The other day my 6-year old son asked me in a sly (potentially antagonistic) manner if I knew who was made first, man or woman? In a flash of a second, a million thoughts streamed through my mind. I chose to answer him with my what was my quickest-access knowledge base. I must not have paid enough attention in biology as a child as I did not have handy access to a biological response that supported what I wanted to tell him and believe to be true – so instead I fell back on my religious upbringing and informed him that according to the Bible, man was created first. He smiled and said, that’s right, that’s exactly what his friend from school told him.
My 10-year old daughter then entered the room. My son whispered, “mom don’t tell her the answer” and proceeded to ask her the same question. My daughter, with resigned confidence answered, “man of course”. I immediately queried where she learned that information. While I was raised knowing religion, I have not exactly been on top of keeping my children educated and informed in that vein at this point in their lives. So her response both alarmed and saddened me; should she have known the religion she was born into more deeply, I would have expected that response. She stated that she knows this to be true because it is just plain obvious; common use of words such as ‘mankind’ and phrases such as ‘country of man’ and the fact that there has never been a female President of the United States, and so on and so forth. She further added that everyone respects men more than women. I was shocked and dismayed that my daughter at the age of 10, holds this limiting belief based on what? Based on environmental factors – again without a biologically accurate response on hand, or a religious reference, she responded with what she knows to be true about her world. Rather than assume that as organisms both man and woman started congruently, she assumes that man has always been first and therefore the reason they are in charge.
This leads me to my point today. We all have limiting self-beliefs. Where they come from are as varied as the day is short. I think it of value to explore the roots of these self-beliefs (those that limit us and those that do not); more particularly when we become aware of how they are hindering us from being, doing, and achieving what we want. I think it imperative to challenge the veracity of these limiting self-beliefs as they come into your sphere of self-awareness; on all levels – why is it we accept these beliefs to be truth? Is this really our truth? Would we like for this to be our truth? And, why does it have to be our truth? Or does it?
My edict for each day: explore the origins of your self-beliefs, challenge them and tread new terrain with a fresh perspective and future mindset.