Is unconscious bias keeping you from your true desires?

I’m a woman, why would I do that?

I’m the man, it my job to provide.

That’s a man’s job.

I’m the mother; it’s my duty to do it all.

If you recognise your thoughts in any of the above, then you are the victim of your own unconscious bias.

Surprised? Did you think that unconscious bias only applies in relation to others? Oh well, it doesn’t, because you cannot separate your thinking. Your process is the same regardless of whom it is applied to, because it is instant. You don’t have the luxury to stop to ask yourself who is this thought about? What filters do I apply to this thought? It’s instant, so it applies to you too.

The trickiest thing about unconscious bias is the fact that not only is unconscious, so we are completely unaware of it, but it’s something so ingrained in our beliefs that we don’t even realise it’s a bias.

But it doesn’t have to be like that. You can become aware of your biases and you can change your thinking and your beliefs so that they serve you better. It’s simpler than you imagine.

The easiest way to identify your unconscious biases is pay attention where do double standards show up in your life.

What is it ok for you or your loved ones to do, but not for others?

What is acceptable behaviour when you to it, but not when it’s done to you?

Double standards are a defence mechanism, but they are also a way to keep yourself trapped, to limit your potential, because these biases have been “fed” to you since a young age by your close ones and the society. They are not necessarily your beliefs.

Take some time to reflect on how many limitations are you imposing on yourself and then reflect on how different your life might be if you removed those self-imposed barriers.