The Power of Perspective: How Our Inner Dialogue Shapes Our Reality

Our minds have an amazing influence on how we see our lives and the world around us. Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in certain thoughts or beliefs that we see them as absolute truths. But our inner dialogue—what we tell ourselves—can shape our reality in powerful ways. This idea goes way back, all the way to the story of creation in the Bible, where we learn about choice, perspective, and how inner thoughts guide us.

I am Jewish, but I am not religious. Yet I want to share a story from the beginning of the Torah that I think demonstrates this idea perfectly. While Jewish people recently celebrated the New Year, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah, we now start the Torah reading cycle again, beginning with the creation story. In this story, God places Adam in the Garden of Eden and presents him with a world of abundance. Genesis 2:16-17 states:

“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat.’”

Here, God begins by emphasizing the vast freedom and choices available to Adam—the many trees he may enjoy and eat from. Only after highlighting all that is good and available does God mention the single tree to avoid. However, when Adam later passes this message to Eve, he starts by emphasizing the restriction, shifting the focus from abundance to limitation. This subtle change in perspective ultimately affects their choices and leads to the story’s well-known outcome. The story reminds us that what we choose to focus on—what we tell ourselves—can shape how we experience life.

How Inner Dialogue Shapes Reality

This lesson still applies today. How often do we focus on what we can’t do instead of what we can? Just like in the story of Adam and Eve, we also let our inner dialogue limit us by focusing on fears, insecurities, or boundaries that might not even be real. If we instead focused on abundance and possibility, we could experience life in a very different way.

Science backs up the idea that our thoughts affect both our emotional and physical states. Dr. Lipton B, in The Biology of Belief, found that our beliefs can influence how our cells function, meaning our thoughts have real, physical effects on our bodies. Similarly, Dr. Joe Dispenza’s Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself explains that repeated thought patterns create neural pathways, shaping our habits and perceptions. He shows that by changing our thoughts, we can “reprogram” our reality.

Choosing a Mindset of Abundance

As we start the Torah from the beginning again, we also have a chance to refresh our inner dialogue. Are we focusing on abundance, or are we zeroing in on perceived limitations? Just as the Torah begins new, we can reset our own mindset, choosing thoughts that encourage growth, gratitude, and freedom.

Let’s remember that our inner dialogue holds real power. The things we repeatedly tell ourselves become the way we see our lives. Each day, we have the choice to approach life with curiosity and appreciation, focusing on all that’s possible rather than on what’s restricted. Like in the story of creation, this choice opens us up to a life that feels richer and more full. *Cover Photo: Generated by Ideogram