"Contrary to how it seems, none of us sees the world as it "really" is. Our perceptions of the world, including our views of other people and ourselves, are always some blend of objective reality and our personal interpretations of reality. No one can see the world from any perspective other than their own nor fully escape the tendency to perceive the world through the filter of their own self-interest. Everyone is naturally, inherently, and incontrovertibly egocentric." — from The Case for Ego-Skepticism by Mark Leary.
I am egocentric.
I write it here as a reminder to myself.
I'd love to say I am not, and I make an effort to practice skepticism and question my beliefs, thoughts, and stories. But I am human, so I can only know a fragment of reality. Despite all my goodwill, I cannot separate my experiences from reality.
I am writing this neither to pity nor justify myself.
I write this to remind myself never to take my idea of reality as the objective truth. I want to avoid getting trapped in my own stories to the point where I become so self-centred that I am blind to other people's perspectives and feelings.
But telling this to myself is not enough. In the end, I can't easily see beyond my own thinking. That's why I love conversing with people who challenge and disrupt my thinking, like my coaches and mentors.
How do you keep yourself out of the trap of your own stories?