It’s time, once again, to challenge everything! Do you remember as a child always asking why, over and over, about everything? You probably drove your parents nuts. Maybe your kids are doing that to you right now! Do you take the time to explain why, each and every time, allowing them to embrace that curiosity or did you get frustrated and claim “because I said so… that’s why!”
I’m sure we all did that now and then. But how many times did you blurt that out without you even really knowing the actual why. So even if you wanted to explain maybe you couldn’t.
You were also likely told to NOT question authority. Don’t question your parents, your teachers, your coaches, or many of the way things just were. Follow along like a good little minion. Maybe it taught you manners and respect and common courtesy. Perhaps it added value that you carried through into adulthood. Then again, maybe it stifled your creativity, innovativeness, intellect, and growth as a person.
Kids naturally had that curiosity. But somewhere along the way many adults have lost it, at least to some degree.
Many adults have become lazy in accepting many things the way they are without question. When you no longer challenge everything you simply accept certain attitudes (yours or those of others), habits you have, or even things like very old out dated laws that are still on the books. You just accept them, even though something about them just doesn’t sit well with you. Does that resonate?
Many adults have become afraid to challenge the status quo or authority, even though you are waking up to the reality that there are problems in succumbing to that fear. Does that resonate?
To Change Your Experience Of Life, Ask Lots Of Questions
Staying stuck and feeling miserable or afraid while holding onto something that doesn’t sit well for you will limit you. It may limit your family or those close to you. Then again it may contribute to an even bigger problem out there in the world.
The only way to interrupt any of these patterns is to challenge everything and get a clear sense of why.
Ask These Questions:
- Why things are the way they are?
- Whose actions or non-actions contribute to the problem?
- What is my accountable position in it?
- What needs to change?
- WHY?
- What outcome or difference experience could result from change?
Work-Life Balance & Happiness
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates
I love this quote.
To me it means check in with your feelings, especially the negative ones, to see how closely they align with your values, your principles, and your views of the world… every aspect of the world. Question all that is.
Examine each of the 7 Waves of Real Success too. How closely is your current reality aligned with these pillars and how you actually want to live.
Then take action to change what needs changing and begin to influence those around you.
From Generation To Generation, Challenge Everything!
Consider what has been passed down in your family from generation to generation.
Things never questioned but just are the way they are. Challenge everything you can think of. Political affiliation, religion, career paths, where you live, family size, any stereotypical beliefs, bad habits like smoking or excessive drinking, how family get togethers always go, ways of disciplining children, forms of dispute resolution, abusive behaviour, gender stereotypes (such as blue or pink jobs), family TV habits and so many other things.
Thanks to my mom’s influence we made some headway on some traditional gender stereotypes. Having three sisters it would have been an easy thing to continue with old stereotypes but, thankfully, we didn’t. Doing the dishes and cleaning the house were part of all of our regular chores as was lawn mowing and snow shovelling.
Then there were habits like evening TV watching. A habit that I carried forward and have passed onto my daughter. It’s something we challenged regarding its value. Now we are gradually diminishing our TV and overall screen time in favour of other more meaningful things.
It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way
When you begin to check in with emotions and challenge everything, remind yourself that it doesn’t have to be that way.
Sometimes there are much more significant issues in need of challenging.
I’ve had the honour of working with some clients who grew up in very challenging home lives. Until they began challenge everything and see it for what it really was nothing changed and they were miserable. But once they summoned the courage to say “no more” change had begun. In time their whole experience of life, including their business changed. They would describe a massive weight being removed from their shoulders allowing them freedom to breathe, smile, and focus forward in a direction that really mattered to them. It wasn’t an easy process but was life altering in the end.
These were pretty significant situations. For you perhaps it’s about smaller change that really matters. Things like I described in my life. But those small changes can quickly add up to big changes in your experience of your world.
Then again for you perhaps it’s something even larger that you need to face and challenge. There are a great many things on a societal level that may be impacting you emotionally right now. Challenge everything; beliefs that have been operating unconsciously for years, past actions you feel bad about, old influences from a generation or two back that simply have to change, and so forth.
“It wasn’t an easy process but was life altering in the end.”
Challenge Everything And Your Ideal Life Awaits!
When you challenge everything and truly seek first to understand you will open yourself up to an immense opportunity to create a way of being and a way of living that you are proud of. It will be one you are happy with and one that can influence others to change too.
What is living an ideal life to you? Challenge everything, act differently, and you just might find out.
So What’s Your next Step? Creating the change you want can be hard if you go it alone!
Join us in The One Wave Global community for the peer mentoring and coaching support you’ll need to help you achieve and fully live your ideal life!
