Below, is a short, thought-provoking essay that explores differing perspectives of how the external world may be a reflection of our internal world.  In other words, to create change, we must first look within ourselves.

The External Reflects the Internal

There is a simple method to check upon your progress.  Despite what appears to be going on in the world around you, how loving and harmonious are your personal relationships?  Do you look at others and think about how you would like to change them?  Or do you love them and accept them as they are?

Do you look at a person and concentrate, to a greater or lesser extent, upon the things that you dislike about them and wish they would change, or the qualities that you like and admire about them?  You get back what you send out.  So when you send out the thought "Why is she so hard to live with?" or "Why is he always behaving like this?" ask yourself, what exactly are you doing?

Now focus here, as this is so obvious you could miss it.  And in fact, most do.  Take away the question from your sentence and essentially you are saying:  "She is hard to live with" and "He is always behaving like this".  Do you see what you are doing?  You have just created the behavior in that person that you wish to change simply because you do not understand the law of radiation and attraction.

Now try and experiment:  Take someone in your life that you love, but sometimes have trouble getting along with.  Think about the thoughts you have projected about that person - the negative thoughts.  Ask yourself, does the behavior that you do not like in that person in any way correspond to the thoughts you've been having about them?  If you're honest with yourself, it's a strong bet that it does.

Sure, they must have behaved that way in the first place to make you notice that you didn't like it, but we all have off days sometimes.  The more you focus on that behavior, the more you are going to see it.  It's just life doing what it does and conforming to your expectations about the way it will be for you.  Now having recognized this, what can you do about it?

Simply notice your negative thoughts as they arise.  literally "catch yourself" as you are having them.  And then change your perspective.  Focus instead on the things you like about this person: how you love their smile, the sound of their happy laughter; the way they do such and such nice things, how helpful and loving they can be.  Keep putting those positive thoughts out.  Persevere, as you may have a bit of negative work to undo, but just keep catching yourself and focusing on the positive.  Then prepare yourself for an almost magical transformation of your circumstances.

Always monitor your thoughts and pay attention to their quality, because what you think about is directly related to what you will see around you, and what life will show you.  That is the difference between conscious and subconscious creation.