There’s a subtle concept in psychology that can be paraphrased as there’s no such thing as universal truth.  Basically, that everything we process with our brains is done through a series of self-created rules or filters, ‘this means this,’ that we aren’t even conscious of.  You may have seen this referred to as framing or cognitive distortion at the negative extreme.  The mind knows what it knows – think of the phenomenon of amputees who ‘feel’ the missing limb.  His brain and nerves still hold the truth of what was.

It’s impractical to think of going through life questioning every unconscious thought, reaction, or interaction.  However, when they hold you back, that’s the time to take out the magnifying glass and re-examine the rules; maybe they’ve changed or maybe they need to.

For more on how to do this, read Move Beyond the Limits That Are Holding You Back on zenhabits

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