If I hear laughter when I’m feeling down, then it’s easy for me to believe that people are laughing at me. When I’m feeling alive and happy, then hearing the same laughter is a totally different experience. I want to laugh as well or make eye contact with the people laughing.
“The map is not the territory” is a succint way of saying this. Our state of mind has a large influence on how we percieve our world. Our “map” of the world is not necessarily what is really out there - the “territory”.
If I’m aware of this, I can start to choose how I interpret the world. It’s up to me what beliefs I have, and some maps are more useful than others.
Seeing challenging experiences as gifts makes it easier to accept them and to be grateful. All too often we come from a place of expectation, and then when we don’t get what we want we get upset or angry.
What is your world like if you start thinking in terms of giving and recieving gifts?