Dogma Tuneup
Posted on November 06, 2021 by Greg Myers, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.
At our core, we all have a set of non-negotiable beliefs about the world (our personal dogma) that drive our actions. Have we looked at them lately?
“Don’t believe everything you know” is a popular maxim, encouraging us to loosen up a little on our certainty. Easier said than done because, at our core, we all have a set of non-negotiable beliefs about the world (our personal dogma) that drive our actions.
For years, my catch phrase was “No rest for the wicked.” I’d announce this at the start of a difficult task, or at a daunting setback, or anytime I needed to redouble my effort. It was an attempt to inject humor into a difficult situation. But as you might guess, I also thought that I was the wicked one not deserving of rest (no longer the case, just saying). As a result, I was a bit hard on myself!
Dogma includes your attitude towards yourself, how you deserve to be treated, and how the world works (culture, science, spirituality). Dogma is the thing you are not willing to reconsider, and probably the thing you don’t even realize you believe, because it is just obviously True.
So if we were to run a highlighter around our personal dogma, we’d end up with a map of our non-negotiable first principles – the things that shape our day-to-day experience. For me, that runs that gamut from things like “the universe is made up of stuff that follows rules” to “if you educate someone, they will think like you do.” The first I am pretty sure is correct, the second is demonstrably false – but both of these ideas drive much of my behavior.
So yes, we don’t even have to “believe” them for them to influence our actions – we just have to give them power. By paying attention to those “first principles” we can gain some useful perspective on why we do what we do, and why we react the way we react.
Could you use a dogma tuneup? Start a catch-phrase journal. When you are under stress, what do you tell yourself and others – about the situation, about yourself, about others? Collect a few weeks worth of data. You could also ask people close to you what they think your motto might be, or about your go-to reaction to difficulty or conflict. Then sit down with that information, and ask yourself about your first principles. What core beliefs drive your thoughts and actions? Then start watching those principles in action. Notice how your dogma determines your choices. If you like the outcomes, great. If not, try invoking something you value (courage, honesty, thrift – whatever traits you honor) to move you to a different action – one that gives you a different result.
This is not easy, it takes time, one step forward, two steps back. And you can become more aware of the beliefs that underlie your actions. And with that growing awareness, begin to embrace a more valued path.
