“Instead of trying to change external people, things, and events, it’s easier and less effort to change our own hearts. And you’ll find that when you change your inner state, the environment will change accordingly—this is what’s called ‘the environment changes with the mind!'”
—Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
When I saw that quote, I thought: look, we can’t change what’s around us, but we can change ourselves. That way, we’re not fighting with the world all the time.For me, “the environment changes with the mind” doesn’t mean you just shut up and take it when things are unfair. It means you shift how you look at things — so that even when life is hard, you can still find some calm and strength inside. Then you can actually face things and try to make them better. That’s not running away. It’s just being clear-headed and tough when things get messy.
Take me for example. I’m a homeroom teacher. Every day it’s one thing after another with the students. It wears you out. But after I changed my mindset, I started seeing it differently. I’m not exhausting myself dealing with problems — I’m using these situations to build my character. And I’m not just running laps with the kids — I’m getting my exercise in. Once I thought that way, the stress and frustration started to lift. Sometimes I even felt kind of happy. That, to me, is what “the environment changes with the mind” really looks like.