Catching Life’s Currents/Guidepost Two: The Power of Definition and Belief

(Paid Subscribers Only) Examine how beliefs guide our perception and actions, along with six techniques that help us expand them, helping us notice assumptions and gain insight.

Beliefs are not problems to fix. They are living definitions that shape perception, thought, and action. Unlike typical self-help, this lesson blends reflection, context, and active exercises to expand understanding naturally—without forced affirmations or visualizations. Through historical examples, cross-cultural insights, and practical techniques, readers are invited to explore, question, and refine their definitions—gaining clarity, perspective, and choice while engaging more fully with the world.

Once again, we begin with a story…

One summer day, several animals gathered to welcome a newborn to the river.

“This baby will never breathe as it should,” whispered the salmon. “It will drown before it reaches the sea.”

“Don’t you think that it’s too large to move?” murmured the water bug. “It will sink as soon as it plants a foot on the water.”

“Why worry about where it will plant its feet? It’s been alive for over an hour, and it can’t even walk yet,” muttered the deer. “I’ve never seen such a backward child. How will it run from danger with those pudgy, awkward legs?”

“Its legs are certainly too soft. Its whole body is too soft. How will it defend its home?” snapped the crawdad. “And without a way to blend into the rocks, it will surely become someone’s dinner.”

“I don’t know about that, but it will never survive the winter with a coat so thin,” growled the wolf. “And to be born without siblings cannot possibly be good. Who will be left to guard it when the pack goes hunting?”

“This baby will never hunt as it should,” sighed the eagle. “It has poor eyesight. It can hardly travel, and it has no way to swoop down on its prey. Certainly it will starve with all those limitations.”

“Yes,” smiled the baby’s human mother. “My child is perfect.”

Source: A River Worth Riding: Fourteen Rules for Navigating Life, Lynn Marie Sager, 2005

Every animal at that river saw the same baby — and not one of them saw the same child. That is the power of Definition and Belief. You see dangerous rapids ahead, while I see an exciting ride. We all see the river not as it is, but how we believe it to be.

Why Our Definitions and Beliefs are so Powerful

Most of the time, we take our definitions for granted — they feel obvious or natural. But your definitions and beliefs are constantly and quietly shaping how you see the world, interpret events, and respond to others. When you examine them closely — and open yourself to the definitions of others — you gently expand them, allowing new possibilities and understanding to emerge. You begin to see your assumptions more clearly, gain access to perspectives you couldn't see before, and find that your choices and responses become more intentional, natural, and effective. In short: your definitions define your life.

---

In this lesson we will:

• Discover why our definitions quietly shape everything — what we notice, how we respond, who we become

• Explore six powerful techniques for expanding our beliefs — naturally, without force or affirmation

• Walk a mile in other people’s definitions — from Joseph Campbell on marriage to Emerson on greatness

• Learn why context changes everything — from Shakespeare to the Lord’s Prayer

• Find out why love is a verb — and why that one shift changes everything

By the end of this lesson, you’ll have a toolkit to notice, explore, and expand your beliefs, enabling your definitions to guide you with clarity, flexibility, and deeper insight.

---

This lesson is only available to paid subscribers, one-on-one learners, and groups taking Catching Life’s Currents: A 14-Week Guideposts Journey. If you would like to learn more, click here.