What Should I Believe?

Testing What You Hear — and What You Already Know

We have access to more information than most generations before us could have imagined.

Advice arrives from experts, friends, family, social media, podcasts, headlines, search results—and now AI. Some of it is excellent. Some is incomplete. Some is opinion presented with impressive confidence.

And then there is another source we don't always think to examine:

What we already believe.

Last week, we took inventory of what experience has taught us and recognized that we're not standing where we were in January.

But becoming more capable doesn't mean accepting everything we've learned—or everything we're told. It means becoming increasingly skillful at knowing what deserves our trust.

Start With Curiosity

Curiosity gives us another option. We can encounter an unfamiliar idea without immediately accepting or rejecting it.

• That's interesting. What supports it?
• Is there another way to look at this?
• What might I be missing?
• Does this fit with what I already know—or give me a reason to look again?

That turns new information into exploration rather than threat. Sometimes the adventure is discovering something entirely new. Sometimes it's discovering that something we thought we knew deserves another look.

Give Important Information Room to Prove Itself

Before information becomes part of an important decision, give it some room to prove itself.

Check the source.
Who is providing the information? What experience, evidence or expertise supports it?

Separate fact from interpretation.
What actually happened—and what is someone's interpretation of what happened?

Look for support.
Can the claim be verified elsewhere? Does other reliable information point in the same direction?

Notice what's missing.
Are you seeing enough of the picture to make a sound decision?

Discernment doesn't mean investigating every detail of daily life. The greater the consequence, the more worthwhile the examination.

Choosing a restaurant and choosing a life partner clearly carry different consequences. Accepting a new job, buying a home or making an important financial decision deserves more examination than deciding what to serve for dinner.

Discernment includes knowing when to look deeper.

Wisdom recognizes the difference.

Test Your Own Assumptions

This may require a little more courage.

We naturally question information that conflicts with what we believe. We're often less inclined to question information that agrees with us.

So occasionally turn the questions around:

• What am I assuming here?
• Am I working with current information—or an old conclusion?
• Have circumstances changed since I formed this opinion?
• What evidence might cause me to reconsider?

Discernment isn't only the ability to recognize weaknesses in someone else's thinking. It's also the willingness to examine our own.

What Did You Learn Early?

Some of our deepest assumptions arrived long before we knew they were assumptions.

We learned about money, work, relationships, responsibility, authority, success, failure, conflict—and even our own abilities—from the people and environments around us.

Much of that learning may contain remarkable wisdom worth keeping.

Some may need a new application for a different season of life.

Some may have been appropriate for circumstances that no longer exist.

And occasionally, something we accepted as a universal truth may turn out to have been one person's experience.

The goal isn't to discard what came before because it is old. Nor is it to preserve every application simply because it is familiar.

Test it. Find the wisdom inside it.

“Save for a rainy day” remains sound financial wisdom even though how we save—and the financial tools available to us—may change.

“Respect your elders” may grow from childhood obedience into adult respect that also knows how to ask thoughtful questions, disagree graciously and maintain healthy boundaries.

Don't confuse updating an application with abandoning a principle.

Sometimes maturity isn't replacing what we were taught. It's finally understanding the wisdom underneath it.

Test — And Keep the Good

The Apostle Paul, one of the early Christian teachers whose letters became part of the New Testament, gave remarkably concise advice to the Thessalonians:

“Test everything; hold fast what is good.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Notice both parts: Test. And keep.

We're not told to automatically accept something because it sounds convincing—or reject it because it's unfamiliar.

Evidence matters. Experience matters. Trusted counsel matters. And God's wisdom provides a compass against which the rest can be examined.

The question becomes: Is this sound enough to build upon?

Give It a Field Test

Choose one belief, assumption or piece of advice that currently matters to you. Not necessarily something controversial. Just something worth examining.

Ask:

• What do I know?
  Separate what you can verify from what you're assuming.
  
  
• What supports it?
  Consider evidence, experience and trusted wisdom.
  
  
• What might challenge it?
  Be curious enough to consider another perspective.
  
  
• What remains sound?
  Keep it.
  
  
• What needs updating?
  Refine it.

Then take the soundest next step you can and pay attention to what happens.

You don't need perfect certainty before you move. You need enough sound information and wisdom to take a responsible next step—and enough humility to learn from the result.

A Rhythm Worth Remembering

There's a useful rhythm developing here:

NOTICE → TEST → ASSESS → REFINE → TRANSFER → LIVE

NOTICE what you're learning—and what you're carrying.
TEST whether it is sound.
ASSESS what experience reveals.
REFINE what needs adjustment.
TRANSFER what proves useful.
LIVE what proves wise.

You don't have to know everything. You can become increasingly skillful at knowing what to do with what you learn.

And discernment has an important place in that process.

Discernment isn't the finish line. It's what helps us choose what is worth carrying into the race.

Paul used that race imagery elsewhere in his writings, comparing purposeful living to an athlete who doesn't run aimlessly but knows what he is running toward.

We don't have to chase every voice from the sidelines. We can listen → Be curious → Test → Examine → Keep what proves sound → And then live it.

Because discovering something sound isn't the end of learning either.

“Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom.” – Thomas Jefferson

Next week, we'll explore another question:

Once something proves useful, where else could it work?

We invite you to join our community of continuous learners. Sign up for newsletters and class notices to stay informed about valuable life skills. Together, let's build a foundation for success in our lives and our world.

September has a way of getting our attention.

New routines begin. Schedules shift. Headlines compete for our focus. And suddenly, four months of the year remain.

It can be tempting to pull out the goals and expectations we started with in January and immediately measure what hasn't been finished. But before deciding what deserves your attention next, consider something easily overlooked:

You're not the same person who made those January plans.

Since then, you've made decisions, navigated surprises, solved problems, changed course, learned from mistakes and discovered things you couldn't have known eight months ago.

So perhaps the better September question isn't simply, How much have I accomplished? Instead …

What have I become more capable of doing?

Look at What You've Learned

Maybe you've learned to prepare before an important conversation rather than hoping you'll find the right words in the moment.

Perhaps pausing before a purchase improved a financial decision. Or you've gotten better at asking questions, setting a boundary, organizing before something becomes urgent or asking for help sooner.

Those may look like small adjustments. They're evidence.

But recognizing what we've learned is only the beginning.

What are you doing with it?

From Knowing to Becoming Capable

Knowing something and knowing how to use it aren't quite the same thing.

• Knowledge says: I understand this.
• Capability says: I can use what I understand.
• Wisdom says: I recognize when and how to use it well.

That's how learning begins becoming a Life Skill.

We notice what experience has taught us. We try it again. We pay attention to the result. We adjust what doesn't work and strengthen what does.

It's not about endlessly analyzing ourselves. It's about becoming more skillful with what proves sound.

And greater capability matters most when we give it somewhere to go.

Run a LifeSkills Field Test

Here's a practical September experiment:

Choose one thing you've learned this year and deliberately put it to work.

• Maybe asking one more question helped you make a better decision. Try it again.
• Perhaps preparing before a difficult conversation made it calmer and clearer. Prepare again.
• Maybe waiting before an unplanned purchase helped you distinguish what you wanted from what you needed. Test the pause again.

Then notice the result. Did it work? Partly work? What would make it more effective next time?

If it didn't work, that's useful information too. Adjust and try again.

A result doesn't have to be perfect to be useful. It has to teach you something.

Don't Leave a Good Skill Where You Found It

Suppose asking better questions improved a workplace negotiation. Does that skill belong only at work?

Could those same questions improve a conversation with your teenager, doctor, partner or financial advisor?

Maybe financial stewardship taught you to pause before deciding. Could that pause help when emotions are high?

Perhaps preparing your workweek reduces stress. Could preparation create more peace elsewhere at home?

Once something works, don't leave it where you found it.

Try it somewhere else. Adjust it. See what happens. Every successful transfer expands what we're capable of doing.

Mature Life Skills don't remain isolated techniques.

They become ways of operating.

What Are You Doing With What You Already Have?

Jesus' Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14–30 offers an interesting lens.

Each servant was entrusted with something to care for—and was responsible for what he did with it.

We often think about stewardship in terms of money, possessions or opportunities. But what about wisdom we've gained, judgment we've strengthened, abilities we've developed, and what experience has taught us? Those are resources too.

What if some of what you're praying for next begins with recognizing what He has already placed in your hands? Maybe part of what you need for your next step has already been developing. What will you do with it?

Make Room for What Has Grown

Isaiah 54:2–3 offers another wonderful picture: enlarge the tent, strengthen it and prepare room for growth.

Perhaps your January “tent” reflected what you knew then—the experience you had, skills you trusted and challenges you'd already navigated. But you've lived eight more months since then.

If your capability has expanded, why continue operating from an old assessment of yourself? Ask:

• What do I have now that I didn't have in January?
• What can I actualize more fully?
• What does my increased capability now allow me to step up to?

This isn't about chasing another achievement. It's recognizing growth and making room to use it.

Start With What Is Already in Your Hands

You don't need another lengthy self-improvement project.

• NOTICE — What have I learned or strengthened?
• USE — Where can I deliberately put it to work?
• EXPAND — If it proves useful, where else might it serve me?

That's how individual Life Skills begin working together.

And when children, coworkers, friends and family see us learning, testing, adjusting and trying again, we model something valuable:

Capable people don't have to know everything. They know how to keep learning from what they already know.

You're Not Starting From Zero

‘January-You’ couldn't have known everything this year would teach you. ‘September-You’ has something ‘January-You’ didn't: Evidence.

So don't enter the next four months assessing yourself with an old inventory—or waiting for everything around you to settle before putting what you've learned to work. Measure what you've become more capable of doing.

Recognize what's already in your hands. Use it. Strengthen it. Consider what your increased capability now allows you to step up to.

You have more to work with than you did in January. Perhaps it's time to make room for what you can do with it.

Recognizing what you've learned is a powerful beginning. But growth also requires knowing which ideas, information and assumptions are sound enough to build upon.

Join us NEXT WEEK as we dive deeper into “What should I trust?”

We invite you to sign up for our newsletters and class notices to stay informed about valuable life skills content and updates. Join us on the journey of continuous learning and personal growth. Let's build a foundation for success in life and our world together.

Blog Series Week 9 of 9 — Workplace Negotiation

Work rarely stays still.

A new assignment arrives. A deadline moves forward. A client adds a requirement. A teammate leaves. A project that looked straightforward suddenly isn’t.

Most professionals respond the same way: quietly rearrange the workload, stretch the hours, push something else aside, and keep going.

But there’s another option — one that protects not only your capacity, but the quality of the work, the health of the team and its success.

Healthy workload negotiation isn’t about resisting responsibility. It's about protecting the quality of the outcome.

Workload Is More Than a List of Tasks

In the workplace, workload is rarely about volume alone. It’s about alignment. Sustainable performance depends on:

• Priorities
• Deadlines
• Resources
• Responsibilities
• and Expectations lining up.

Change one, and several others may shift.

If Tuesday’s deadline becomes Monday’s, something else may need to move. If a project gains three new requirements, the original timeline may no longer fit. If an urgent assignment takes priority, yesterday’s priorities don’t disappear — they simply compete for space.

Noticing isn’t complaining. It’s professional awareness.

Noticing early gives your team more room to respond before a manageable adjustment becomes a crisis.

Bring the Impact Question Forward

Suppose your manager adds an important assignment to your workload.

You could simply say “Yes” and try to squeeze it in. Or you could respond:

“Absolutely. With this becoming a priority, I’m currently working toward Thursday’s deadline on the client report and Friday’s team deliverable. Which would you like me to adjust?”

You’ve done something essential.

You haven’t refused the work. You haven’t chosen which organizational priority should lose its place. And you haven’t waited until Thursday afternoon to announce that something won’t be finished.

You’ve brought the impact question forward while there is still time to make a thoughtful decision.

That is responsible participation — one of the most valuable workplace skills.

You Don't Need the Answer to Raise the Question

This becomes even more valuable on a team.

A project change may affect people differently. One teammate sees the scheduling issue. Another recognizes a customer concern. Someone else knows a needed resource isn't available.

You may not have the authority—or enough information—to determine what should happen next.

But you can say:

"This changes the time available for the next phase. Have we considered what that may affect?"

One respectful question can invite useful information into the room.

The goal isn't to question every decision or create endless rounds of what if? It is to recognize when something consequential has changed and contribute what you know so the people involved can make an informed choice.

Responsible participation adds clarity; it doesn't add noise.

Before raising a concern, consider:

• What changed?
• What might it affect?
• What useful information do I have?
• Who needs to know?
• Am I helping us move toward a decision?

You don't have to own the decision to contribute information that could improve it.

Another Question May Deserve Another Decision

Here's something easy to forget: the original plan may have been an excellent plan. It was created with the information available at the time. Then something changed.

Good teamwork doesn't require pretending that yesterday's decision still fits today's conditions. Nor does good leadership require defending a decision simply because it has already been made.

Leadership isn't demonstrated only by making decisions. Sometimes it is demonstrated by recognizing when another question deserves another decision.

That doesn't mean the plan must change. After considering the new information, the team or leader may decide the original course is still best. That's valuable, too. It is now a considered decision rather than an assumption.

The objective isn't to preserve the original plan at all costs.

The objective is to reach the intended finish line well.

From Workload Management to Professional Judgment

There's a significant difference between saying:

"I have too much work."

and asking:

"Something in our working equation has changed. What does that affect?"

The first may begin an important conversation about capacity.

The second demonstrates something more: awareness of how your work connects with the work and goals around you.

That perspective can grow at any level of an organization. You don't need a management title to think beyond your own assignment.

In fact, learning when to speak up, what information to bring and how to raise a concern respectfully may be one of the ways you become an increasingly valuable teammate.

Wisdom Counts the Cost

Scripture offers a practical picture of this kind of thinking:

“If you wanted to build a building, you would first sit down and decide how much it would cost. You must see if you have enough money to finish the job.”— Luke 14:28

The wisdom isn't merely in beginning the work. It's in considering what completing it will require.

When circumstances change, responsible stewardship may mean looking again at the cost—in time, resources, capacity, quality and people—and determining whether the original plan still works.

Sometimes wisdom says “continue.”

Sometimes it says “adjust.”

And sometimes it says, “We need another conversation before moving forward.”

What Others Learn From Watching Us

Young people—and our colleagues—notice how we respond when plans change.

Do we silently absorb every new expectation until frustration takes over? Do we resist change automatically? Or can we demonstrate another way?

"Something changed. Let's look at what that affects."

That models critical thinking without criticism, courage without confrontation, and flexibility without abandoning responsibility.

Those are skills that travel far beyond the workplace.

A Gentle Practice

The next time your workload or a shared project changes, pause before automatically rearranging everything yourself.

Ask:

• What changed—and what else might that change?
• Is what I see consequential enough to bring forward?
• Can I add clarity rather than noise?
• Is this a question that prolongs a decision—or one that may improve it?

Then communicate what matters while there is still time to use the information well.

Because healthy negotiation isn't about getting our way. It's about learning to recognize what matters, communicate it well, and participate responsibly in creating a workable way forward.

Your workload may be the arena. Responsible participation is the larger life skill.

This 3-week series on workplace negotiations has tips and strategies that can be employed, built on and aligned in your work practice. They form a steady workplace posture: clarity without confrontation, collaboration without losing ourselves, and professional judgment rooted in stewardship and peace. They are not just negotiation skills — these are habits that help us work wisely, lead respectfully, and contribute with purpose wherever we are. Your adventure into these tactics will reveal what works best for you. And we stand with you as you grow these skills and applaud your journey’s successes.

If you're interested in staying informed about LifeSkills Academy’s valuable life skills content and updates, we encourage you to sign up for our newsletters and class notices. Join us on the journey of continuous learning and personal growth. Together, let's build a foundation for success in life and our world.