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Escape from the Prison of Preconception

[ Posted On: 2006-12-19 ]

Everyone is a victim to some extent to the habit of preconception. We all have our set ideas that are hard to put aside, but what is this costing us? Every time we fall victim to preconception we are losing the opportunity to expand our knowledge and experience. Ultimately this may keep us well below our true potential for a rewarding and exciting life.

It is an amazing fact that the average person spends up to 90% of their mental energy defending their beliefs and limitations and less than 1% of their mental energy openly assessing new possibilities. This habit acts like a shield to protect what we hold to be true and to keep out any contradictory or challenging information.

The average person has decided on

- 50% of their core lifetime beliefs by the age of 10;

- 75% of their core lifetime beliefs by the age of 18,

- 90% of their core lifetime beliefs by the age of 25, and

- 99% of their core lifetime beliefs by the age of thirty.

By way of contrast highly successful people continue to seek greater knowledge and continually challenge their beliefs throughout their whole lifetime.

If you think about all the interesting and valuable things that there are to learn in this world you will soon realize that you could spend ten lifetimes of study and still only be scratching the surface. What a shame it is that the majority of people are choosing to reject most of this knowledge, much of which could be greatly enhancing their life financially, physically, spiritually and emotionally.

So why do people do this?

There are basically two reasons.

The first reason is comfort.

The average person feels comfortable when they have an unchanging model of the world. They feel secure in their belief as to how life operates and what their role in the world is. They are happy to do the same type of work year after year to live in the same type of house or perhaps enjoying a modest upgrade every 10 years or so until they reach 50 to 60 years of age where they now remain in the same house for the rest of their life.

The average person mixes their whole life with the same basic social set they formed by the age of 30. They have their children around the same time that their friends have children and they have about the same number of children as their friends do. After the age of thirty the average person is basically living the same year over and over again with only minor changes.

What keeps them on this treadmill to nowhere? The insistence on maintaining their preconceptions!

The second reason people argue for their preconceptions is ego.

To admit that they may be wrong is just too much for their insecure self worth.
There is no shame in changing your beliefs in the light of new evidence. If everyone had argued for their existing belief we would still be living in caves and using stone tools.

What you are really doing when you are defending your preconceptions is arguing for your limitations. It is only by open mindedly evaluating new information and alternate models of the world that we give ourselves an opportunity to grow.

So why not take this little challenge. The next time someone says something that doesn't agree with your preconceptions and you feel the urge to disagree why not instead say "that's a fascinating point of view. Please tell me more about why you believe that."

I'm sure if you have the courage to do it, and particularly if you do it often, you will discover some interesting diamonds amongst the rubble.

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

About The Author: James Delrojo would like to help you by giving you his ebook "Unleash the Success Power of Your Mind" (valued at $27) completely FREE. Go to www.YourSuccessMind.com

| View Profile & All Articles By: James Delrojo |

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