“Don’t believe everything you think.”—Unknown
I like the above quote. It doesn’t say “don’t believe anything you think” or “don’t believe everything others think (or say—particularly about you)”. It emphasizes that care we must take with our own self-talk. We should not think too highly or too little of ourselves. We must disregard our “can’t” attitude and believe in ourselves. We must have confidence in our capabilities and awareness of our abilities.
Likewise, we cannot hold limiting and false beliefs. It is not uncommon for our beliefs to persevere in the face of evidence to the contrary. We see it in multiple corners of our increasingly divisive society. We see it in our perceptions of others and in our relationships.
As an educator, I often find my students wanting only the information that will be on the test. I would prefer, from time to time, that they would challenge the ideas I am presenting. I want them to question the status quo. I want them to challenge their personal belief—as well as my own. (I grow, myself, when my students question my established beliefs.) I like to tell them that “I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.” (Yes, that is what it is like to sit through one of my classes!)
A former student recently shared a graphic about “expertise” (below). I don’t like the term, “expert”, because I personally feel the more I learn the less I realize that I know—the less “expert” I become.
I have confidence in what I know, but less confidence in what I think. My world keeps growing. I keep adjusting how I interact with the world. I hear people say to think outside the box, but I am learning to question the presence of a box. I believe there is universal Truth, but I know I have not arrived at this level of knowledge. (I trust few have.)
There is a choice: keep growing in knowledge and understanding—pursue Truth—or become increasing dogmatic in beliefs that are undoubtedly limited. The choice seems simple, but we don’t always make the right choice. One can choose to grow, or one can choose to not.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!