Are You A Convict To Your Convictions?

Convict:
1.A person serving a prison sentence.
2.A person found or declared guilty.

Conviction:
1.A fixed or firm belief.
2.A strong belief that is not likely to change, or the strong feeling that your beliefs are right.

My daughter is convinced that she does not like roller coasters. Now, she has never actually rode on a roller coaster, but she is has a fixed and firm belief that she does not like them. She is a convict to her conviction.

My son is convinced that does not like brussel sprouts. He’s tried them, but he had such a feeling that he would not like them that he never gave them a chance. He is a convict to his conviction.

I can be so convinced that a situation is not going to turn out well, that I will find all kinds of “evidence” to support my beliefs and discount any evidence that might be contradictory to those beliefs. I am a convict to my conviction.

The reality is that when we are dealing in perceptions, our beliefs are the filters for what we “see.” As an example, you and I can be standing right next to each other and see a man running frantically at us. One of us may see a threatening person aggressively charging us, and the other may see a person excited to see us. How does this perception change if its 12:00 noon, or 12:00 midnight? What if the environment is a dark alley versus an open park? Our perceptions/beliefs, fueled by emotion, control our actions.

As humans, one of our basic needs is the need for certainty. Thus, we are constantly looking for information that supports our current beliefs and dispels anything that conflicts with those beliefs. This is a “survival mechanism.” When our ancestors had to decide to fight or run; explore or stay put; harvest or hunt to survive, there was a need for certainty. Additionally, if someone challenged those beliefs, the tendency was to become even more “convicted” to them. My daughter and I could argue all day about the “dangers” of roller coasters and her belief would not change. Again, (certainty in) our perceptions/beliefs, fueled by emotion, controls our actions.

What I will ask you to consider is that our perceptions/beliefs are intended to serve us, not suppress us. If I can ask her the questions that will allow her to shift her perspective and dispel her own beliefs, then she might choose a story that serves her better.

Thus, if there is a fixed or firm belief in your life that is not serving you – not allowing you to grow – that perception or belief should be challenged…by you. In my experience, there are no “right” or “wrong” ways to see a situation. The goal is to be able to access other versions of that story until you find one that will serve you the best, and fuel that belief with emotion. Your actions will change.