I have a penchant for challenging the core pillars of my knowledge structure. I have a passion for combining logic with creativity and continually asking the question ‘why?’ Putting your beliefs and psychology on trial is one of the most liberating and terrifying things you will ever do.

If you decide to muster up the courage to challenge yourself in this way, here are some pointers that will help you along the journey:

1. Focus on only one thing at a time.  I often find myself, say, rethinking some theological position I hold. That will then dovetail into some political controversy and might extend into science or medicine and other subjects as well. Pretty soon, I am trying to solve all the world’s problems. This never gets me anywhere. It is better to just focus strictly on one specific issue and don’t consider the possible ramifications of that in other areas until after you have come to a resolution of sorts.
2. Seek to find the integration of truth and happiness. Probably the main reason you are auditing your beliefs is that you, like me, are intensely plagued by the quest for truth. This being the case, be wary of confirmation bias. A good way to do this is to do everything you can to prove that what you believe is wrong. This is, understandably, an extremely difficult mindset to adopt. This doesn’t mean you should only read or study things that oppose your viewpoint, but you should give more time to the opposing viewpoints than on researching your current position. Far to many people fall into what I call ‘leading the evidence where they want it to go.’ They have already decided what is true and are therefore just looking for whatever happens to confirm their presupposition. Although this may bring a level of happiness, it is shallow and for me, undesirable. Instead of sacrificing the pure truth for your personal happiness, allow them to tag alongside each-other by doing what I call ‘believing in the possibility.’ This means that while not accepting certain things as the most likely truth, you still see them as possibly true and find the potential benefits of trying them out to outweigh the cost in doing so.
3. Have an outlet for sharing what you are studying. There is a phrase we use when people own up to something they believe or practice that is contrary to the societal norms they belong to and that is ‘coming out.’ If you grew up in a very liberal family and community, it would be very hard to come out as a conservative. If you grew up in a fundamental Christian family and community, it would be very hard to come out as an atheist. If everyone you know is pro-choice, it would be hard to come out as pro-life, and vice versa. Therefore, if you are challenging a deeply rooted societal or family value, find a safe outlet that you can share your thoughts with about the extremely controversial topic you are researching.
4. Be excited about wherever you are going. Don’t fear change. This is one of the most significant obstacles to progress: fear of change. It halts innovation, stifles creativity, promotes slavishness, and deadens relationships. Auditing beliefs will lead you into uncharted territory. Embrace the adventure.

Please know that if you need an outlet for anything, I can help. I will not judge you or think strangely of you regardless of what you tell me. In fact, I will do everything I can to prove I am wrong if what you say happens to clash with what I currently believe. Humility, open-mindedness and a non-judgmental spirit are the hallmarks of a true friend. May you find many in life.

Happy travels!