Can You Believe Everything You Hear?
Recently I was reminded of the ever constant “rumor” that seems to touch us on all levels of life. It seems people are more willing to accept all they hear or are told as truth rather than step back and withhold judgment or a decision until they have all the facts.
This came about when my daughter calls me on my ride home from work and tells me that a young man we know lost his temper and in broad daylight and smashed another young mans windows out of his truck with a baseball bat.
She assured me this was true, had already accepted this as a fact because somebody told her so.
Later that day, my husband came home and told us all the same story; it was a bit larger now, police were involved, witnesses, and arrests were made, they had the culprit.
Learning to think things through as a critical thinker, I tried to clarify some facts not willing to accept yet that all was as it appeared; but both my husband and daughter were adamant, it was true.
In the mean time, my two younger daughters went to the local Festival in town. When they came back, they told me the supposed victims truck was fine, not one window broken or even cracked.
Now I still don’t know the whole story of how this rumor would rage across the town from my teenage daughter to my husband; but isn’t it amazing what people are so ready to believe, and how easily deceived they are based just on another persons words?
As a Network Marketer, I’m often approached by someone who wants to recruit me in their business. They tell me how successful they are, how much they make, that their business has the best compensation plan in the history of MLM, or some such scenario. I’ve learned to turn on the critical thought process - become a detective and investigate the claims they are asking me to accept.
There’s a women in Washington DC hounding politicians like a watch dog. She isn’t afraid to ask, question, and dig in investigating any politician who’s behavior seems to lack integrity.
What I appreciate the most about her story is she isn’t sitting back accepting the claims being made or believing all she hears as truth until she investigates. Her persistence in taking responsibility for her own beliefs, has led to the fall of some prominent government leaders.
Thinking it may offend someone to validate their statements? If the statements are true no harm no foul. Ultimately I’m responsible for what I believe; its up to me to put on the Detective Networking Hat and discover if I’m being given fact or fiction; rumor or truth. If you’d like help learning how to determine whether your being given the facts or not, start with this free ebook.
