Give yourself permission to change your mind
ByA reporter once asked Mother Teresa about her response to one of his questions. “Several months ago,” he stated, “you said ‘such and such’ and now you are saying something completely different. How do you explain the change in your position?”
The saintly woman looked kindly at the man, smiled, and said simply “I changed my mind. I did not know then what I know now.”
What a simple concept! How many of us carry around beliefs and opinions that no longer fit with who we are, because we have always believed them? How many times have you held onto a limiting belief because “that’s the way I have always felt?”
We have been taught that being consistent and unchanging is a character attribute whereas, changing our mind is a shortcoming. We have all heard someone “stable or rock–solid” described with respect while the term “wishy washy” is used to describe one who changes their opinion.
I am challenging this concept. Sure, consistency is a character trait worth developing in certain aspects of our lives. Trustworthiness, honesty, reliability, and dependability are all attributes worth striving for, however, it makes absolutely no sense to hold on to beliefs and opinions that do not serve us in the present just because they were true for us in the past.
We are allowed to change our minds!
As a matter of fact, if we are not changing, we are in for a real struggle. Perhaps one of the leading causes of frustration is the fact that, while we are led to believe that it is good to be consistent, the world we live in is in a state of constant change.
Every part of our lives, our planet, our bodies for that matter, are in a constant state of flux. Human beings, by nature, tend to resist change.
Herein lies the problem! We resist change in an ever–changing world. Resisting change in the face of a constantly changing environment has to be the height of insanity.
How then can we learn to accept, even welcome, change in our lives? One way is to look back over our lives and see that, for the most part, every change in our past has led to something better. If you do this I think you will agree that change has, in fact, been a positive force in your life. You can then give yourself permission to change.
Re–evaluate your beliefs and opinions and see if they are still true for you at this period in your growth. Considering the pace at which the world is changing, it is important to learn to embrace change in our lives.
Remember the old adage: “when one door closes, another one opens.” If you look back, I’m sure you will find this has been true throughout your life.
