Our journey in life really begins as a teenager. This is where we start to become a true individual. We develop our own opinions from our own experiences and it's our first step into life on our own.
We begin this journey in Denial. Denial is many things Cheap Jerseys Wholesale , but I like to think of it simply as we don't know what we don't know. As we move through our later years we like to think we have worldly knowledge, little realizing how little we know. We stop looking to our parents for advice, we think we don't need it. And what would our parents know anyway Cheap Jerseys Online , they're old!
Denial ends when we start to step up for ourselves and take full responsibility for looking after ourselves. We learn to clean, wash and cook (sometimes).
This normally begins when we leave home, or get kicked out of home by our parents Cheap Jerseys From China , gently or strongly. Then when we enter the big wide world and get a bit of worldly experience we realize we don't know everything about everything. Denial is a state of fear. We deny what we fear. But fear is just the illusion painted by absence of knowledge. Three hundred years ago people "knew" if you sailed in one direction you fell off the earth. Now we laugh, but so will our children about us in 50 years.
So when we have more knowledge about life we usually (but not always) slip into the next phase of empowerment...
With our worldly experience we then become a sceptic! This is where people have opinions about many things, even the things they don't have experience about. I see scepticism as pre-judging an experience without having the experience.
A classic example is investment in real estate.
Those who have had a poor experience or none at all are often pessimistic about owning investment properties. Whereas those who have many properties Cheap Jerseys China , by their experience believe having investment properties is a great thing. Sceptics pre-judge having the property as a bad thing. Fear is what's really talking as logic says there are people who are successful and happy with owning many properties. Fear stops us from seeing the truth, it's denial expressed.
When people are sceptics they often want to "air" their own knowledge telling people what their opinion is. However when they do someone smarter can come along and shoot down the sceptics fear based opinion with facts and proof based on real life experience. This can mean the sceptic realizes they don't know everything and have a lot to learn. When this happens the sceptic slips into the next phase of empowerment, a very distinct phase called... Acceptance.
Acceptance is the phase of empowerment where you just "accept" information on your chosen subject and don't filter it through your own opinions (and fear). Acceptance is where you become a student of your chosen field. If someone asks you for an opinion or a question you answer with Cheap Jerseys , "I don't know I'm just getting started".
Acceptance is a phase that lasts for a few years. You begin your journey with a goal in mind. Normally the goal is to be like someone you know who you consider already successful in your chosen field. It might be mechanical repairs, it could be sales, it could be running your own business Cheap NFL Football Jerseys , it doesn't matter. The principle applies to all fields of endeavour.
By setting this goal or aspiration you set a benchmark as to where you want to be. You want to be like the person you first saw as being yourself one day. In acceptance mode, it's like a return to childhood. You just take in information continually without filtering it because when you think you know nothing you can learn everything from anyone.
However, over a few years or more you start to realize you know some things. You've been a great student and have learnt much. However the next phase begins when one day you realize you know much more than many others and that you have a solid depth of understanding comparatively speaking to others in your field. Or Cheap Football Jerseys , you have gotten close to realizing the goal you stated when you began your knowledge journey. When you start to think you know some things that others don't you've just slipped into the next phase of empowerment I call... Justification.
Justification is just that, it's a phase where you feel a need to 'justify' what you think you 'know' to convince yourself of the merit of your knowledge. There are two ways of doing this, either in preach or teach mode.
The reasons justification is a phase of empowerment is that you need feedback to tell if your knowledge is true or theory. You feel a need to share it with others to see what their response to it is. Preaching is where you try to convince others of your knowledge with emotional attachment to them believing you. You want to prove to others you are knowledgeable.
Justification is where your knowledge becomes your identity as well. You get significance from your acquired knowledge and think you are your knowledge (or industry if you're in business). In sales its where sales people think that because they know all about their productservice they have a right to tell people how much they know about it. Many sales people fall into the category of justification as seen by their need to talk most of the time telling customers how much they know and their opinion.
In "teach" mode it's where you want to help people by teaching them things you know Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys , whether they ask for your help or not. You feel a need to share your knowledge because you are passionate about it.
When people agree with you on a subject you talk about, then you say, this must be true.
Unfortunately justification is a trap. Its where the ego comes out the makes you think you are significant because of your knowledge. Sure you know some things Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale , but have you really reached your potential of highest empowerment? No, because there's another level to go.
What happens is that when you begin your journey of "acceptance" and define your level of success as being si