—video transcript—

When I was a kid, I fell in love with birds. I’ve loved birds my whole life, and one of my most favorite birds of all time is the great egret. But when I was a kid, we had a set of encyclopedias in which I looked up my favorite birds, and I memorized the entry for this egret that fascinated me so much. At the time, in that encyclopedia, it was referred to as the great American egret.

So I learned that as a child; I even, as I said, memorized the entry from the encyclopedia. And for all the years between childhood when I learned about that bird until well into my adulthood, I called it the Great American Egret. And then as my interest in birds as an adult continued to grow and heighten and I sought out new information from different places, I learned that it is not proper to include American in the name of that bird.
We dropped that language, who knows how long ago? Because the bird is not endemic only to the United States. It’s a great egret; it exists elsewhere beyond the US borders. So I was incorrect for many years because I kind of got my information and there I stayed. I didn’t progress, I didn’t keep up. It took a while for me to get the memo.

In another instance, bird-related—hang with me here—as a kid, I was taught that this little bird that we saw commonly in the area where I lived was known as a black-capped chickadee. No, it wasn’t. The person who taught me that was not correct. It’s a Carolina chickadee in the area of the country in which I live. So again, I was riding the wave of incorrect knowledge, unbeknownst to me, but I had to stay involved in the topic. I had to stay in the mix to keep learning, to find out that what I thought was accurate was actually not so I could update the information.

Another example I wanna give you, and then I’ll get to a very important point…
Recently, a loved one mentioned that she had read about a certain device that was extremely helpful for her husband’s health issue. It was something relatively new on the market. She stays apprised of things going on related to the health issues of her husband. So at his next doctor’s appointment, this device was mentioned. The doctor had never heard of it, no clue it existed. So while they were coming to the healthcare professional, the seasoned pro, to ask if this was something viable, he had no knowledge. Well, in short order, they got a prescription for that device because the doctor took the information from the patient’s family and became educated and realized it was something viable that should be included in a care regimen for this particular patient.

Oh my goodness. My point is… Keep learning. Question the experts. Expand your knowledge base. Reach out to more resources. There’s so much more always to learn.

if you happen upon any expert (and I’ll use air quotes there) that says, “this is how it is; the end”—no evolution, no next chapter, I invite you to be concerned about that because we’re always learning and growing. And if you are truly seeking out someone who’s an authority on a certain topic or an expert, to me, a big indicator that they truly are what they’re purporting to be is that they’re continuously learning and adding to their wheelhouse and they’re seeking the latest knowledge.

We’ve been through instances of late, at the time that I’m recording this, related to the healthcare pandemic of Covid 19. Early on in that situation, many people had very specific stances on what should be done and protocols, and they would refer to the science: “the science says, the science says.” My friends, by nature, science is constantly evolving. The scientific method is all about objective questioning and deepening research and the ever-unfolding facts that we can find through studies. So yes, to date the science said one thing, but even in that moment, various other sources of reputable studies might have said something different or even outright contradictory. My point is, if you really care about something and you want to learn about it to implement it and incorporate it into your life, take the time to seek out quality, current sources or follow those who are getting the latest sources and then synthesizing intelligently that information for you and sharing it in a way that is very open and presented with curiosity as well as authority.

For me, coming to this place where I question with curiosity and just because some certain authority says something doesn’t mean that I’m just gonna ride it and trust it, that I want to learn where they got their information. I wanna go to the origin of the study or the source or the information. The reason I’m able to be here is because I have learned to declutter and manage my life in such a way that I have the time and mental energy to do so.

We human beings operate on what is called the motivational triad. This is the triad that exists to keep our species reproducing and living and existing on the planet. And that is to avoid pain, seek pleasure, and be efficient. We want to be efficient not just in how we operate, in terms of seeking food and getting things done in the course of the day, but that is actually specific to our computational effort cognitively. We will go for the most simple answer from the trusted source and not question any further because we wanna get that info and move on. That is fundamental to the human desire to operate efficiently.

And I get it. There are things, just give me the 1, 2, 3 and I’ll move forward and I won’t investigate further because that’s all I needed to know. But there are certain things and those things are up to you based on your priority and purpose and intention for your day-to-day life that merit deeper exploration.

So don’t be like me when I was a kid. I memorized an encyclopedia entry and then just presumed it was accurate for, you know, a few more decades of life until I got schooled otherwise. Things changed. Don’t just receive the information from somebody who’s an expert or authority and presume that it’s 100% accurate. We are all human beings. We are all subject to making mistakes or making assumptions or sharing information in error. So please take that time to ensure that you understand and you have the latest greatest.

This is one reason I’m very big on inviting you, if you ever need or desire—I’ll gladly share my sources of information ‘cause I’m constantly learning.

But again, more than anything, I wanna help you get to a place where you have time to seek out deeper information on the things that matter to you.

So to do that, it’s a very practical, tactical, science-and-spirit meet kind of approach to life. I offer courses and coaching that can help you do that. So please, let’s stay in touch and I’ll help you get there so that you’re not just repeating something based on the fact that you trusted the person that told you the first time, that you can come to your own intelligence and knowledge in all things. This is a very beautiful way to approach life, but you gotta have the time and mental energy to do that. And that’s how I’m here to help. Let me help you declutter your life in whatever way you need. Thank you for being here, and I’ll look forward to being in touch!