Richard Feynman won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1965 and he was notorious for challenging authority and fixed beliefs.
In one of his books, he talks about how his father, who was in the uniform business, would teach him not to give power or respect to someone just because of the costume they wear.
One time, his father showed him a picture of the Pope in the paper, and said:
“Now look at these humans. Here’s one human standing here, and all those others are bowing in front of him. Now what’s the difference?”
“The difference is the hat he’s wearing. But, this man has the same problems as everybody else: he eats dinner; he goes to the bathroom. He’s a human being.”
He understood that a person was still a person regardless of the costume they wear or the position they hold.
It’s the same with our thoughts.
We all have hundreds of thoughts every day. Some are sensible, some bizarre, some worrying, some pleasurable, some true, some just plain wrong.
But some come dressed in a uniform, that makes them hard to ignore.
It might be anxiety.
Or self-doubt.
Or some limiting belief.
But underneath the ‘uniform’, they are all just thoughts.
And if you can easily dismiss a thought that Brad or Angelina might phone now they are single again, you should be able to do the same with those persistent thoughts that make your life difficult or unhappy.
You just have to see past the uniform.
If you need help to do that, get in touch.
Heidi Woodgate