Do you believe everything you read?  Do you believe that just because someone has written about a particular topic that that makes them an expert?

I know several people who do, and then the other day I came across this quote from Aristotle:

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

I frequently get comments or e-mails from readers who disagree with something I have written.  I’ve even had one person tell me I didn’t lose 25 pounds in one month, that it was silly to mislead my readers in such a way.  (What a polite way to call someone a liar!)

While I respectfully explained that if I didn’t lose 25 pounds of “body weight” as this person called it, I lost 25 pounds of something – whether it was brain cells or maybe I got my hair cut that month or whatever – the weight disappeared and never came back.  The purpose of that post was to share how I did it.  That’s all.  It has now helped hundreds of people, possible more that I’ve never heard from.

But I definitely respect this person’s right to express her beliefs as well.  Because, as Evelyn Beatrice Hall put it best:

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Everyone has the right to tell their story.  Some stories are incredible, indeed.  And yes, there are many who abuse the internet, abuse blogging, and abuse us in general by telling false tales.  But the ones that are legit, as incredible as they may sometimes be, often help a great number of people.

So how does one decipher something helpful versus a tall tale?

I’m not really sure it matters all that much.  If a story is untrue, but it helps you in some way – even if it just gives you a chuckle, then perhaps it has served its purpose.

Even if a story is true, like mine, but you can’t accept it, it’s not going to help you at all.  I’ve witnessed many situations where a person couldn’t believe the truth and therefore didn’t get the help they needed.

So before you change your belief system or even an action item based on something you’ve read, take a moment, an hour, a day, or longer to reflect on it.  Decide for yourself if something is credible for you, or not.

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Posted under Education, Leadership, Motivation, Success