Have you ever played with a tube-shaped instrument that contains mirrors and pieces of coloured glass or paper whose reflections produce changing patterns and images that are viewed through an eyehole when the tube is rotated?
Sound familiar? If so, you would have been looking through a kaleidoscope!
As a youngster I found this to be an endlessly enjoyable activity, and as an adult I still feel the same way about it.
Not only are the images and patterns that appear absolutely beautiful and unique, it also amazes me how a small, simple fraction of a rotation will yield a new and different image.
I think this is a wonderful and useful metaphor to apply to life.
Usually, we are led to believe that it takes a lot of hard work and time to make significant changes. While I don’t deny that time and energy are vital ingredients to a recipe of success in achieving one’s life goals, I also believe that we often make the process harder than it needs to be.
Many people are busy, stressed, and overwhelmed. If making a change is going to take more resources than they currently have, then not only will they avoid it but they will also give up completely.
To me, this is sad, unnecessary, and most of all, it’s contrary to the human spirit.
We are here on this planet, to learn, to grow and to change. Anything that inhibits that innate human drive is contrary to life itself.
While this may sound like inspired or philosophical thinking, it also has immense practical value as well.
In the field of Brain Fitness, a significant part of the teaching and training is devoted to supporting people in making genuine, worthwhile, and effective changes in their personal and professional lives.
With that intention in mind, it’s a constant priority to give participants methods to achieve this. Many of my suggestions are aligned to ‘The Kaleidoscope Effect’ concept.
APPLYING THE KALEIDOSCOPE CONCEPT:
Recently during one of my online courses when we were discussing ways to positively impact the mental health and wellness of the participants of this course, their families, and their clients, I took out my own personal kaleidoscope and discussed the concept of how small changes can yield significant results.
Here are 3 main points that stood out:
- A little can go a long way: In order to build new neural pathways, consistency is key. Therefore, it’s better to implement small and consistent efforts rather than to attempt one big valiant effort that ultimately flatlines. This is because you quickly run out of steam, and the project or goal doesn’t go anywhere.
- Don’t bite off more than you can chew: When it comes to making positive and lasting changes, you need to be able to implement and digest each step completely. This allows you to really internalise and integrate the changes into your system, so that they become part of you and your foundation. In other words, you can’t just go through the motions, or skip steps or stages. You must be realistic about what you can absorb and stay true to that.
- Treat the process as a journey, not a destination: Each time we rotate the kaleidoscope, a new and wonderful image appears for us to enjoy. If we keep rotating the lens, more patterns will present. With a kaleidoscope it’s easy to see and appreciate each new image with each turn of the dial. However, with life, each time we take a step, we don’t always see obvious changes. Instead, we need to rely on our belief that something is happening and to learn to enjoy the process of taking responsibility, being intentional and purposeful about our efforts, and not keep looking for the final result.
ANOTHER KALEIDOSCOPE EFFECT
In case you decide to research the Kaleidoscope Effect concept, which is, as far as I know, a term that I created as it relates to the purposes of the above metaphor. However, from a scientific standpoint, you will find another meaning all together.
Recently, people of Bangalore, a city in southern India, observed a bright rainbow ring around the sun for a few seconds. This is considered to be a rare optical and atmospheric phenomenon, termed as “Kaleidoscopic Effect” and also known as a “22-degree circular halo”.
This 22-degree circular halo is observed around sun (winter halo) and occasionally around the Moon (moon ring). It is visible when viewed from a 90-degree angle, just like a rainbow. It is often seen with colors of the spectrum, and sometimes it appears just white.
This special phenomenon occurs when rays from sun or moon get refracted through hexagonal ice crystals present in cirrus clouds which are thin, detached, hair-like clouds formed in the atmosphere at a height of 20,000 feet.
Doesn’t this sound special?
While this occurrence is rare (and something most people will never see), there is an opportunity for each of us to apply the Kaleidoscope metaphor to our individual lives and to enjoy the multitude of positive changes and effects that it creates, one meaningful rotation at a time…
To Your Fit Brain & Fit Life,
Jill