Let’s get in shape
This isn’t what you think it is. It’s a new year, so we’re all thinking of our resolutions and perhaps already breaking them. But I’m not talking about getting in physical shape.
mal·le·a·ble /ˈmalyəb(ə)l/ adjective able to be hammered or pressed permanently out of shape without breaking or cracking.
We are all shaped by things; our past, our families, our friends, our communities, the news we absorb, so many things, and many of them fly under the radar and subconsciously shape who we are and what we think.
And we have so much reinforcement. If you are a Flat-Earther, you can find a community, if you’re a vegan, you have a community behind you, if you are pro-choice, or pro-life, you can find your tribe. Some of these things can seem trivial and others, very important. We are tribal beings to our core, we want to belong. And it’s so easy to find a place to belong.
Being a part of something larger than ourselves is critical, it’s what has helped our ancestors survive. It helped them live through famine, plagues, wars, weather events, and a myriad of other tragic, trying situations.
But our tribal inclinations can be harmful as well. We only have to look as far as a political rally to see how group-think can be dangerous. Group-think can convince us to doubt our own common sense. In his book, Think Again, Adam Grant talks about our tendencies to lean towards not being open-minded. He says, “When we dedicate ourselves to a plan and it isn’t going as we hoped, our first instinct isn’t usually to rethink it. Instead, we tend to double down and sink more resources into the plan.”
I’ll keep this brief.
Please join me this year in being mindful of what you are shaped by.
If it’s fear of others, fear of disaster, fear of the worst-case scenario, fear of a president, fear of a pandemic, fear of inflation, fear of socialism, fear of capitalism, fear of fill-in-the-blank, be mindful. Observe where that fear is coming from and call it what it is and lean into it. But don’t slink away from it or let it cause you to dehumanize yourself or others.
Instead, open your heart, open your mind, and trust yourself. You’ve got this.
