In talking with some of you, who read my blog regularly, you shared with me where you saw value in my words. A common answer was that “you make me think”.
While humbling to hear this, I couldn’t help but ask when can the act of thinking be most valuable?
When what you read exposes the stories you tell yourself.
And by then challenging their truths within your heart.
How does certain writing do this? When the words pierce a belief or world view that you hold so close to you. Making you curious to know why someone would write what they did? By sharing a different approach, a wider perspective, or new information for you to consider. Only then, can you begin to see that your belief or world view may be imperfect, incomplete, too narrow, limiting or just plain wrong. Helping you evolve, grow and change for the better.
Needing silence and quiet for you to first discover the stories and worldviews within you. For they are as invisible as the air we breath while surrounded by the noise of our daily lives.
What stories or world views? The way you believe the world around you works. Even your worthiness and place in the world. The story you tell yourself about being a victim. Unworthy. Incapable. Deserving. About others – that they are generous, honest, devious, not trustworthy, and so on………
Our choices always depend on what we believe and how we see the world.
How we then act is the outward expression of all of this.
Taking the time to understand what we believe and what may be imperfect or wrong in how we see the world is where thinking is most valuable. It’s at the core of where personal growth and change occurs.
It’s a common theme through much of philosophy. There ancient Greek admonition “know thyself”. There are many words written around the value of a self-examined life.
Timeless concepts made up of short words and simple thoughts. Yet so hard for us to do because we are always so busy.