“A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.”
The truth is that when I saw this I first thought it was in context to the attitude people have toward Spirituality and what it means to be Spiritual, as we have discussed in our Spirited Sunday Session. But railing against the fact that many people are prejudiced in their attitude to and definition of Spirituality is like saying over and over that we should not speed while driving – it’s a message that, while obvious and evident to the majority, loses impetus and impact until or unless it affects you personally.
And then it occurred to me that ‘the personal’ is what this is about – our self-prejudices. I’m not even sure if that is a word but it should be because so many of us have them, and they are the only ones that we can immediately control and choose to change for our benefit.
The definition of prejudice is a preconceived opinion not based on reason or experience.
If someone unjustifiably accused you of being prejudiced in relation to a big issue of morality, race or religion without giving you the chance to explain your position you’d be absolutely right to be offended and upset.
But time and again Julianna and I meet the most amazing people who are willing to believe in the skills, abilities and achievements of other people in their personal, professional and spiritual lives, but who hold the most incredible prejudices against their own capabilities and capacities and attack and accuse themselves of incorrect notions on a daily basis!
Apart from my observation and interaction as part of the business I also think the reason Elizabeth asked me to write this is because for a long time, I was really good at self-prejudice – super good! I practiced it almost daily, especially when it came to my professional abilities. I can’t tell you the number of times I would receive criticism in my previous roles and it would shatter me because I had already laid the prejudice to believe it, despite years of training and operating at a highly accomplished level.
I once received an anonymous note from one of the retailers in the centre where I was marketing manager that was full of personal insults about the way I dressed, the way I represented myself in the media and the way I represented the centre. It was cruel and designed to hurt from someone I now realise was jealous, but instead of screwing it up and throwing it in the bin like the piece of garbage it was and treating it in isolation (I had never received anything like it before or after) I chose to believe what they said – despite not even knowing who wrote it!!!!
Even after working hard for years to make other people’s businesses successful, when it came to starting the business with Julianna I had to work hard to overcome my prejudices that I wouldn’t be contributing as much as Julianna to the partnership from my marketing and IT skill base – when it was completely ridiculous because a) we hadn’t tried yet so had no experience as to the outcome and b) years of successful results for others meant that we were starting based on fact, not wishful thinking or no reason!
If you tell yourself “I can’t” when presented with a new challenge, a new way of looking at a situation or a new idea to consider then you have made the biggest judgement against yourself that is a prejudice because it’s not been experienced or tested by you to justify rejecting it.
And if you choose to give a new challenge, viewpoint or idea lip service because you feel it’s expected; or even decide not try or consider it; then you are not being honest with yourself – just telling yourself the same story a different way or rearranging your existing prejudices. And it will keep you stagnant in that part of your life.
Author Merry Browne said that “preconceived notions are the locks on the door to wisdom”. Whilst many people do our courses, buy a reading and attend our channelling sessions for a host of reasons related to clarity, direction, growth and curiosity, unless you can confront and change your self-prejudice about:
- trusting yourself,
- trusting your application of the guidance you seek (no matter who or where it’s from) and
- believing in your abilities,
then you are just learning new language or new excuses to tell yourself the same old story, not building your intuition, gaining clarity or getting any wiser.
Julianna and I can’t teach you to trust yourself, only provide you with the tools to help you get there via our courses, channelling sessions and events and show you how we are able to live with self-trust. But in not trusting yourself, you are telling yourself that you don’t know what’s best for you. And if you don’t address your self-prejudices, you are letting your possibilities be smashed before they have a chance to take flight. Change your prejudices, don’t rearrange them. by Nicole Fisher
