All of us have many, many biases. Often, they are invisible to us. Some might be quite apparent, such as a preference for a certain football team or a kind of cuisine. Others might be less apparent, such as having a certain distaste for an actor for a reason you’re not sure of. Then, one day it hits you that they were in a scary film you watched as a child. It’s these little preferences, tastes and mini-hidden choices that can inform our personality most of all. For example, a teenager who grows up forming bonding experiences with their parents by watching action movies in the cinema with them will likely inflate even the most formulaic action flick to a height it might not deserve, at least within their own mind.
Most of us cannot change these tastes unless we deliberately want to. However, it’s also important to consider those hidden influencers that could be harming us. For example, xenophobic sentiments picked up from our grandparent might be worth reflecting on and then throwing aside. The most common attitude is that of ‘I don’t need to know this!’ We know the type. The person who has limited basic cooking knowledge because their parents never taught them, or is hopeless at cleaning because they had a maid in childhood. As a functioning adult, we need to continually override that version of ourselves for the best results. We think we understand how and why you might achieve this. Let us begin with the following sentiments:
The Internet Is Your Friend
From finding expert help with getting a secured loan, to learning how to finally repair that shelf stand that has fallen down six times in the last week, ensuring that you make best use of the internet is important. Using note-taking apps such as Google Keep, Evernote and it’s web clipper, or Pocket to save articles in one localised place, you can collate the information you find on a topic and weed out the best and most useful advice there.
This can also be a worthwhile call to action. For example, there’s a YouTuber for everything. If purchasing a new model of car, why not find an owner’s channel, one that discusses maintenance, specs, and upgrades you could implement should you choose? Finding content that provides you use in real life and supporting it could help you overcome your biases. For example, it might be that you follow a fitness guru on YouTube dedicated to teaching you the best practices for safety and correct form when weightlifting. The internet is your friend, and knowing where to look, finding blogs that support your lifestyle, and generally keeping an open mind can be a true boon to your life.
Challenge Yourself
Going outside your usual boundaries is an extremely health exercise for most people. And it’s not hard to see why this is. In fact, challenging yourself can often lead you to build an inner self-confidence that’s harder to break than you might realize. For example, it might be that you need a new piece of furniture. Something simple, such as a coffee or bedside table. You could head to IKEA and purchase a cheap, simple flat pack variant. You could head to an antiques store and purchase a beautiful table fashioned from some old reclaimed wood from the Soviet era. You could also build one yourself. For most people, this last option is completely out of the question. But why should it be?
Sure, you might not have the best workshop in your home. But do you need one for a table? Researching online about how to make one, best safety practice, the joints needed to fit pieces together, and what equipment you need can all be prior to a visit to the tool shop in your town. Discussing your goal with the clerk there, you might have a great conversation. You might write about or document your process of stepping out. You might find a great timberyard in your town selling wooden pieces you need, and you might learn to haggle as a result. Then, working in your garage, it might take you over a month to make this small table, perhaps breaking a piece here or there. And yet when you achieve it – you’ve made your very own table through hard work and a completely self-starting attitude. You can be sure that every time you place a coffee mug on this table, a memory of your past achievement will flow through you like warm honey.
Comfort In Novice-Hood
It’s no problem to be a novice. Michael Jordan was once a novice. Arnold Schwarzenegger was once a skinny kid headed to the States from Austria. Once you accept and even welcome novice-hood, then you can find what most interests you and head in that direction. And don’t be afraid to try things! Experimenting can lead you down the path you most desire.
With this advice, we believe you will become the ‘I can try this!’ person you hope to be.
