I grew up outside of a small town and across the street from a golf course. It was kind of a nice view, even though it was probably a hundred yards or so out past our front window. All year long, we would always see people golfing. If it was raining, they just simply put on their raincoats, opened up their umbrellas, and went on with their game. Rarely did anything ever slow them down. From as far back as I can remember, when it would rain, I recall my dad looking out our window at the golfers and saying, “Look at those crazy golfers! They would have to be nuts to be out there in the rain like that.” Then, some time as a teenager, it hit me one day. Why was it that my dad would always say how crazy the golfers were to be out in the rain but he would never even think twice about spending the day on the river, or at a lake fishing while it poured down rain all day?
Even today, it amazes me just how much of our parent’s beliefs and attitudes we have adopted as our own. You see, truth be told, they are not really our own, most times we have never taken the time to process things like this for ourselves. We just heard it when we were younger from someone we respected and looked up to and our minds put him or her into our belief system as true. Then later, down the road of life, we would retrieve that particular belief from our memory when engaged in a conversation. In this case, for me when I was a boy, it was that anyone who golfed in the rain had to be crazy. However, is that true? Are all golfers who golf in the rain crazy? Based on your beliefs, right now, you have already answered that question.
Of course, there are those foundational beliefs that our parents give us: morals, values, love, respect, ethics, belief in God and honesty. I believe these are all key components to a fulfilling life but you have to ask yourself where you think most racist beliefs come from. Is it inherited, passed down from generation to generation or does it come from personal experience? One person believes that those who live up on the hill are lucky and good fortune has favored them while others believe that luck is non-existent and hard work, along with the successful thinking and habits will get them what they want in life. Which one is right? As you read this, based on your beliefs, you have already answered this question for yourself.
You and I need to be aware of what it is that we believe and why that is. Are those mindsets we carry with us our own or are they simply something we picked up from someone along the way? Beliefs control a large part of what it is that we do and how we act. Therefore, our actions will produce a result and perhaps one of the biggest questions you will need to answer for yourself, is this: Are my beliefs producing the kind of results that I want for my life? If the answer is a no, then I encourage you to take a long hard look at why it is you believe what you do.
Have a great Friday everyone and an even better weekend.
Scott Stewart
Author, Speaker and Inspiring others to a life of greatness.
scott@lovelossandgrowth.com
541-343-3614
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