Yesterday, a friend asked me to meet her for lunch at a local restaurant. I’d met another friend there a few days before, so it was my second visit in less than a week. The first time, there had only been a few customers, but I figured it was just because of the time of day. Yesterday, however, it was noon, and the large establishment was virtually empty, so clearly, something was up.
On my first visit, I’d noticed that they had a speaker over the front door, blaring music loudly. The overbearing volume was unpleasant enough—you certainly couldn’t talk over and it made me want to get away as fast as possible—but worse, there was a short in the system. Every two or three seconds, a static pause interrupted the loud roar, giving off a choppy unsettling and annoying feeling. Inside, the volume wasn’t as loud, but it was still the same inconsistent delivery. No one seemed to notice, and, after I got involved in my conversation, neither did I.
Yesterday, however, I noticed—in a big way. My friend was running a few minutes late so I decided to sit in the patio area and enjoy the beautiful day. That lasted maybe two minutes—maybe—because I just couldn’t stand the noise. Yes, I could have taken a few moments and worked to tune it out, but I just didn’t want to—it didn’t feel good. Tuning out loud music is one thing, tuning out loud music interrupted by broken static is another, and I just didn’t want to deal with it.
Obviously, there was a short in the system somewhere, and probably not just the sound system either since inside the staff seemed to be struggling too. It took a long time to get our food—longer still for a man who was waiting when we sat down. They just couldn’t seem to get things going smoothly or consistently.
Hmmm.
Even if we don’t realize it consciously, we are affected by our environment. Even though something has become “normal” and we don’t notice it, it’s still affecting us.
So, start noticing what’s really going on in your world. Start listening to the “noise” around you. What is your subconscious mind hearing that you don’t realize? Are you surrounded by smooth, supportive, enriching music, or is your world filled with chaotic negative chatter that leaves you feeling down, angry or just plain “off”? Whichever it is, that’s the same vibe that you’re sending out—you have to be otherwise you couldn’t tolerate what you’re living in.
I don’t want to go back to that restaurant again—ever—it wasn’t comfortable for me and I didn’t enjoy it. It’s the same with people. When you interact with someone and come away feeling bad, you generally don’t want to repeat the experience.
How about you? Are the experiences you’re getting the ones you really want?
Take a look at who and what surrounds you. What “vibes” do you get from each of them? What vibes do you send out?
Something to think about!
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Paula Renaye is an empowerment coach, transformational speaker and award-winning author of the highly acclaimed new self-improvement book, Living the Life You Love: The No-Nonsense Guide to Total Transformation. Visit www.paularenaye.com for more personal development articles and self-help tips.
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