Beliefs come into our lives and often get stuck. They become a part of us — beliefs about ourselves, the world, how things should be, or how they could be. Like sweaters, we collect them, and they stack up in our closet. From time to time, we should see which are worth keeping, sharing, or tossing. Here is an idea I came across:
“Read less, study less, but think more.”
That is from Leo Tolstoy in a book of wonderful quotes he put together. In today’s society, it’s counterintuitive. It even contradicts what I suggested when discussing the power of reading.
Here are a few questions to ask ourselves:
What do you believe?
What did you believe?
What belief have you abandoned as true in the last year?
Chances are, if your answer to that last question was nothing, you aren’t trying hard enough.
Maybe we aren’t wrong about most things, but we are wrong about many things. There is value in sitting with your thoughts and thinking about what you think.
In our hustle to be productive, sitting with pen, paper, and your thoughts is likely not on the top of your to-do list. On your journey to be better and be who you want to be, is it possible that there is no more important task? Your beliefs, right or wrong, color your actions.
Maybe it’s time to make time for quite a reflection. And as you do, take this from Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations:
"Socrates used to call popular beliefs “the monsters under the bed”—only useful for frightening children."
Take care, friend.
What shouldn't I believe anymore?