Do you have deeply held beliefs, or merely a strong suspicion?
This week I caught up with friends I’ve known for nearly forty years. As we sat in a pub and laughed and joked, one reflection made was of how opinionated I always was in my 20s and 30s, and hey, 40s too! Around 15 or so years ago, though, I began to be less interested in my own opinions and more in listening and learning from others. A few years later, the late, great Ed Percival took me under his wing as a mentee. He taught me so much, one of them being this phrase:
“I no longer have any deeply held beliefs, the furthest I will go is to have a strong suspicion”
I wrote a long piece a few months ago about whether to be a fox or a hedgehog, a specialist or a generalist called “Make the time to be more than a hedgehog“, noting:
As my mentor, Ed Percival used to say, “I no longer have any deeply held beliefs, the furthest I will go is to have a strong suspicion”. I try to emulate Ed and, though I may have some strong suspicions, I always seek to be open and curious and ready to change my views, thoughts, beliefs on any topic
My own phrase to capture my mindset is:
“holding my thoughts loosely”
So, whilst if you talk to me you may hear me hold forth with my opinions and beliefs, know that I do this not only to share my thoughts but also to stimulate your own thoughts and bring forth your opinions, or even simply your own “strong suspicions”.