Episode #12 Believe The Best
How do you maintain a life-giving attitude in the midst of frustration, disappointment, and hurt? Listen in this week as Dr. Tyler Schwanz and Dr. Michael Brown have a conversation about one of the most critical ingredients to becoming fully alive.
Show Notes
If we chose to believe the worst, no one would ever get married, no deals would ever get done, and no treaties would ever be signed.Dr. Tyler Schwanz
Three Problems
- It is easier to expect the worst than it is to believe the best.
- We often judge ourselves based on our intentions but judge others based on their actions.
- If we fail to believe the best in others, we will develop hard hearts rather than soft hearts.
Three Principles
- It is unlikely that anyone we encounter on any given day actually wants to hurt us.
- We don’t really know what is going on in the personal lives of every person around us.
- We hope that others will believe the best in us when we are not the best version of ourselves, so we should be willing to do the same for them.
Three Practices
- Ask yourself, “What has happened to them?” rather than “What is wrong with them?”
- Choose to believe the best in others, even when you suspect the worst may actually be true.
- Rededicate yourself to believing the best in others each time that you experience hurt or disappointment.
Related Dimensions
Related Episodes
See The Good
We often focus more on what we are against than on what we are for. This week, Dr. Michael Brown and Dan Costello encourage us to see the good in a world that tends to emphasize the bad.
Find Common Ground
There is polarization everywhere we look, and it’s hard to see a way out and a way forward. This week, Dr. Michael Brown and Amy Seiffert wrestle with the practice that could heal our relationships and save our world.
Compliment Your Critic
Something powerful happens when we respond to opposition with a posture of humility and grace. This week, Dr. Michael Brown and Nick Gillispie examine a countercultural practice that can help us grow into the best version of ourselves.
