Don’t Believe Everything You Think

“At some point, I’d like to eat every part of a pig”

As I was tidying up my office today, I was flipping through and retiring old notebooks, some over five years and five business models ago. I came across a quotation of note from my old buddy Benji, who in the summer of 2004 had remarked, “At some point I’d like to eat every part of a pig!”

It made me laugh as much today as it did on the day he said it (thus why I wrote it down), and it prompted me to drop a quick note to some of the old team just to say hi and share my giggle. Benji IM’ed me shortly thereafter, with the wise observations… “Amazin’ quote … genius. Don’t know if I still hold to that belief!” I chuckled and suggested to him, “Don’t believe everything you think… someday down the line you may find you disagree with your younger self!” ha ha ha ha ha!

It’s so true, isn’t it? Today, each of us is pretty sure that whatever we believe is true (otherwise, by definition - we wouldn't believe it!), even those of us who know that we don’t *know* everything. We know our beliefs though, and gosh-darn-it, THEY ARE VALID (insert some adamant podium thumping here!)!!

OK, slow down Nelly. Besides the fact that it’s logically IMPOSSIBLE for us ALL to be right about EVERYTHING (especially when any two people will have at least one fundamental thing they disagree on between them), our beliefs are fluid, changing and evolving with each day that passes. We find a new perspective, or gain a little wisdom, or perhaps have cold-hard-reality thrust in our faces against our will. Over time, we grow as individuals, and our beliefs adjust along the way. The funny thing is that the longer time goes on, as I told Benji, the greater the chances that we now are disagreeing with our younger selves. Project this forward – in another 20 years or so – you’ll be disagreeing with the YOU of today! Hmm – maybe some of your beliefs today may not stand the test of your own time and perspective, let alone everyone else’s. Goodness – now we’re not only disagreeing with everyone else in the world, we’re disagreeing with ourselves too! What is this world coming to?

Action Challenge: Next time you’re adamantly on your soap box about something, give pause. Be open minded to hearing out the beliefs of others and to challenging your own. Remember that others believe as strongly in theirs as you do in yours, and who is to say who is right and who is wrong? Examine your beliefs from time to time, and truly evaluate whether they are your beliefs from today, or just unexamined leftovers from a younger you. It’s perfectly fine to come right back to where you started; in fact you may find this self-examination reinforces those beliefs stronger than they started. It’s equally fine to throw out an obsolete belief that is no longer part of you, even if you once defended it to the bitter end. It’s all about your own growth and evolution… which will happen with our without your consent. Go with the flow and don’t take yourself too seriously along the way!

Cheers and all my best to you!
~Brooxi

The man who views the world at fifty, the same as he did at twenty, has wasted thirty years of his life.

-Muhammed Ali

© Stephanie Brooks 2008