In this episode of the Open Your Eyes podcast, McKay talks about being a light not only in your own life, but in the lives of others as well. He opens up the episode with a story which exemplifies finding a light in someone else involving a midwife named Joanna and the message she received from her dead grandmother in a hospital room. McKay then goes on to alert us to the fact that we can all be lights, but it requires a special attention to positivity and the thoughts we allow ourselves to verbalize. 

As a PhD student, McKay studied the power of belief windows, and he found that those who had positive, optimistic mindsets were the ones that were first in accomplishing their personal goals - and that belief is infectious. Surrounding yourself with negative thoughts, speech, or people only serves to drag you down, and that’s why it becomes all the more important to regulate your time. Ensuring that you do at least one thing that you love per day is a surefire way to bring more contentment into your life and, by extension, the lives of those around you, too. McKay draws this episode to a close by talking about the importance of being a light for others. When you find and anchor yourself to a source of light, it becomes all the more clear who you are meant to be and how to help others find themselves as well.

The Finer Details of This Episode:

• The story of Joanna the midwife
• Light vs. darkness
• 2002 Singapore Airlines fatal takeoff
• Belief windows
• Why belief is infectious
• Disney’s acquisition of Pixar
• Verbalizing negativity
• Doing what you love
• Being a light for others

Quotes:

“Her friends thought she was foolish to give away money to the homeless because they would often use it to buy alcohol. But grandma simply said that she did what God would want her to do.”

“I've met people who are filled with light and I've met people who are not filled with light, and there is a distinct and discernible difference. And some of you may even be able to recall times in your life when you've been filled with more light than at other times.”

“Light and darkness cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Light dispels darkness. And when light is present, darkness is vanquished and must depart.”

“Your belief window is how you choose to perceive the world around you. And we perceive the world through our beliefs like colored glasses that we wear without knowing it. We approach each day guided largely by these beliefs.”

“A few pros are more powerful than even dozens of cons. That's what it means to be believing, to see the good in people, in things, in life, in yourself.”

“What we talk about sets our intention. You know when we vocalize our loves, for whatever reason, they stay with us, and they stay with those around us.”

“You and I can exert our influence for good in the lives of those around us. Our actions, words, thoughts and light can positively affect other people.”

“We all need a little light from good people around us. And like Mary, with a fresh perspective, we can leave the dark behind in our life and become more light-filled, and no longer hide our light, but share it with others.”

Links:

Open Your Eyes with McKay Christensen