Foundational Truths

Would you go to a seven year old for advice on major life decisions?  What if I said, “You already do.”  Would you agree or disagree?

Stay with me on this one, I promise there is method to my madness…

Did you know that the majority of your decisions each day are made without even thinking about them?  Most of your decisions have been decided beforehand.  I am not saying that you don’t make them, I am simply saying that you make them based on the belief systems you have developed since you were a child.

Don’t believe me?  Then why do statistics show that children who grow up in abusive households are more likely be become abusers?  They also show that children who grow up with parents who smoke are more likely to smoke with they grow up.

It’s learned behavior.  Before our brains are mature enough to process the big decisions of life it is already taking notes on how life works, drawing conclusions and storing that information for future reference.

I have counseled and coached people for almost two decades.  One of the toughest challenges we all face is the ability to challenge and change old beliefs.  They are so deeply engrained that they operate on a subconscious level.

What makes it worse is the fact that most adults have never challenged why they believe what they believe.  In fact, they have spent the majority of their adult life gathering information to prove what they already believed to be true is actually true.

I will let that sink in for a second…

It’s crazy!  Most people aren’t interested in discovering the truth; they typically just want to prove what they already believe.

So, how do we combat this subconscious pattern that wreak havoc in our lives?  Simple, define your foundational truths. (Notice I didn’t say “easy.”)

Foundational truths are the fundamental, most basic truths that you base your decisions on.  If you are ever questioned as to why you do something, you can point to these foundational truths and say, “Because this is what I believe!  I have researched, studied, and questioned until I know that I know this is what I believe to be true!”

Sounds like a lot of work… because it is.

However, if you don’t make the time to figure it out, you will be at the mercy of your old beliefs that have been building on top of each other since your childhood.

I dont’ know about you, but when I was seven I wasn’t a very smart 44 year old.  Some of those “conclusions” I came to made sense to my seven year old mind, but in my forties they don’t make much sense.  The scary truth is that I still acted on those old conclusions until I challenged them.

Ready to start defining your foundational truths?

Maybe the real question is, “How smart were you when you were a kid?”