“What is…” Wednesday – What is the Thought Revolution?

Not sure how Thought Revolution: How to Unlock Your Inner Genius by William A. Donius ended up on my desk.  But it did – so I read it.

Donius was a successful corporate climber, but wasn’t happy with his personal life, including relationships, creativity and his own fears.

He used what’s called “intuitive handwriting,” the practice of writing with your non-dominant hand, to open his path to self-discovery.

I’m not really into all of that psycho-analysis so I’m sure I missed the point on much of it – but he did bring up some points I thought are worthwhile.

First, he says that lying to yourself is a form of self-preservation.  “I’m not good enough” or “This will take too long” are examples that might prevent us from being our best.

He then goes on to identify eight prominent lies that he says most of us believe to be truisms.

1. “Everything will work out eventually,” aka “Whatever will be will be.” My take: I believe it, especially if it is something you can control.

2. “I’ll get to it later.” My take: I don’t believe it. I’m not sure where I first heard it, but “Procrastination is the thief of time.”

3. “Sooner or later my ship will come in,” aka “Good things come to those who wait.” My take: Usually. But you must take advantage of opportunities as they arise.

4. “I’m not one who needs to apologize.” My take: I don’t believe it because I don’t think that person exists.

5. “My life is as good as it gets.” My take: I believe it. Happiness, family, freedom, security and personal satisfaction carry a lot of weight.

6. “Everything will be okay.” My take: Not always, but sometimes it is out of your control so make the best of it.

7. “I won’t make the same mistakes as my parents.” My take: What mistakes? Really, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all parenting manual. There are a lot of great adults who had bad parents and vice versa. Other than obvious things, who’s expert enough to be the judge on this?

8. “There’s no such thing as true love.” My take: Yes there is.

I never really spend a lot of time in the “what if” and “I cannot” realm – and I’m going to continue to write with my left hand.

Are your takes different on Donius’ list of eight?