It matters what we call things.
The definitions we use. The labels we attach. The meaning we bestow. How we frame something. It matters.
Shaping your reality
While I appreciate the whimsy of the license plate, it points to a slippery slope about how we shape our reality with limiting beliefs.
For instance, if you consistently tell yourself there’s never enough time, there isn’t. What you say about time becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Somewhere deep inside, our subconscious latches on—and these definitions, labels, and interpretations become part of the lens through which we perceive our world.
- When you say you can’t do something, you stop looking for ways to make it possible.
- When you frame something as difficult, it usually is.
- If you tell yourself you won’t ever get out of debt, you don’t.
- If you call yourself lazy, you perpetuate acting that way.
Monitoring your thoughts
We could all benefit from being more diligent about patrolling our thoughts for those that are limiting, based on false assumptions, and reflect powerlessness and negativity.
I’ve crossed paths with a half dozen Smart cars since seeing this license plate. Every time I see one, “DUMBCAR” comes to mind—even if only for a split second. Because what we call things matters.
What limiting beliefs do you keep giving life to?
