On the way home from school, my son was discussing some of the topics they covered in school that day and the subject of planets came up. In science class, they explored the different planets and what made each of them unique. I loved learning about planets as a kid and as nostalgia started to set in, I zoned in on the comment he made of exploring the 8 planets.

Now I know it was some time ago when we had to say goodbye to Pluto being classified as a planet, but there’s something strange about our kids learning there are only 8 planets. Over 30 years ago it was engrained in my head that there were 9 planets, with Pluto being one. It was strange to think Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet nearly two decades ago and my kids are growing up learning something completely different.

Even though I’ve understood that Pluto was reclassified to a dwarf planet quite some time ago, I’m still anchored to what I grew up believing to be the truth. Astronomy is such a fascinating topic, and new discoveries are always happening, so why am I anchored to the thought that Pluto is a planet?

It’s interesting the beliefs we hold on to today that we know are no longer true, but we still in one way or another anchor ourselves to this old belief. While my 8-year-old self is heartbroken Pluto isn’t getting the love and respect of being called a planet anymore, it’s strange in my mind I still think of Pluto as a planet.

While I joke about my childhood dilemma of letting go of the belief Pluto is a planet, there’s a theme that’s far from a joke. The idea of holding onto outdated beliefs when we know there’s another truth out there can be of great significance when we find ourselves limited by this belief. Take for example something you’ve held onto from the past about your health and wellness. What if our belief has been we will never be fit and can never hit our health goals? Is there a possibility we’re holding onto this old belief still today even though we know there’s another version of truth out there?

Or take for example a struggle we’ve had in relationships. Is this struggle anchoring you to believe you need to always have your guard up and trust shouldn’t be given easily? Or is there a possibility of a new truth that can replace the old belief we’re holding onto?

The lens we use to see the world comes from a collection of years and years of experiences. Naturally, part of our experiences will be painful, and struggle will have been part of the journey. If we derive our truth from an old belief, it means we’ve shaped our narrative based on an old version of ourselves. We need a version update but that takes us willing to unhook the anchor from our past belief.

Letting go of Pluto as a planet is not hard (no matter how sad I am to do so 😄). Letting go of past beliefs that have limited us for years is much more difficult. It’s acknowledging the truth we held in the past may not be the truth we should hold for the future. But think of it not as we have been wrong about something. Think of it as part of the necessary journey to evolve who we are, what we think we’re capable of, and the impact we can have. These three things will always be able to be evolved if we’re willing to continue to challenge old beliefs to bring out the new beliefs we should be holding for the future.

Take your step: Identify one area in your life where you feel like your outlook is based on old beliefs. This area needs a version update. First, face the old belief and explore where it came from. While it won’t be a flip of a switch, take time to pause and reflect on what an updated version of the story could be. It’s hard to unhook the anchor from the old truth so for the first step just explore and write down these ideas of what the new truth may be. For the next week, when you feel yourself resorting back to old beliefs, take a moment and explore the new truths you had brainstormed. Keep working day by day facing your old belief and work to replace it with the new truth you’re focused on.