Being happily wrong.....

We all do it.

We all tend to see what we want to see and ignore anything that doesn't line up with our pre-conceived beliefs.

We all look for the good in those we love  -- so we can justify loving them -- and gloss over the bad.

And we all look for the bad in those we hate -- so we can justify hating them -- and refuse to acknowledge the good.

We all want to be RIGHT so badly, that we sometimes ignore reality so that we never ever ever have to say those horrible, awful, terrible three words that we hate to say more than anything in the world.

"I WAS WRONG"

Actually, I have come to the conclusion that saying "I was wrong" might actually be a GOOD thing.   A very, very good thing.  Because.....

....maybe it means I actually learned something new.  

....maybe it means my thinking has evolved.

....maybe it means I have learned to humble myself enough to realize that I don't know everything, and that there is still a lot I can learn about people, places, emotions, situations etc....   I don't have it all figured out and I never will.

So lately, I have been trying to really open my mind to new ideas, thoughts and opinions.  I truly try to listen when someone presents a differing opinion than mine and then sincerely think about what has been presented to me.  I really try to open myself up to the possibility that they might be right and I might be wrong. 

Then, one of two things will happen:  Either I realize that my way of thinking was wrong, and I now am enlightened to a new truth…. which is a good thing.  OR…. if after mulling over the new information with an open heart, and I still feel good about holding fast to my original beliefs, it just reinforces my opinion and I feel even stronger about my original stance/belief/thought/opinion.  

Seems like a win-win to me.   

I love hearing about other people’s ideas, beliefs, and thoughts about all kinds of things.  Religious, political, creative arts, parenting, relational…. you name it.  Finding out what people around me think, and why they think that way is always interesting to me.  And I think I have gained the most wisdom in my moments of willingness to listen.  

Everyone’s thoughts/opinions/beliefs are made up because of their own unique life-experiences.   So I don’t blame or judge someone for thinking differently than I do.  Our journeys have been different, so it only makes sense that we might not think alike.  But that doesn’t mean we have to be enemies either.  And that is a stance that is happening way too often in our society today.  Immediately assuming that because we think differently, we are enemies.  It has to stop.

So please....don’t be afraid to listen friends.

We learn by listening.

We connect with others by listening.

And I find that most of the time, we are listened to by listening first.

So yeah….. Don't let your ego convince you that admitting that you might have been wrong is a bad thing.  Next time when you find you have to say, “I was wrong”, ----don’t say it defeatedly. 

Try saying it happily, with self-assured intention. 

 “COOL!  I WAS WRONG!” 

 Because now you know you have learned something new, which should make you happy!   

And you know the old saying, “Do you want to be right?  Or do you want to be happy?” It totally makes sense now, doesn’t it?   :-)))

Love y'all,

M