The World According to You

December 31, 2022 by Charlie Hedges − 0 Comments

“We do not see things as they are. We see them as we are.” Talmudic Tractate

It may sound egocentric, but it is nevertheless wholly true: You are the center of Your World—not of THE world, but of YOUR world. All that you deeply believe, promote, and even defend finds it origins in your history of experience, your culture, and your personal “make-up.”

I believe it is essential that you give yourself permission to admit that you indeed have governing (and limiting) biases and prejudices that influence your beliefs and actions.

Not Bound by Limiting Beliefs

I must return to one of my all-time favorite quotes, “You are who you have been becoming.” I might add as well, “You are who you are hard-wired to be.” But, it is important to note, you are not programmed. You may be influenced by personal experiences and personal make-up, you are by no means “bound to them.”

In one of his posts Seth Godin writes, “No one sees reality. It’s worth repeating: No one accurately sees the world as it is.” When you are free to admit such a thing, you can begin to see the world as others see the world. You can only do so when you come to grips with the hard truth that you may not be as open-minded as you might think you are. And that is more than Okay. Deep reflection about your own biases is essential for exponential interior growth.

Surprised by Truth

For example, poverty comes to mind. Before my dozen or so trips to Uganda, I once thought of those in acute poverty as rag-tag and miserable. It was personal experience that altered my incorrect assumption. The poverty stricken of rural Uganda are indeed rag-tag, but they are far from miserable. Every time I take guests with me on a trip, I find they are shocked by how surprisingly happy are the people residing in villages, many of whom earn less than two dollars per day.

In the USA, we often act like money is the source of happiness. Well, as I have learned, that is simply not true.

What Now?

Today is New Year’s Day 2023, a perfect time to consider a goal or resolution. What if we were to (1) Recognize and admit some of our biases, and then (2) Reconsider and even reconstruct some of our own beliefs about people and life in general.