Going through my e-mails I come to a short film shared by coaching colleague Emma Chilvers from Nik Askew’s website at http://www.soulbiographies.com/. I haven’t come across the site before, which sends out short films (this one three minutes) by subscription on a Monday morning.
They are not films to watch in a hurry even though they’re short: this three minute film has brief content that bears deep thought and unrolls at a pace which requires ease rather than haste.
The message, delivered by Katies Byron, is thought-provoking and points to the way we can limit ourselves by holding beliefs about ourselves as if they were true. I wonder about the implications for us as we develop. I wonder about the implications for us as we develop as leaders.
The message?
Most of us believe the thoughts we hold about ourselves to be true. Without question. Even though they diminish our capacity for life.
Few ever wonder if ‘such thoughts’ are true.
Can you abolutely know that what you’ve chosen to believe about yourself is true?
We can never truly observe ourselves because we are ourselves.
Equally our beliefs only allow us to see what we want to see.
A belief is not a fact.
Worse still we apply labels to ourselves without really quantifying what they mean or the limitation that is created by "He is a truthful person." Always?
▪ "Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth". Alan Watts.
A belief may not be a fact, but in this situation, what is a fact? Even if we understand what other people think of us, does that define what we are?
If someone were to say 'I know I'm prone to over-reacting', but who is the judge of what over-reacting means?
'People consider me to be friendly' probably does mean 'I'm a friendly person'
but
'My friends see me as sensible' may or may not mean 'I am sensible' At the end of the day- is anyone else a better judge of sensible than you are?
I guess Mao saw himself as sensible and so did thousands of followers- was what he believed about himself right?