The Importance of Overcoming Personal Biases and Prejudices

Have your heard of that funny saying, “I’m not prejudice, I hate everyone!” It means that I’m not biased against any social or ethic group, I look at all of humanity with disdain. It’s not a very healthy way to live! Do you have any prejudices?

When my parents first came to Australia after the Second World War, they were subject to a lot of racism. It’s as though every new wave of migrants cops it: first it was the Irish, then the southern Europeans, then Asians, and now migrants from the Middle East.

People tend to prejudge others by the way they look – especially if they look different from the norm. We also tend to ‘pre-judge’ if we lack information or are ignorant about others. If an individual or community has a lack of information about a new group of arrivals, prejudice creeps in and occupies the vacuum. The way I see it is if you start with the wrong premise, you will come to wrong conclusions for all the wrong reasons!

If is not just different racial groups who are subject to prejudice. We have biases against occupations. For example many people think that all used car salesmen are pushy and dishonest. Many of us are also guilty of placing a stigma on different groups in society. Single mums are troublesome and rich people are snobby. We even discriminate against people with different colourings, for example the expression ‘blonde bimbo’ implies that women with fair hair are less intelligent. And yet one of the most powerful women in the world, British politician Theresa May, is a blonde. I wonder if anyone has called her a blonde bimbo lately.

When we fail to accord other people the dignity they deserve, we are actually undermining ourselves. We are failing to act with integrity or honour. We are being small-minded and small-hearted.

Introduce Diversity to your Social Circle

There are ways to overcome personal biases and prejudices. You could try introducing more diversity to your social circle. Who are your friends? Are they all roughly the same age, sex and race as you? Are they of the same socio-economic group as you? Why not reach out to someone from a different background? Perhaps you could do some work with an organisation that supports migrants, or just get to better know someone different who you only know casually.

Travel

Have you been fortunate enough to travel overseas? Experiencing other foods, traditions and cultures is a real eye-opener and will expand your horizon. Or you could just visit a city or town with a large migrant population.

Discover Different Cultures

Make a point of learning about someone from a different cultural or ethnic background. You could also do this by watching a documentary about them or reading a book written by someone who has moved to Australia as a migrant. You could read about Maha Sinasthamby, a Malaysian property developer who migrated to Queensland and now has a net worth of $820 million. He built Springfield, the largest privately owned master-planned city in this country.

Change your Attitude Towards Wealth

Something else people tend to be prejudice against is money! I speak about this often. People refer to money as dirty, corrupting – money is the root of all evil or money is the cause of problems and it’s selfish to have a lot of money when there are people who have very little. These are all crazy biases. There is no finite amount of wealth in this world, just as there isn’t a finite amount of water or air. Money is not dirty or corrupting. People can have bad attitudes towards money, but money is a tool and you can use it to help people and become prosperous. If you are trying to rid yourself of biases, be sure you also have a healthy attitude towards money. Awry perceptions about money can shipwreck your life. Tell yourself that you deserve prosperity, wealth is good and you can feel good about your wealth. Never feel ashamed to wear expensive clothes or drive an expensive car. You should be proud of what you have achieved. If other people have a problem, it’s up to them to address their prejudices, not you!

Have an Opened Mind

I believe it is important to live with an open mind. Don’t let prejudices, biases or unhealthy learned thought-patterns slow you down. Your mind is your best investment – your best asset. You know what they say, the mind is like an umbrella – it works best when it’s open. If you can change your thinking, you can change your feelings and if you change your feelings you can change your actions and if you change your actions you will really see your wealth and prosperity grow. At the end of the day, only YOU can change yourself, but your mindset will set the course of your life.

Renew your Thoughts

Remember, think the right way, act the right way. Your life will follow your thinking patterns. If you have a small-minded attitude you will have a small life. Wouldn’t you rather have a prosperous life? It is important to always renew your mind. Sleep renews your body, but you must renew your thoughts. Have the courage to get to know people from diverse backgrounds. You may find they give more to you than you could ever give to them. Put away old biases and embrace a welcoming outlook. Fear and faith are two sides of the same coin. Both require thinking, both require emotion, but they bring totally different results. Have faith in people regardless of their colour or creed, and most importantly have faith in yourself and your ability to prosper.