worked as an executive in a multi-national corporate, travelled extensively and lived in big cities. So I really have been exposed to enough of the harsh realities of life to know, from first-hand experience, all about how fear can cause us to become cynical and negative. How fear closes us off to the beauty all around us. How fear severs our connection with Nature, with others and with ourselves. The fear for our safety, the fear of lack, the fear of losing what we have, the fear of being taken advantage of, the fear of not being "good enough", the fear of being discovered to be a fraud…

Our fear is fed by the daily bombardment of bad news in the media that we so unthinkingly consume. There is often so much negativity in our own lives and in the lives of those with whom we come into contact. Life can sometimes be heartbreakingly painful and challenging in the extreme. So much so that we experience ourselves as being victims to life; victims to our own fears. And then it seems as if the only choice we have; the only choice that will protect us and "keep us safe" is to become cynical and world-weary and negative and to engage with others in this way. And so we unwittingly perpetuate and propagate this world-view.

But I have discovered that we actually do have a choice as to how we will view life. I choose to see the beauty and magic and wonder of the world around me not because I’m stupid or blind to the realities of life. It’s rather because I choose to be an "idealist without illusions", as suggested by John F Kennedy. I choose this because I know that we create our reality through our choices: what we choose to believe, where we choose to focus our attention, the situations, people, objects and media we choose to engage with… These are the choices that manifest in our every-day experience of reality.

I don’t have to live my life according to the dictates of the world. I can find my own inner truth-compass and chart my own path through life. I don’t have to let my ego-mind run the show; I can connect with my heart to find my own authentic path. And, since I have started doing this, my life has become ever more connected, ever more beautiful and meaningful and… yes… happy! I find that I truly do create my reality through the choices I make.

So, I invite you to make the choice to relinquish the heavy burden of your own life for a short while. Choose to focus your attention on something beautiful and magical and heart-connected. You don’t have to keep focusing on the sadness and the ugliness and the negativity. They’re not going anywhere and they don’t require your immediate attention! Try… and then see if your life doesn’t immediately start to improve.

To this end, I offer my free e-book as a little holiday from the cares and worries of life! Immerse yourself in the entertaining, heart-connected and spiritually revitalising stories in my book.
Allow yourself to reconnect with your inner-child.
Be touched by the enchanting magic of The Green Lady.