Traditional Wisdom; Where Did it Come From?

Now, let me ask you this. What are the things you do or think that are so ingrained in you that you have no idea where they came from. Let me tell you a story as an example.

A young woman was making Christmas dinner and she was making ham. She cut off the both ends of the ham and then put it in the roasting pan. Her daughter asked her why she cut the ends off.

"I don't know; it's what your grandma did." She answered.

The little girl went out into the living room and asked her grandma why she cut the ends off the ham when she cooked it. Her grandmother looked off into the distance for a moment and then said, "You know I guess I always did it that way because my mother always did it that way."

The great-grandmother was going to be present later that evening and when she got there. The three women, little girl, mother, and grandmother all cornered the old woman and asked the question.

"Mom," the grandmother said. "why did you cut the ends off of the ham when you cooked it?"

"The old woman smiled and answered, "My pan was too short."

We all do things that we do because we follow traditional wisdom or we are trained that way. Often times we are not even sure why we do them. What I want to ask you is what those things are in your life.

Notice the things you do out of habit and maybe even write them down. Why do you do them? What is the benefit to you? Are there ways to do what you do that is different from your traditional wisdom? Do you find yourself getting into trouble because you do things the traditional way? Don't be easy on yourself. Question everything, especially the authority of those who may have given you that wisdom in the first place. Then change. Change your habits. Change your thinking.

Steve
A Common Path
Life Change For You