What do you choose to believe?

What do you choose to believe about other people, about life, and perhaps most important, about yourself?

If your mental gears are grinding and you feel yourself pushing back at my question, then I’ve done my job.

Although there are some universal beliefs, such as gravity, temperature, etc., essentially a handful of things that science has repeatedly proven that we, collectively, have decided to agree on, the rest of the beliefs held by most people are just stories.

Now I’m not downplaying stories at all. In fact, I’ve come to believe, yes, I see the irony, that there’s very little in life that’s as important as a good story. Stories have the power to inspire, to manipulate, and to change the entire course of history, which they very often do.

So, if beliefs are just stories, what stories are you telling yourself?

And no, not all stories begin with once upon a time. The best ones begin right in the middle of the plot and then build around it. Think for a moment how you do this in your own mind. You experience an incident or situation, and then your mind goes to work writing a narrative about why it happened. And your mind is an expert at manufacturing evidence to support the story it’s writing.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that some of the things you experience aren’t really happening to you. It’s just that it’s challenging for anyone to really have an objective viewpoint because we all view life through the lens of our own individual experience and history.

So, be cautious in your beliefs. Occasionally evaluate them to see if they’re allowing you to live the life you want or if they’re holding you back. And keep in mind they’re your beliefs, and what you believe is a choice you make. And you can, whenever you want to, choose to tell yourself a new story.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, please share it with one person you love.