We live the start of our life essentially in ignorance. We look at what our parents, teachers, preachers, friends, media, and the like tell us and for at least a little while there accept it all. Somewhere along the way, generally most pronounced in adolescence, we figure that maybe what we’re being told isn’t the right way or at least isn’t our way. And so we rebel and try to find our own way.
However in this rebellion stage we can often just be led astray by new guides. You see it all the time. Parents were hardcore Evangelicals so there children are hardcore atheists, neither came to their beliefs through careful thought but rather one as a reaction and one from following what was put before them before. We also have to be careful throwing away tradition without realizing where it came from and what its purpose was/is.
These thought patters and belief introduced in childhood, grown through adolescence, and often reinforced in adulthood can be good or bad things. For example maybe you were taught to have a strong work ethic. In general this is a good thing and when used properly there are many rewards to be reaped from it. But then there are counterintuitive beliefs too.
Like maybe you weren’t good enough for certain things, to date pretty girls, make money, or live the good life, whatever the good life may be too you. Maybe you were raised that you should feel guilt for things that you shouldn’t feel guilt for. Maybe you were raised to believe things that just aren’t true and that are now harming you in life.
How do you sort through them and figure out what’s working for you and what’s working against you?
That’s what we’re going to delve into.
Where Did Your “Narrative” Come From?
We all have certain “narratives” about life that we believe, certain stories that may or may not be true. Even if we think we’re rational and believe in “science” or whatever that doesn’t change that we essentially believe in stories as man is nowhere near being a rational creature. It’s not a bad thing that we believe in narrative, it’s just a fact of life. However understanding this it pays to understand where your “narrative” came from. And understand you’ll have different narratives about different facets of life and that they get changed and modified over time.
For example a common narrative for awhile was that butter was bad for you and should be replaced with a man made vegetable oil product, margarine. Many people bought into this narrative either because of the authority of the doctors who pushed it or the “science” behind it. However this turned out to not be so true and people suffered health wise because of it. This is a minor example this applies to all different facets of life. Literally from “girls want nice guys” to “Find a steady job and invest in a 401k” to “you can believe everything the news tells you” and more.
Depending on how broad or narrow you want to define it there are tens of thousands of narratives that we have in our heads that help us deal with the world and keep us from having to do that most dreaded of all human endeavors…thinking. But you have to think and figure out where yours came from and why. That’s the big question here, why. Why do you believe what you believe and who does that benefit.
You’ll find out more often than not the answer is not you.
Sorting Through The Various Narratives
If you want a jumping off point lets look at the categories of this site. We have attraction, wealth, mindset, culture, health, and survival to name a few. Look at your beliefs in each and every one. Attraction do you think that girls want nice guys? Do you think you need to be a PUA definition of a jerk? Or do you find that just being a man solves this problem? What about mindset? What do you think about excuses? What is the mind capable of? Is it capable of changing or are we all stuck in our patterns? And so on and so forth.
Think, think, think.
Think about these things. All of them, go through them bit by bit and ask yourself “Where did that come from?”. Do you believe the history they told you in school? Do you think your banker really knows or wants you to make lots of money? Does your employer care about your long term stability? You can come up with your come questions, again the point is to think and to question. Constantly ask yourself why and where did that come from?
Keep searching and digging through your thoughts and beliefs trace where they came from and constantly be learning. You’ll start hitting some things that you realize don’t really benefit you but were put there to benefit others. That don’t work for you, your situation, and your life. And can be discarded or at least modified.
Changed with beliefs that work for you and benefit you.
The Proof Is In Your Life
Is you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got. That’s just a fact. In order to change you need to grow and to grow you need to think. A mind expanded can never return to its old size and all that. Think, think, think, and then take action. If your life is not where you want it to be then there are two big reasons for that. Either you’re on the right path but you haven’t been on it long enough or consistently enough or you’re ignorant of the right path and are on the wrong.
Look at your life and see if your beliefs and thoughts are getting you what you want from it. If not then understand it’s time to change something. Examine your thoughts and beliefs just as you’d examine your life. How much of what you believe comes from parents who knew nothing, the media, and other such sources? How much of what you think to be true actually is? Trust me, believing lies as truth is no way to go through life.
Examine and separate the truth from lies, and live a better life because of it. Always ask why? And who does this belief benefit? Those questions will lead you to answers.
If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!
-Charles Sledge
