Preconceived Notions-Take Back Your Mind!

What is a preconceived notion?  This is an opinion a person forms with out evidence or facts.  When you look at a beauty queen and think she had an easy life.  When you see a man enter an airplane with a turban and you think he is blowing the place up.  When you see an oriental woman at a nail salon and you assume she works there.  Do you see what I mean?  I've done it, you've done it, our kids do it.  


Why do we do this? We form judgement before we actually meet someone or encounter them in person.  Flip it though...do you think you have been a victim of this as well?  Odds are-you have.  I am a confident person but when it comes to a certain body part of mine (my thighs) I am very modest.  Because of such a large weight loss they are like cheddar biscuits from your favorite seafood restaurant.  So I catch glances and whispers at the pool and beach all the time.  The fact here is these people see a big girl with weird big legs.  They don't know the struggle I have dealt with throughout my entire life from age 15 dealing with having large legs.  


I am sure if you search your memory you can relate to a similar feeling.  But dig deeper and you can probably admit to a time when it was you whispering and you casting ugly glances.  I think the key is awareness.  Be aware of the thoughts crossing your mind and cast them from your conscience before they are relayed through your senses.  I think another important thing you can do is flip those thoughts and create a positive thought.  Instead of constantly wishing you had the life of your boss-the cars, the money, the freedom---because their life is so easy and everything is handed to them...remember the stress they deal with on a daily basis, the amount of responsibility lying on their shoulders, and the years of experience that it took for them to achieve this "status."  And say something admirable about their character and say nothing about what your preconceived notion was.  


We see this all the time in the news, in politics, in schools... We are entitled to an opinion but not when you are attacking an innocent persons nature and character.  I recognized how often I did this when I started asking for forgiveness for gossiping and judging.  After all, I didn't want to pray each day for the same thing and then consistently repeat these actions.  So I became aware of my thoughts responding through my mind and eyesight and I nipped it in the bud and reduced the amount of times a day I do this by 75%!  


You can take control of your preconceived notions and STOP the judgement.  The world may be a a much better place if we all did so.  Let's teach our kids about what is right and not what we think is right.  Drop these and you may see a joyous and more productive life!


Question for you chickees...what is your most common preconceived notion?