Ep 69 Parallel Realities: How to Tell If You're Living in the Wrong Reality

Description:
What if the life you're living right now isn't the only version of your reality? What if there are infinite versions of you, each making different choices and experiencing different outcomes? And what if the only thing keeping you from stepping into a better version of yourself is… you?

In this thought-provoking episode, Lori explores the concept of parallel realities and how shifting your perspective could lead to an entirely new life. Inspired by Frederick Dodson’s book Parallel Universes of Self, she breaks down how your identity acts like a radio tuner, locking you into a specific reality, until you learn how to change the station.

Episode Highlights:

 ✔️ The mind-blowing concept of parallel realities and why you're not as "fixed" as you think
 ✔️ How your beliefs and expectations shape the reality you experience
 ✔️ The radio tuner analogy; why shifting your identity shifts your world
 ✔️ Why most people unknowingly keep themselves locked in the same patterns
 ✔️ How one small decision can change the course of your life
 ✔️ A powerful 24-hour challenge to start rewiring your identity today

The version of you who has everything you want isn’t a distant dream, it’s a choice. And that choice is available to you right now. No waiting, no proving, no earning your way there.

Decide who you are. Act from that place. Refuse to negotiate with your past self and reality will catch up. It always does.

Resources Mentioned:

Parallel Universes of Self - by Frederick E. Dodsone

Thank you for sharing your time with me and remember to show up in your life like the masterpiece you are because YOU are the ARTwork!!!

Please subscribe and leave a 5 Star Review.

Have a fabulous day!

Learn more and follow along with Lori at:

30 Days of Success Free Journal: https://www.theartworkofyou.com/registration

Website: https://www.TheARTworkofYOU.com

Website: https://www.lorigouhin.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartworkofyou/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorigouhin/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/facebook.com/lori.gouhin

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/linkedin.com/lori-gouhin/

Grab your FREE Daily Accountability Journal
https://www.theartworkofyou.com/registration

Transcript

 [00:00:00] Lori Gouhin:What if reality isn't proof? It's just feedback. The world is reflecting back to you the version of you that you are choosing to be. And the second you shift how you see yourself, the external world starts shifting in response.

[00:00:30] Lori Gouhin: Hello, my friends. I am so glad that you are here with me today because today I want to talk about parallel realities and the idea that what if I told you that the life you're living right now isn't the only version of your life. And that there are other versions of you, right now, experiencing completely different outcomes, making different choices, and living with entirely different possibilities.

[00:01:30] Lori Gouhin: And what if the only thing keeping you from stepping into one of those realities is you? I know that most of us walk around thinking of ourselves as a single, solid person, right? Because You're just you, you have a history, a set of experiences, you have preferences, habits, this is who you are. But what if you are actually a spectrum of possibilities?

[00:01:58] Lori Gouhin: What if reality isn't something that happens to you, but something you tune into? based on the version of yourself you're currently aligned with. The idea for this episode comes from several recent conversations that I've had with friends, with clients, and from ideas from one of my favorite books. It's called Parallel Universes of Self, and it's by Frederick Dodson.

[00:02:22] Lori Gouhin: But instead of just summarizing the book, I want to talk about the concepts in the book that will truly make you think. Wait, what? Why has no one ever explained it like this before? And I'm going to share how you can shift from one version of yourself to another, why most people unknowingly keep themselves locked into the same identity, and how you can consciously step into an entirely different version of your reality.

[00:02:48] Lori Gouhin: starting right now. So if you've ever had that feeling that there's another version of you out there somewhere, one who is more confident, maybe more creative, more successful, or more in alignment with what you really want. I think you'll get a lot out of this episode because that version of you already exists.

[00:03:06] Lori Gouhin: The only question is, are you ready to step into it? You see, most people we've been conditioned, right? To see reality as something external, something that happens to us. You wake up in the same bed, in the same house, dealing with the same responsibilities, the same habits. Have the same personality traits almost as if life is this fixed thing that just continues on autopilot But again, what if it's not what if the only reason your reality feels fixed is because you expect it to be From a young age, we are trained to think that the world is this stable, objective place.

[00:03:44] Lori Gouhin: This is who you are. This is your personality. These are your strengths, your weaknesses, your preferences. And once those beliefs solidify, they become the foundation for your experience in life. But if we zoom out for a second, think about it. If reality were truly fixed, wouldn't everyone experience basically the same thing?

[00:04:05] Lori Gouhin: But we don't. Two people can be standing in the same place, at the same time, and have completely different experiences of that moment. One person is excited, inspired, seeing opportunities, and the other feels stuck, drained, convinced that nothing's working out. It's the same external world. And that's because reality isn't one thing, it's a spectrum of possibilities and the version of reality that you experience is entirely dependent on what you expect, what you believe, and it reinforces every single day.

[00:04:41] Lori Gouhin: I know that this is probably an overused example, but it really does illustrate the point. Your mind is like a radio tuner. There are infinite stations playing simultaneously. Stations where you're thriving, where you're struggling, where you're wildly successful, or where you're stuck in the same patterns.

[00:05:00] Lori Gouhin: They all exist at the same time. But you can only hear the station that you're tuned into. And most people believe that in order to change the reality, they have to go out into the world and force things to be different. But that's like someone hearing static on the radio and trying to physically fix the radio instead of just turning the dial to a different station.

[00:05:22] Lori Gouhin: So reality is more like feedback, not fact, and this is where people get stuck because they assume that their external world is proof of who they are. Again, this is just how things are. It's my personality. This is my reality. But what if reality isn't proof? It's just feedback. For example, if someone sees themselves.

[00:05:43] Lori Gouhin: As socially awkward, and they believe it's so, so they behave in ways that will reinforce it. Maybe they avoid eye contact, keeping conversation short. Maybe they overthink interactions. and then when people don't engage with them as much, they take that as proof that they're awkward.

[00:06:02] Lori Gouhin: But is it proof, or is it simply feedback based on the version of themselves that they are embodying? The world is reflecting back to you, the version of you that you are choosing to be. And the second you shift how you see yourself, the external world starts shifting in response. And I understand you might be thinking, but my reality, it feels real.

[00:06:26] Lori Gouhin: It doesn't feel like something I can just shift in an instant.  And that's because we've been conditioned to see time as linear, to believe that the present is simply the result of the past. But here's a question for you. What if the past doesn't actually cause the present? What if the present moment is a fresh, Untapped field of possibilities, and it's only your memory of the past that makes it feel like things can't change.

[00:06:53] Lori Gouhin: Think about it. The you from five years ago is already a completely different person. you have different thoughts, different priorities, maybe even a different way of seeing the world. And yet in any given moment, you could have made one decision differently, and that would have led to an entirely [00:07:10] different outcome.

[00:07:11] Lori Gouhin: recently, I was speaking to my daughter's best friend. We were having a conversation and Before we hung up the phone She said to me I'm grateful for you and the choices that you've made in life because of how it's affected my life And it nearly I did bring me to tears. I was like what and She said the choice that you made Twenty years ago to move from Pennsylvania to South Carolina affected my life because she's become like another daughter to me.

[00:07:41] Lori Gouhin: She's a very close member of our family. But that's what I mean. At any time you can make one choice that not only affects your life differently, but it has a ripple effect on other people's lives as well. And so back to, you know, five years, you being a different person, what if I told you that you don't need five years for that kind of change?

[00:08:00] Lori Gouhin: What if the only thing. That's keeping you locked into this version of yourself is the belief that you are this version of yourself. And so if reality isn't fixed, if it's something we're constantly generating and tuning into, how do we start shifting? I would say that step one is recognizing that your identity is not permanent.

[00:08:19] Lori Gouhin: It's just a habit. If you've always thought of yourself in a certain way, it's not because it's true. It's because it's familiar. And familiarity feels real, but just because something is familiar, it doesn't mean it's fixed. So over the next 24 hours, I want you to catch yourself when you say things like this, I always do this, or that's just how I am, or this always happens to me.

[00:08:42] Lori Gouhin: Every time you do pause, ask yourself, is this true? Or is this just the version of myself that I've been reinforcing? Because the moment you recognize that you are not locked into this version of yourself, that's the moment real change becomes possible. Your identity is a filter. Like a set of rules that you've unconsciously agreed to that dictate what's possible for you.

[00:09:07] Lori Gouhin: If you take two people and one sees themselves as someone who always figures things out, no matter what. And the other believes that life is a constant struggle. Give them the same problem, the same resources, the same opportunity, and they will experience completely different realities, not because of the external circumstances, but because of who they believe they are.

[00:09:29] Lori Gouhin: Identity is like the invisible blueprint that reality organizes itself around. And until you change your identity, you're really just Rearranging furniture in the same house, so to speak. All right, so if identity is the blueprint, then frequency is the signal you're broadcasting. Your frequency is the sum of your dominant thoughts, your emotions, and expectations.

[00:09:54] Lori Gouhin: Kind of like a tuning fork. Whatever note you're vibrating at is what you resonate with in the world. And I'm sure you've noticed that if you're in a bad mood, everything seems to reinforce it. Even a simple comment from someone can be irritating or a minor inconvenience feels like the universe is against you.

[00:10:12] Lori Gouhin: But when you're in a great mood, things just seem to flow and that's not a coincidence. That's your frequency in action. The world isn't just happening. It's responding to what you're tuned into and the frustrating part is that most people try to fix their circumstance Instead of shifting their frequency because remember circumstances are always neutral.

[00:10:34] Lori Gouhin: They're not good and they're not bad and that the shift doesn't happen out there. It happens in the internal broadcast that you are sending out. And one of the biggest reasons people stay stuck is because they keep arguing for the version of themselves that they claim they want to change. Think about it.

[00:10:52] Lori Gouhin: You say you want to be more confident, but then you reinforce. I've just never been a confident person, or you say you want to grow your business, but then you tell yourself, I don't know how to market. You want better relationships, but you reinforce, I'm just not great at making connections. Your brain will always work to make sure reality matches what you believe about yourself.

[00:11:16] Lori Gouhin: So in essence, the only thing keeping you locked into the same version of yourself is your commitment to believing. That that's who you are. So how do you actually shift? Because I know, again, that someone's thinking, Okay, I get it. But I can't pretend to be someone I'm not. And I agree. This is not about faking anything.

[00:11:35] Lori Gouhin: It's about stepping into what's already true. And it's just that you haven't fully claimed it yet. Here's a little experiment. Imagine for a second that you woke up tomorrow with amnesia. No memory of who you were, no baggage from the past, experiences, just a fresh start. And someone hands you a piece of paper and says, Here's who you are. And on that paper, it describes the exact version of yourself you've always wanted to be. Confident, disciplined, creative, successful. And because you don't remember otherwise, you just become that person. There's no hesitation. No second guessing.

[00:12:12] Lori Gouhin: You just assume that's who you are. It might sound crazy, But you already have access to that version of yourself. You just keep referencing the past as proof that it's not real. And reality rewards bold shifts, not hesitation. And the majority of people make small, hesitant shifts because they're waiting for proof before they commit.

[00:12:37] Lori Gouhin: But reality does not work that way. The shift has to happen first, internally, before the external world. will follow. So here's what I want you to do. Over the next few days, start paying attention to every time you reference the old version of yourself. Every time you say something like, I always do this, or this always happens to me, instead ask yourself, what would the version of me who already has what I want believe instead?

[00:13:06] Lori Gouhin: and then without hesitation start acting from that place, not later, not when you feel ready. Right then because remember the version of you who has what you want is not in the future They already exist The only thing left is for you to start making choices from their perspective Not your past one and I know that The belief is that change takes time, that confidence and success or whatever it is that you want have to be earned over years of effort, but change only feels slow because most people are negotiating with their old self along the way.

[00:13:45] Lori Gouhin: 

when someone wants to become more confident, instead of simply [00:13:50] deciding that they're a confident person now, they kind of dip their toe in while still keeping the other foot in their old identity. They test the confidence instead of embodying it and because they still hold on to the belief that they're not really a confident person.

[00:14:05] Lori Gouhin: Reality will keep reflecting that back to them. And one of the most powerful things that Frederick Dodson. talks about in the parallel universes of self is that the version of you who already has what you want exists right now. Again, not in the future, not as a distant goal. Right now. And your job is not to become them. It's to choose them. Think of identity shifts like changing characters in a video game. You do not have to level up years before you select a different character. You just switch. But in life we get stuck because we think we have to build up to this new self instead of simply just adopting their perspective right now.

[00:14:47] Lori Gouhin: So ask yourself, if you could choose any version of yourself to be right now, who would it be? How would that version of you think and act and move through the world? And the fastest way to shift is to start acting as if, but not in the way you think. So don't roll your eyes at the phrase, act as if, because I'm not talking about faking it.

[00:15:08] Lori Gouhin: I'm talking about. It's about embodying the version of yourself who already exists in a parallel reality. The one who is already confident, disciplined, creative, again, all the things that you want to be. And a lot of people misunderstand this concept. They think it means forcing behaviors or pretending to be something they're not, but it's not about pretending.

[00:15:31] Lori Gouhin: It's about identifying the version of you who Already exists in making choices from that place. Here's the difference.

[00:15:40] Lori Gouhin: If you were just acting successful, you'd be faking it, hoping the world would eventually believe you. But if you were already that person, you would not need external validation. You'd naturally make different decisions because you know who you are. let's go back to that previous example. To reinforce this idea.

[00:16:00] Lori Gouhin: Imagine waking up tomorrow and completely forgetting who you were. But you're handed a piece of paper that says you're incredibly bold and a creative person. You take risks. You speak with certainty. You execute ideas without hesitation. If you truly believed that was who you were, how differently would you act?

[00:16:21] Lori Gouhin: That's not acting as if. That's stepping into an identity that's already available to you. Now, I want you to know that the moment you do start shifting into this new version of yourself, reality will definitely test you, but not because the universe is against you, but because your subconscious wants to pull you back into what's familiar.

[00:16:43] Lori Gouhin: You'll step into confidence and suddenly someone will question you, or you'll start seeing yourself as successful and an unexpected obstacle will show up. And in that moment, most people retreat. They see it as quote unquote proof that they were wrong to shift or that this isn't working. But that's the moment to really double down because these tests are not signs to stop.

[00:17:06] Lori Gouhin: They're signs that reality is rearranging itself around your new identity. And if you hold steady, if you refuse to revert back to the old self, things will start to move in your favor in ways that you never expected. But only if you stay the course. If you show up as someone who is still negotiating with your old self, the world will mirror hesitation back to you.

[00:17:31] Lori Gouhin: But if you show up fully, owning your new identity, reality has no choice but to reflect that back. Remember, reality follows you. It's not the other way around. Think about a time in your life in a single moment that everything changed, maybe it was something like you realized you were done tolerating something in your life, like a toxic relationship or a job that you hated or an old pattern you refuse to repeat.

[00:17:59] Lori Gouhin: And in that moment, you weren't. Quote unquote, working toward change. You just became someone who no longer accepted that version of reality. Or maybe you remember a time when you suddenly saw yourself differently. Maybe it was a single conversation or an experience or an insight that just kind of clicked something into place for you and from that moment on.

[00:18:22] Lori Gouhin: You never thought about it the same way again. That's a quantum jump. It's not slow It's immediate and it's very powerful And so the real question is if you've already made instant identity shifts before What's stopping you from doing it on purpose right now? Here's a quick exercise that'll help you get started I would say step number one, identify the version of you that already exists.

[00:18:48] Lori Gouhin: ask yourself, if I woke up today as the version of me who already has what I want, how would I think? Act and move through the world. Don't filter your answers. Don't worry about how you'll get there. Just define who that version of you already is. Step two, stop acting like the old you, even a little bit.

[00:19:10] Lori Gouhin: Stop checking back in with your old self. Don't wonder, am I doing this right? Is it working? Because the second you do that, you're reinforcing your old self. The key is to fully step into the new identity with no exit strategy, no checking back, no looking for confirmation, just committing. What is that expression?

[00:19:31] Lori Gouhin: Something like burn the boats. And step three, make one immediate Irreversible action from your new identity because action will solidify this identity. If you want to lock in a quantum jump, you need to take action right now that your old self wouldn't take. Not tomorrow, not next week, but right now, whatever it is, the action needs to be immediate and it needs to be something that signals to your brain.

[00:20:01] Lori Gouhin: This is who I am now. The moment you fully step into this new identity, reality will start shifting. People will react differently and opportunities will start aligning and you'll notice synchronicities that weren't there before. But again, keep in mind, your old self will try to pull you back. It'll try to convince you that this isn't really you, that you're just pretending and that you need to be more realistic.

[00:20:28] Lori Gouhin: And in that moment, you [00:20:30] have a choice. Do you revert back to the old self? Or do you double down and hold that shift? If you hold steady, I'm telling you, reality will adjust. It has to, because the external world is always a reflection of the version of you that you're choosing to be. Don't be pulled back by your past memories.

[00:20:53] Lori Gouhin: Your past is a script you keep re reading, convincing yourself that it's still who you are. And the more you reference it, the harder it becomes to fully step into a different reality. Most people assume their memory is a neutral archive of their past. This is what happened. These are the experiences that shaped me.

[00:21:13] Lori Gouhin: This is who I've always been. But memory isn't a record. It's a filter. You don't remember everything. You remember what reinforces your identity. Think about it. Have you ever had a conversation with someone where they remembered an event completely different than you? Same situation, two different interpretations.

[00:21:33] Lori Gouhin: Why? Because memory isn't about facts. It's about perspective. And that perspective is shaped by the version of yourself you were at that time. And it matters because if you keep reverencing your past as proof of what's possible for you, you will never shift because the past can only reflect who you were, not who you are becoming.

[00:21:56] Lori Gouhin: And the worst part, the more you recall something, the stronger the neural pathway gets, making it feel even more real.  So, how do you stop your past from dictating your present? You can change how you remember your past, and in doing so, you can change how you experience your present.  So, what if instead of using your past as proof of your limitations, you started remembering the moments that prove your resilience, your adaptability.

[00:22:22] Lori Gouhin: Your ability to shift?  What if you actively started recalling times where you succeeded instead of times you struggled?  At the end of the day, your memory is just a tool. You can use it to reinforce your limitations or you can use it to reinforce expansion. You get to decide which version of yourself you reference.

[00:22:44] Lori Gouhin: And once you start consciously choosing which memories to strengthen, the past stops being a prison and starts being a resource. And once you've made a shift, here are some things that you can do every single day to reinforce it. Number one, start each new day from your new identity. Before you even get out of bed, remind yourself, who am I today?

[00:23:08] Lori Gouhin: What choices does this version of me make? What do they not entertain anymore? Most people will wake up and immediately step back into their old patterns. But you get to decide every morning which version of you you're living from. Number two, cut off access to the old identity. Look around. What are the habits, the routines, the people, or even objects in your home or your space that are tied to the old self?

[00:23:36] Lori Gouhin: The version of you who procrastinates, doubts, or hesitates, remove them. Your environment. either reinforces your shift or it will pull you back. Make sure everything around you aligns with who you are right now. And number three, track your evidence. at the end of the day, write down one thing that proves you are living in the new identity.

[00:24:00] Lori Gouhin: This conditions your brain to see the shift as real instead of just a passing phase. And so to wrap it up, the version of you that has everything you want. Isn't some distant unattainable goal. It's a choice and that choice is available to you right now No waiting no proving no earning your way there The only thing standing between you and that reality is your willingness to step into it So start today decide who you are act from that place and refuse to negotiate with your past self Reality will catch up It always does.

[00:24:41] Lori Gouhin: I promise.