The reflection of a hypocrite

Read time: 3-4 minutes (This is the second in a mini-series of posts about Beliefs and Fears.)

Quick recap

In the last post we discussed that our core beliefs are made evident by our actions. Regardless of what we tell others or ourselves, our actions betray our most inner belief system. This can be a hard concept to grasp, especially when our actions indicate something different than we vocally confess we believe.

At the end of the post, I asked what beliefs your actions show that you have. Based on the comments and emails I received, this question sparked some self evaluation.

Shall we continue?

Let’s look in the mirror

For those of us wanting to pursue a heroic destiny and not just living according to the same failed template as everyone else, self examination is very important. Do you profess a belief in lifestyle design or any other style of living (religious, academic, financial, etc) that is contrary to your view of popular culture? If so, consider some of these questions:

• Are you where you want to be?
• If not, what have you done to change your circumstances?
• What actions have you taken that leave you with no choice but to pursue the things you most desire?
• Does your bank account reflect your confessed belief that being debt free is the way to go?
• If more time is the thing you most want out of your life right now, how much TV have you been willing to cut out of your weekly schedule?
• Do you justify not acting by saying that you’ve earned the right to relax because of your circumstances?

Some of you are doing awesome things in these areas. Others of you are mad that I’d dare to hold this mirror up.

Don’t worry, I’m not hating…

Trust me, I’m a hypocrite too

In the belief system of lifestyle design, I am absolutely a hypocrite. Yes, my publicly confessed beliefs match up with the ‘doctrine’. My private beliefs and conversations read like the textbook ‘theology’. I’ll even ‘evangelize’ to anyone willing to sit still long enough for me to bombard with these beliefs. In the First Church of Lifestyle Design, I’m a good pew warmer, but until recently my actions weren’t that different than when I first ‘walked down the aisle’ and confessed those beliefs.

And not just in lifestyle design, of course. In fact, my actions are still lacking in many areas which causes me to think that my heart is still working to get where my mind already is.

And I’m so thankful for this!

It’s fear that makes me a hypocrite

In all the areas where my core beliefs differ from my professed or private beliefs, there is fear. Fear of what will happen if I do that thing (whatever that thing is). Fear that I will fail. Fear that everyone will see me and devour me publicly. Fear that even talking about it will limit my choices for the future as people begin to categorize me. Fear that people think I’m going through a phase or age specific crisis.

And so my fear makes a hypocrite out of me. Fortunately, I have to think that I’m in good company.

Which brings me to why I’m thankful. I’m thankful that there are others who understand what I’m going through. I’m thankful that our minds are indeed a few steps ahead of our fears. All those things that we’re publicly professing, all those conversations we’ve been having with ourselves, all of that is evidence that we want to believe in something better than we currently act on…and our fear is losing its grip. If we never spoke about these things, fear would be in total control.

Our fear is losing but it’s still there. And since it’s still there, I…we need a cure.

What are YOU scared of?

In order to get to a cure, we need to identify what it is that ails us. So before you go any further, stop and evaluate some of your fears.

• Are your fears valid?
• Are the things that you are afraid of real or imagined?
• Is the worst case scenario even a realistic possibility? (Or are you wasting creative energy on fears that will hold you prisoner?)
• On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely is it that your fears would come true if you did whatever it is that you are afraid of?

My next post in this series will identify what I believe is fear’s greatest weapon and what I think is the cure for it, but for now I want us to call our fears out.

The comments are all yours. Tell me, what are YOU scared of?