The Data Doesn’t Lie . . .or DOES it?

You are what you know - but what you know may be flawed

Author

Sharon Welch
March 13, 2024

The Data Doesn’t Lie . . .or DOES it?

If you have ever seen “The Secret” then you may have heard of Joe Vitale. I was in a Ho’ Oponopono class he was leading this past week (extra credit for my readers - send me a DM if you are curious about what Ho’ Oponopono is and how it can change your life!). At one point he said something that really resonated with me. He said “You are perfect. It is the data that is imperfect.” Full stop! I mean, you hear me talk all the time how we can “change your mind, change your life” right? But it always seems easier to say than to do.

Yet this statement really bridges that gap between the changing of your mind and the deeper work of re-curating your legacy belief stories. When we can understand that the data, information, belief systems, feedback, advice and everything else we take in could be flawed - no, more likely IS flawed - it becomes easier to detach ourselves emotionally from any piece of that data so we can evaluate it with clear eyes.

For those of you who lean more toward the analytical end of the spectrum (and further away from the woowoo, lol) this may be what you needed to hear. We can quite literally take a scientific approach to proving - or disproving - our sense of self. In science, we need to understand the data - where did it come from, how did we get it, is there other data that exists to corroborate or contradict the premise. You get the idea. For analysts, the answer is in the data - but because we spent a lot of time on autopilot blindly accepting many things as facts only because they were presented to us or because we were conditioned to believe they were “right”, we haven’t spent a lot of time doing our own research.

In fact, we probably spent plenty of time finding lopsided, biased evidence to prove this information right because we are also wrestling with a loud, chatty ego that always want to be right - almost at any cost! And being right is a way to maintain a (false!) sense of control. But now here you are with new information, new perspective. What I have just told you is that you likely have faulty data floating around inside you and you probably weren’t aware of it. Now you can’t unsee it!

So what can you do? A fist step might be to start picking up those long-held beliefs about your worth, your limitations, your responsibilities, the way you need to conduct your life - one by one - to the bright light of scientific inquiry. Question everything. Decide for yourself if each one is still true for you (if it ever really was) and if it isn’t - what is more true for you now? This is the first movement towards reclaiming your authentic identity. And it may bring up a lot of resistance or fear or disbelief because it can feel all those ways when you start to tip toe away from the safety of a pack that feels most comfortable when you don’t change - when you stay the same. But trust me when I say, there are plenty of others waiting to support and celebrate you when you find your way to the fire circle you are meant to be at now.

If the thought of taking on this exercise from scratch seems daunting - I have a little journaling booklet that can help you start brainstorming and evaluating some of your beliefs to get you started. Just reach out if you would like it and I am happy to send it to you! 😄 

Looking for more ways to connect and go deeper into these topics?

1. I have a podcast! It's called A Brave Journey - Reclaiming Your Identity After 40. I would love to hear what you think - and if you like it, you can subscribe on pretty much any of your favorite podcast platforms like Apple and Spotify.

2. For the first time in quite a long time - I am opening some spaces in my Year-long Journey To Brave and my 12-Week Transformation programs. These are opportunities to go deeper with me one on one to get specific and intentional about re-imagining and re-curating your own belief system and authentic identity. I have missed this level of connection with you - and if you have been missing it too, reach out!

I only have a couple more weeks here in Central America before I return to the beautiful Cape - hard to believe almost 4 months have flown by!

Until next time! Be kind to yourself, be curious, and be BRAVE!

—Sharon

I am so grateful for the time you take to read this blog. It means the world to me! I have also made it possible to share a virtual cup of coffee with me if you are so inclined! 😉 ☕️