Many people expend a great deal of energy to ensure they are “right”. People go to great lengths to prove they are right, often without regards to the cost of being right. This need to be right is the crux of most arguments. The need to be right has destroyed relationships, caused divorces and even started wars.
World leaders have demonstrated over and over again that their personal need to be “right” sometimes overrules common sense or the greater need of the people. Many people have and still do lose their life because leaders of countries and armies have such a burning drive to be right. These people illustrate that they will be “right” no matter what it takes and no matter how wrong they are. Some people may even get to a point in a discussion where they realize they are wrong, however their need to be right is so strong that they will continue to fight to be right. How insane is this behavior?
When we are being driven by our ego and our need to right is so strong, we tend to become isolated, we put up walls to protect ourselves from the onslaught of others thoughts and opinions. We summarily dismiss anyone who is not of the same mindset as us for fear that what we hold to be true may be challenged. We fear that if we expose ourselves to information that is different then that which we believe is right than somehow we may have to question our own beliefs.
When we are in a situation where you adamantly feel that we are right, stop and ask yourself the following questions:
- – What information do I have that makes me believe I am right?
- – Is there any possibility that I could in fact be wrong?
- – Could there be multiple right ways to think this thought or do this task?
- – If in a discussion with someone, what is the price of me being right?
- – What would be the gain of allowing the other person to be right?
- – What do I gain by admitting that I am wrong?
- – What do others gain by admitting that I am wrong?
- – Am I operating from my need to feed my ego or am I operating from spirit and love?
Once you have answered these questions, you are then in an increased position of openness, an openness which allows you to entertain all possibilities, an openness which allows you to entertain other peoples thoughts without fear that you will somehow not be you and without fear that your beliefs may somehow be corrupted by exposure to beliefs and thoughts that are contrary to what you believe to be true.
When you let go of the need to be right, you open yourself up to increased possibilities and an enhanced way of living. Your relationships will thrive as you give up the need to be right.
Open yourself up to all possibilities. We have the opportunity to learn and evolve each day. This opportunity is severely hampered when we always insist on being right and resist any change in what we think and how we perceive things.
Give yourself permission to not be right all of the time.
