3 Simple Challenges to Radically Alter Your Worldview
Go after the things that were not made for you.
At a certain point we all become set in our ways. Less willing to consider alternate viewpoints or methods of doing things. Yet at the same time most people will agree that they’re a lot wiser now than they were when they were younger.
That wisdom comes from time spent developing a worldview that is more expansive and refined than when we were younger. While it’s easy to do that in youth, when we’re having so many formative moments from being exposed to new things, it becomes harder to continue developing in those positive ways once we get older and settle into routines for many years.
Our perceptions of the world are also largely shaped by our media consumption. Almost any type of media you consume will have a target audience. A target audience is simply the people the media is intended to reach. While this is often helping in finding stuff we know we’ll enjoy, we can get stuck inside these audience molds in ways that limit our exposure to new things.
Here are some challenges to break out of your target audience box and start crafting a new worldview:
Find new writers.
There’s a good chance that if you’re on Medium you’re an avid reader already. But what do you read? Which authors and writers do you turn to when you want to learn something or enjoy a story for leisure? Are they people who are fairly similar to you, culturally or demographically?
In challenging yourself to read from new points-of-view, a good place to start is to think of all the ways in which a person can be different from you. Age, race, gender, sexuality, body type, religious orientation, etc. Seek out diverse writers and start reading their work. I guarantee your mind will be opened to something new.
Tailor your social media.
This can be done by anyone. For example, I’m 25 and have made it a point to follow content creators that are at least twice my age. The media glorifies 20-somethings to a degree that is damaging to people of all age groups. Following people with more life experience helps me to see things beyond the perspective of a young adult.
I also try to follow people from different parts of the world with different cultural perspectives. If you’re at a loss on how to find these creators and accounts, start with following hashtags and topics.
Consume new content.
As someone who get most of their entertainment from YouTube or Netflix, most of what a watch gets determined by algorithms. Platforms put things in front of our faces that they think we will enjoy. While this can be helpful, it also contributes to that target audience box we can get stuck in.
Movies, TV, podcasts — the world is rich with unexplored content. Step outside of your comfort zone and try something that’s completely unlike everything you’ve ever loved. Maybe there’s a well-regarded show you’ve heard of that’s in a genre you don’t normally watch. Go checkout a few episodes anyway. Especially if it seems like you’re not the target audience for it.
Crafting a new worldview or modifying your current one can be tough. There will be growing pains along the way, and there will be times where you’re left with more questions than answers. But in the years to come, you’ll thank yourself for being open-minded and appreciating that wisdom can’t come without growth.
How are you breaking out of your box?
Thanks for reading…
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