Creative Re-Visioning

Better Endings, and the new beginnings that generally follow from them, start with creative re-visioning. That is the greatest lesson I have taken away from exploring the principle of Better Endings for this blog and in my life over the past several years.   

Sometimes I refer to the practice of creative re-visioning itself as better-endering, a play on the phrase from Camelot of ‘happily ever-aftering.’  Of course, not all ‘better endings’ are happy ones; rather, they bring benefits of helping people to resolve situations–sometimes deeply buried in past memories but affecting current outlooks or decisions—so they can move forward with greater awareness to move toward a ‘better’ future.

So, what is Re-Visioning? It is a viewpoint we can apply to past, present, or future situations or choices that allows us to look “anew” or with a “fresh pair of lenses” from our most mature and mindful Self.

We can re-vision a past trauma, for instance, to come to a better understanding of how that came about, what we have learned from the experience, and how we can go forward knowing we could handle such a situation differently today.  We can re-vision the present by asking ourselves, have we fallen into any sort of “rut” that is impeding our progress toward our highest goals; if so, how shall we move forward again? We can re-vision the future by looking at where we appear to be headed and asking ourselves, is that where we want to arrive; if not, what specific steps can we take now or in the near foreseeable future that could propel us in a new direction we truly desire to explore.

Here is a practice:

Better Endings Story Seed:
Creative Re-Visioning

Make a list of 3-5 situations from your past that you feel influenced the person you have become either in a positive way or a negative way (please include at least one or more of both).  Then, quietly reflect about, talk with a loved one about, or journal about each of the situations you have listed. What was most helpful about the positive influences? Why or how did the negative situations come about?

Finally, go back in your active imagination to the more challenging situation, bringing your more mature attitude and sense of greater empowerment or free will today with you. What could you do differently or tell your younger self to do differently?  How might that have changed your life? Can you do something today to celebrate AS IF you have resolved that earlier challenge?

images are from pixabay.com

Better Endings to you!

Saturday’s Better Endings: Let’s Keep the Conversation Going!

Since last week, Denise shared her concept of “rewind” (Guest Blog, November 21), an approach that anyone can use to achieve a better ending.  When a couple or any people speak or act unthinkingly  in a way that fosters conflict or a misunderstanding, they can agree to a rewind–start the conversation over–like waliking out of a room then knocking to come back in and start over. This way they can re-vision their interaction more in keeping with a better ending. Lovely!

Brystalite commented on Denise’s idea (she had applied the idea of rewind to road rage), adding a similar approach she calls “pause”.  Brystalite uses Pause to encourage herself to think before she might otherwise react negatively to a provocation, such as another driver behaving badly.

Corinne’s Guest Blog on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28) regards better endings as a spiritual principle: better endings are those that are in harmony with “Divine Order”. Corinne says we can recognize a Better Ending pathway as one that offers ‘least resistance’ to such harmonic behavior (my apology to a pun on your last name, Corinne Harmon!)

This is rich material, all of you. Thanks for sharing your insights!

Let’s keep the conversation going…. I invite all of you following or reading this blog to Comment, to send in your own perspective on Better Endings, and to submit your Better Endings stories on our weekly topic themes. By the way,  tonight is the deadline for your Better Endings story on re-visioning a Movie Better Ending. (You can create a gravatar image to share your photo or graphic id with us by going to Gravatar.com).

You can FOLLOW this blog to receive our daily Better Endings posts for free by email.  I invite you to invite your friends to join our conversation. I hope you will remember to practice daily Better Endings–let us know how that works for you in your life! – Linda

Related articles

• Our First Guest Blog: Road Rage or Better Endings? (betterendingsnow.com)
• New Age Spirituality: Divine Order, not New World Order (goddessdivinewisdom.com)

Live Your Dream, Now! With Better Movie Endings

So have you made your list of movies which endings you would change?  If not, please take a few minutes to participate. Write a list of films you love, except for their endings. Make a note of what you don’t like about the ending and how you would re-vision the ending so it would be more satisfying to you.

Now then, look over your list.  What do these choices of films that  don’t end well by your standards reveal about YOU and specifically about how you view ‘better endings’?

When I review my own list (see the Daily Post for Wednesday, Nov. 27), I see a very clear pattern. I don’t like it when a main character “settles for less”.  I want the protagonist to reach for and achieve their highest human and spiritual potential.  Which is true, of course, for myself as well; I’m always striving to reach the next vista, take the next step in the direction of fulfilling my sense of purpose and adventure.

So ask yourself, what does your list reveal about the sort of Better Endings you seek in your own life? You are welcome to Comment on your insights. And there is still time (deadline Saturday night) to submit your Better Movie Ending story for Story of the Week.

Also simply press the FOLLOW button to receive your daily Better Endings by email!