Faithful Fool!

A man of courage is also full of faith. -Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.), Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer and political theorist; one of Rome’s greatest orators.

Believe

You gotta have faith, they say! You must believe, they motivate! And it does seem to work. When you’re down on your luck and things just don’t seem to be flowing your way, a little bit of faith seems like the perfect cure. But faith in what? Yourself? A higher power?

Just the word faith can conjure up the seedlings for intense debate. At the core of any major organized religion there seems to be the necessity of at least some faith to justify the end. Why? Because there is just not enough tangible evidence. Archaeologists scour the ends of the earth constantly looking for evidence to cooberate many beliefs that rest on a bed of faith to either prove or disapprove any theory.

Unshaken

We’re so hungry for this proof that we often jump to quick conclusions of authenticity; embracing the saviors that suddenly and mysteriously stumble upon a find that brings it all together. As I watched the Discovery Channel the other night, one such miracle had happened to a guy who supposedly had found two different items that might substantiate the existence of King Solomon’s temple. All this came tumbling down quickly as other experts revealed it as a hoax. Regardless the faithful remain unshaken. They understand through nature itself, they may have all the evidence they ever need.

This is where I had an epiphany about our self-faith. I’m not even sure that’s a term, but let’s investigate together. First we have to consider our own psychology and embrace the fact that our powerful mind has certain genetic pre-wirings. We also must embrace the fact that more often than not our brains are moving us forward on auto pilot, beyond our own realization, and there’s really not much we can do to stop that.

Auto Pilot

Certainly without that auto pilot we might cease to exist, but there is a part of it that often confuses us and can throw us into complete turmoil where we lose faith in ourselves and that’s dangerous. Consider what might happen when you try to do something new, maybe at work in a sales capacity. You jump on the phone and run through that pitch only to have the phone hung up on you. What goes through your head in that very moment of time? What is the self-image that pops up? What does it really look like? How do you really feel deep inside?

Maybe this same thing has happened to you in a relationship. You’ve finally ventured out and thrown your feelings in the center of the ring, only to have them smashed by your partner. Do you feel duped, heart-broken? Do you tell yourself that you’ll never try that again? Do you paint a new self-image of a relationship loser? Do you start that self-talk that you drop on everyone about how you’re a failure in this department? When you keep repeating it, does it create negative emotions that give birth to more negative thoughts and words?

Spin Cycle

You see, we might not even realize that we have thrown ourselves into the spin cycle; but what a slippery slope that can be. For some, it can completely slay the faith they once had and conclude with a feeling of depression and hopelessness. With negative emotions that powerful, we actually have a chemical change in the brain that can lead to awful conclusions.

BUT WAIT A MINUTE!! Where’s that desire to review the evidence? What happened to all that yearning to pursue the archaeological self-dig? We seem to somehow have suddenly lost all our inquisitive behavior when it comes to self-assessment. Even though we’ll vehemently pursue the evidence in the courtroom, and the religious or political debate rooms, we suddenly accept the surface evidence when it comes to our own trials and tribulations!

Pre-Wired Attack

Let’s break it down for the salesman. The call is made and somebody is rude, curses and hangs up. The first reaction might be to fall apart. But what if it’s that our salesman has a natural inclination to withdraw when attacked; a genetic wiring issue? What if that pre-wiring is waiting for the first piece of evidence that it needs to turn tail and run and then kicks in the auto response? Before the salesman even knows it, he has mentally withdrawn, possibly not even consciously aware as to why, however, he quickly accepts the verdict and goes on the run….

But what if our salesman could stop for even a nanosecond and consider the evidence! Yes the hard tangible facts of the situation. First of all, the rejection could never be a personal attack, because the prospect didn’t even know our subject. Secondly, the prospect may have just had the worst day of his life and our salesman happened to show up at the wrong time, nothing more or less. Maybe not accurate, but nevertheless possible? Say yes, because the consideration of options is always the correct process, anything else would be inaccurate thinking and lazi-mindedness!

The Evidence

So back we arrive at faith. If there might even be another alternative, then we must consider it! Especially when it comes to our own self-assessment. Another fact is that some people are simply pre-wired to attack and always move forward, for better or worse. Therefore, there is only more evidence that nobody is better or worse, simply genetically different. Consider the 7 foot basketball player who is naturally set up to slam dunk, but it doesn’t stop the 6 footer from winning the contest!

So what makes for a real winner? It must be their faith. The ability to take life’s evidence and sort it all out. The strong are able to shrug off the negative self-belief. They are willing to take on all challenges including a natural wiring prepared for hiding. So the next time you feel a challenge coming on, stop and think. Consider the evidence and the alternatives and don’t be a fool and lose your faith!