"Which of my beliefs are of my own creation and which were programmed into me?" — Glennon Doyle
This past Saturday I woke up a little later than I intended.
I asked my husband, "Did you hear the alarm go off this morning?"
Instead of answering my question, he responded with another one.
"Why do you say that? 'Go off'. I don't understand why you say OFF when it's turning ON."
This isn't the first time my husband (whose first language is Spanish) asks a question about English expressions or grammar rules that I can't answer.
And most of the time I can't give him an answer because I've never bothered to ask the question myself.
Now, to be fair...
Not knowing why the word "colonel" is pronounced like the word "kernel" probably isn't impacting my quality of life in a negative way. 🤷♀️
BUT, I am still grateful to have someone who encourages me to question things I hadn't before.
Because there was a period of time where I didn't bother to question a lot of things in my life.
Like the belief that my thighs shouldn't touch each other, regardless of my bone structure.
Or that my stomach should always be flat, even when I sit down
Or that my pores should never be visible, even though everyone has them.
For years, beliefs like these lived rent free in my head.
I never bothered to question them because...I didn't realize I could.
I didn't realize that these were simply beliefs, not facts.
And I didn't realize that these beliefs weren't MINE.
But then, in my mid-20's I became interested in Buddhist philosophy and was introduced to the idea of questioning my thoughts.
And so I finally started to question each one of these beliefs that I had carried around with me for years.
I'd ask myself,
"Is that TRUE?"
"WHY do you think it's true?"
"WHO told you that?"
"Do YOU really believe that?"
"Do you want to KEEP believing that?"
"What is believing that COSTING you?"
After I dismantled one belief I'd discover another one I hadn't realized I was carrying.
I discovered so many stories that I had been telling myself that weren't true...but that I had just accepted as truth.
And I'm willing to bet you've been telling yourself these kind of stories too.
And these stories, they will limit you.
...But only if you believe them.
So today, I encourage you to pay close attention to the thoughts that float around inside your head.
And when you notice one that's telling you...
What you should or shouldn't do,
What you do or don't deserve,
Or WHO you can or can't be,
Stop and question it.
Ask yourself "Is that TRUE?"
And when you discover that it isn't a fact, but simply a story you've been telling yourself,
Consider writing yourself a new one.
Want to learn how to write yourself a new set of empowering stories?
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