I’ve found some pretty incredible nuggets lately while attending services at Palm Valley Church here in Goodyear, Arizona. The latest series has been covering issues that tend to hang us up in life. The topics have varied from financial to addiction and many others over the last few weeks.
One that was particularly striking to me was on the topic of insecurity. I find it interesting that insecurity is a common thread that runs through most of our lives, sometimes exerting a tremendous amount of control over our actions and drastically limiting the quality of life that we allow ourselves to experience.
During this talk on insecurities, three specific lies were covered that I think were valuable to pass on:
Lie #1 My past defines me.
So here we go. How many times have you sat around thinking about the poor choices that you’ve made in the past? If you’re like me, you probably have these moments creeping in at least once a day. Now, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the path I’ve taken with all it’s ups and downs. I’ve learned a lot along the way and I’m grateful for that. But it’s when thought of the things I’ve done in the past start to whither away my self-confidence that the problem sets in. Believe me, you have no harsher critic about you than yourself. If you give in to that critic, you’re going to have a long and painful existence.
Just because I’ve made mistakes in the past doesn’t dictate what I can do in the future. It’s true for me, and it’s true for you too!
Here’s the truth….You can decide to make changes in your life at any time. It’s your choice. And just because you might have made a mistake or two (…or twenty!) along the way, you can still choose to create a totally different reality for yourself starting from today forward. There are plenty of examples of people who have pulled themselves from a life that most would judge so far gone that they would do no better than die in the gutter. And yet, at the lowest point of their suffering, they made a decision to reinvent themselves into a completely different person. Best of all, the people surrounding them now cheer them on for the courage that it took to overcome this devastating lie.
In some ways, the most glaring examples of change can unhelpful. Although inspirational, they tend to allow most of us to compare what our self-judging thoughts are to that amazing story and we tell ourselves that this problem doesn’t really affect us.
Well, I beg to differ. See, you were born for greatness. You were created in order to do great things in the world and in some way affect people in a positive way. That’s in the DNA of humanity. Our ability to be of service to others is what sets us apart and makes us unique in the world. And you know what I mean if you’ve ever had an idea come to mind that would be absolutely amazing but then thought “but I can’t do it because I’m (insert past life event here)”. In fact, most people I know fit right into that box. Nearly every person on the planet lets their past decisions and actions dictate what they allow themselves to do in the future. And to be honest, that’s a crying shame.
So the challenge for all of us is to ask the questions of ourselves; “What is it that I really want to do in life?” or “What is it that stirs my passion and brings my best qualities to the world?” And pay attention to the answers. Write down your thoughts and ideas and let your mind run free. When doubt creeps in, or you begin to censor your thoughts based on your past experiences, take note of these doubts. Accept your experiences as opportunities for learning and knowing how to live life better, but make the commitment that those limiting beliefs will not stand in the way of your ultimate success.
Just know this one truth. Every wonderful thing in the world started as an idea in a person’s mind who then accepted the challenge and made the choice to move forward toward the accomplishment of that idea. If an idea or a thought has been placed in your mind, then you have all of the tools and resources at your disposal to accomplish it. Creativity and ingenuity and consistency and persistence will be required to achieve your vision, but your past experience is the one thing that has no bearing at all on the likelihood of your success.
Stay tuned for Lies 2 and 3……
, he illustrates the point well using the term “thin slicing”. Gladwell explains that we instantly judge new people and situations “because we have to, and we come to rely on that ability because there are lots of hidden fists out there, lots of situations where careful attention to the details of a very thin slice, even for no more than a second or two, can tell us an awful lot.”
