There’s a peculiar pressure to remain consistent with every opinion we’ve ever had.
As though something you confidently declared five years ago must now become part of your permanent constitution.
But you’ve lived since then.
You’ve met people. You’ve made mistakes. You’ve learned things. You’ve experienced situations from the other side. Hopefully, you know something today that you didn’t know yesterday.
So naturally, some of your opinions are going to change.
That isn’t hypocrisy. Sometimes, it’s growth.
There’s a difference between abandoning your values whenever it’s convenient and genuinely reconsidering what you believe because you have new information or a broader perspective.
You’re allowed to say:
“I used to think that. I don’t anymore.”
You’re allowed to understand someone you once judged.
You’re allowed to question something you were taught.
You’re allowed to discover that you were wrong.
You’re even allowed to revisit an opinion you changed and change it again. Humans are wonderfully inconvenient like that.
Growth doesn’t always mean collecting more beliefs. Sometimes it means examining the ones already taking up space.
A Little Soft Rebellion 🌿
Think of one opinion you’ve held for years and ask yourself:
Do I still believe this because I’ve examined it, or because I’ve simply carried it for a long time?
You don’t have to change your answer.
Just make sure it still belongs to you.
There’s something rather freeing about realizing you don't owe lifelong loyalty to an old version of your thinking.
Keep your values. Keep your curiosity. And give yourself permission to update the rest.
