“Don’t believe everything you hear” sounds like sage advice, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. Sometimes, despite being a complete fabrication, some things sound so plausible, even desirable, it’s hard to not be influenced by them. When those beliefs are generally accepted by people you respect and surround yourself with they become even more enticing. Worse, they're harder to identify as false.
Yet a healthy bit of skepticism, and the willingness to act as your own investigative reporter can have considerable value, not to mention saving you frustration and possibly hardship.
Did you know that one of the most frequently cited pieces of research in the self-help industry was never conducted? That’s right, it’s a complete fabrication. Yet, it’s compelling none-the-less. Years ago, I completely fell for it!
Some of the things we believe are either outright false or we simply have no way of confirming they’re absolutely true. In some cases, these beliefs are harmless. Like believing you really do look more attractive in your favorite hat. Or, that the Beatles were the greatest band of the British Invasion. Sure, it's arguable. However, I think fairly clear that it was the Rolling Stones.
At times, even though a particular belief is erroneous, it can give us an advantage. Yet at other times these false beliefs are outright damaging. What’s worse if we accept these false, yet limiting beliefs, they can develop into an explanatory style that creates patterns of behavior that does not serve us or is outright destructive. Perhaps a question that is equally important as “is this true?”, regarding a particular belief is “is this helpful?”
This episode explores how to identify, challenge, and shift these limiting beliefs. Then, how do we identify the behaviors and patterns that support who we choose become?
Enjoy!
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