Question Everything
Know the difference between Truth and true
In last week’s newsletter, I encouraged you to think about the questions you ask yourself. Because the quality of the questions you ask yourself determines the quality of your life. One of the key reasons coaching is so transformative is that coaches know how to ask you the right questions to help change your perspective, and thus create the life and career you truly desire.
In addition to the quality of the questions you ask yourself, it’s important to expand into questioning everything. To question everything doesn’t mean we don’t have core beliefs or values. It also doesn’t mean that we deny basic facts of life like gravity or biology. But it does mean we can question societal and personal beliefs about these “facts” that limit us.
For example, it was a long-held belief that no human could biologically run a one-minute mile. It was just an accepted scientific fact that humans are incapable of running that fast. But in 1954 Roger Bannister did just that, he made history, and he completely shifted humanity’s perception of what was possible. After that, others were able to do the same and actually run faster. The previous mental limitation was proven false and anything became possible for all of us.
Truth exists regardless of belief or consensus.
Even if the accepted science and belief was that something isn’t currently possible, it doesn’t make it the Truth. This also applies to how we perceive the world and how our beliefs can limit us. Too often we accept beliefs about ourselves that are “true” for us but they aren’t universal Truth.
Truth is who you really are; true is who you think you are.
An example of this is believing that you could never be a conscious leader because you’re not smart enough. It’s a limiting belief that you have accepted as true. But the Truth is that you are in fact far smarter and more capable than you believe. Once you break through the personal limitation of what you thought was true about yourself, you can embrace the Truth of what you’re capable of. Coaches help you see the Truth of who you really are, not the “true” image of who you think you are based on limiting beliefs.
Questioning what society holds to be true, versus what’s Truth, can be uncomfortable. You may be viewed as an outsider or radical. But conscious leadership calls us to question everything so we can create a workplace and world where everyone can thrive. We have to get comfortable asking uncomfortable questions about what we currently accept as true about the way we work and lead.
Theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman described it this way: “I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.”
Curiosity and the desire to question our limitations is far more liberating than accepting “facts” that can’t be questioned. Whether it’s demonstrating conscious leadership or building a new way to work and relate, we must be able to question “answers” and what’s “true.” Because it’s only when we’re curious and question everything that we can be truly free and create the kind of conscious life and world we desire.
Work happy. Live happy. BE happy.
Meredith
P.S. Want to keep up with the latest on the future of work, conscious leadership, and building strong teams while you’re on the go? Check out my Subscriber-only podcast. You can listen to this newsletter and support my work!
Also, check out this interview I did with Jeremy Duvall recently about building a community based on genuine trust. It was a fun conversation, and I hope you’ll find some wisdom you can apply to how you build your team!
The way we work and build teams is rapidly changing. Leaders often feel unprepared to navigate the transition. As a conscious leadership coach, consultant and communicator, Meredith helps leaders and their teams create new ways of working and relating so they can prepare for the future by consciously co-creating it.
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