Crafting a Personal Worldview

For the past few weeks, I’ve been writing a blog series on starting points.  A starting point is a spot where the trail begins. It defines the path we choose and the points of interest we will see along the way.

Messages from our larger environment suggest we should believe one thing or another. The purpose of this blog is to pause and help us consciously choose the worldview we want to live in. I see these starting points as an individual set of beliefs that shape how we show up in our lives.

• Do we see our lives defined by scarcity and deficits?
• Do we seek positions in our careers to serve or to gain or use power?
• Do we see abundance in the wide variety of forms that nourish our lives?

This isn’t just the beginning of a trial. It’s a place to reflect on the beliefs that shape our lives. These beliefs will significantly impact the quality of our lives, from what we worry about to the most prominent emotions in our day-to-day lives.

The chart below outlines starting points in the form of six significant beliefs about the world that will define our thinking, practices, and values in life.

Nature’s worldview reflects the starting points you see on the right of the chart:

• Nature is a system built on relationships, not things.
• Nature adapts, designed to only pass on the DNA of the species that is the best adaptive fit for its ecosystem.
• Nature sees and nourishes the whole system. The strength of a part of the system is always seen in its relationship to the whole.
• Nature values the intangible along with the tangible.

Humans, however, often focus on the starting points on the left. People who organize their lives around getting, expanding, using, and protecting their power are invested in the mantra that goes something like this: If I am powerful, I will be happy. They worry about people who could take their power away, and fear others will come after them. As a result, they expend much time and resources protecting themselves and those they care about.

Underneath beliefs in power, scarcity, control, and things rests the emotions of fear and anxiety.  Do we really want to live that way?

Crafting Our Worldview

I want to challenge each of us to craft intentionally the worldview we want to live in.  Review the chart once again. Do you start on the left or the right side?

Now, reflect on the “what if” question. Do you believe in X or Y? Why do you hold those beliefs? Is the larger culture telling you one thing while your lived experience reflects another?

I like to live in smaller communities. Like Nature, many remote, rural, and even strong urban neighborhood communities lean toward the right side of these starting points. People in these communities know each other, and their values and beliefs are built on relationships.

Right now, we are bombarded with messages. We are told our political leaders have the power to shape our lives. Or that corporate CEO’s can control us. While their actions can impact us, remember that these people don’t have the power to change how we see the world. 

It’s time to consciously decide what worldview you want to design your life around. How we see the world is our choice.

In these times, we can see Nature as a model for another way to be in the world. I tend to exist on the right side. I seek to serve my clients and my community. It enriches my life and my work.

What about you?