Aha! Moment Monday
Have you ever wondered why the word “phonetic” isn’t spelt like it sounds? Or why we say, “
I slept like a baby!” when if you’ve had a baby you know full well they wake up every two hours! Did you ever stop to question why we refer to what’s transported by car as “shipment” but when you send it by ship it’s called “cargo”? And what does it mean to have “self-help groups”?
Some of what we say or do on a regular basis is worth a chuckle! Those word-habits are so preprogrammed and just roll off the tongue without question. In Canada, we drive on a parkway and park in a driveway. Huh?
The fact is, most of the time we’re retracing the same neuropathways – saying and doing the same things over and over again – without questioning why. How did we get so programmed? “The evidence shows that we inherit and transmit behaviors, emotions, beliefs, and religions not through rational choice, but through contagion. When we are unsure of how to react to a stimulus or a situation, this theory suggests we actively look to others for guidance, and we consciously imitate them.” ~ Paul Marsden, Author
(Sidebar: How does it feel to know you’re contagious?)
Now I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to think through every action of every minute of every day – that would be exhausting. Habits have their place and we have to acquire them somehow, somewhere and from someone but where do we draw the line?
Friedrich Nietzsche is quoted as saying, “A bad conscience is easier to cope with than a bad reputation.” Is that it? That going against the grain might land us in an unfavourable social light?
Aha! ~ “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” ~ George S. Patton
We’ve been conditioned to embrace teams, masses, herds and popular opinions – conditioned as followers, not leaders. When we all buy into the same ideas and ideology it makes life easier. Questioning, then, can be disruptive and each of us has a different level of risk-tolerance. How willing are you to have some fun pushing the boundaries … just a little??
Being curious doesn’t have to kill cats (heaven forbid) and can actually be enjoyable when you question with intention to offer positive change and influence, (remember, you’re contagious).
Steve Jobs – 1955-2011, Entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Apple Inc., reminds us, “Don’t limit your challenges, challenge your limits!” and I’ll remind you to do so light-heartedly. After all, life is more fun when you’re laughing.
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