CREATE

Let’s hit the forward button and fast speed ahead past the ideas of “Imagine” and “Visualize”.  Let’s look at what we can “Create”!

I have an idea…..let’s start with something simple, something easy.  How about if we create a new neighborhood café called Utopia Café?!  That sounds divine!  Let’s create it!!

OK……but first……let’s go back to the beginning of the story.

Once upon a time, in suburbia USA, there was a neighborhood.  And in the neighborhood, there were pretty little houses all clustered around a neighborhood café.  But the neighborhood café was not pretty.  It was small, ugly and old.  It didn’t seem to fit into the pretty little neighborhood with all its’ pretty little people.  The café’s name was…..not surprisingly……Crappy Café!  Wow!  Why would any of these pretty little people in this pretty little neighborhood eat at Crappy Café, you ask?

Well…….because all the pretty little people in the pretty little houses didn’t KNOW that any other type of café could possibly exist.  They only knew what they saw—what they saw for 30 years.  They couldn’t imagine anything differently.  These pretty little people………almost like in a trance……..walked to the neighborhood café every day to grab lunch.  They walked there because it was the closest thing to their homes—otherwise, they had to drive 5 miles away to the nearest restaurant or café.   And in those days, driving was not easy.  Gas prices were very high, roads were congested, the drivers were crazy and lots of the pretty little people would rather walk to Crappy Café then to take their chances on the dangerous roads.  So, all the neighbors continued to patronize the neighborhood café, called Crappy Café.  In the back, deep recesses of their minds, some of the pretty little people began to suspect that Crappy Café did not serve them.  However, since there was no other alternative that they could possibly imagine, they quickly dismissed any thought of a better café.  So, Crappy Café continued to stay in business, with their crappy food, crappy staff, crappy prices and crappy ambiance.

Then, low and behold!  One day, someone imagined, visualized and created a new café!  Imagine that!!  And they called it Utopia Café.  And guess what?  They built it right next door to Crappy Café!  Can you believe that?  The nerve of the owners of Utopia Café!  And even more unbelievable was the risk the new owners of Utopia Café were taking—slapping it right down next to their biggest competitor!  Gosh, how can Utopia Café possibly attract any of the pretty little people in the pretty little houses who knew nothing besides Crappy Café.  Now, as you can imagine, Utopia Café is a lot, lot different than Crappy Café.  In fact, it is the exact opposite.  Utopia Café has utopian food, utopian staff, utopian prices and utopian ambiance.  Imagine that!

So, what happened??  Well, as it turns out, little by little, the pretty little people started to notice this new café that was being built right next door.  And some of them even felt brave enough to check it out.  One such brave soul was a pretty little person named Sally.  Sally lived in one of the pretty little houses right across from Crappy Café.  One day, after watching with amazement and awe, the completion of Utopia Café, Sally sees a sign that says:  “Opening Day Today!  Come join us for lunch.” So, Sally asks her friend Susie if she wants to try out Utopia Café.  “Do you think we should go see what this is all about?  It sure looks strange and nothing like we are use to,” she tells Susie.  “Sure, as leaders in our neighborhood, I think we should investigate it and report back!”  Susie says.  So, Sally and Susie take their first walk to Utopia Café—they are so intrigued and mystified about this new café, that they don’t even see Crappy Café as they walk right past it.  All their attention is focused on Utopia Café.   As they enter Utopia Café, they are filled with joy and bliss and breathe in the atmosphere and aroma of beautiful surroundings and delicious food.  “Wow!!”  They both say in unified delight!  As they sit down at a cute little table with pretty tablecloths and linen napkins, enjoying the soothing music and peaceful atmosphere, they make a decision right then and there that they will never, never go back to Crappy Café.  They declare Utopia Café to be their new neighborhood café and they love it!!!!!  They run home to tell all their friends in the neighborhood their new discovery.  Soon, everybody starts going to Utopia Café and nobody even notices Crappy Café anymore.

About 5 years later, as Sally and Susie are enjoying their tea and biscuits at Utopia Café, Sally says to Susie:  “Susie, do you remember the Crappy Café that used to be next door?”  “Gosh, Sally, now that you mention it, I haven’t thought about it in ages.  I almost forgot about it!”

10 years later:  “Sally, I have a faint, vague memory of another café that used to be in our neighborhood.  But for the life of me, I can’t remember where we used to eat before we started eating at Utopia Café,” says Susie.  Did we use to have a café called Crazy—or Coffee—or Comedy Café???”    “Gosh, Susie, I can’t remember either—but those names don’t sound right.  Oh well, I guess we aren’t supposed to remember.  After all, we have the best café in the whole wide world, right here in our pretty little neighborhood.  Aren’t these biscuits heavenly?!”

AUTHORS NOTE:  As we focus our attention on what serves us, the things that no longer serve us gently fall away.  What no longer serve us, fades from our perceived realities and eventually our memories.  Notice how Sally and Susie just simply walked to a new café and spent their money there.  They did not focus their attention on Crappy Café any longer, once they discovered Utopia Café.  They did not blow up or burn down Crappy Café before settling into their new experience of Utopia Café.  They did not sue the owners or staff of Crappy Café for food poisoning or unfair prices.  They simply walked away from what no longer served them and focused their attention on a new creation that served them.  The old Crappy Café gently fell away from the neighborhood, without any revolution, anarchy or lawsuits!!  Imagine that!!