Walking down the street last week, I saw a woman with purple hair. As I began to let my mind wonder why she chose that color, a new thought came to me that said, “why is this important to me?” In that moment, I knew It was time to challenge out dated beliefs. It is no longer acceptable to let differences keep us separate and apart from each other.

Here are my first five beliefs that I have let go of so they will no longer hold me back from connecting with other people’s hearts.

1) Why judge non-conforming hair color as unusual or rebellious? Hair color is not the measure of someone’s heart.

2) Who says not every body type is made for vertical stripes? If it makes the wearer happy, why isn’t that enough for the rest of us?

3) Looking different from others doesn’t mean we are unalike internally. People share similar desires: to love and be loved, to be heard, seen and to matter in this life.

4) Fear sidetracks us from our deeper yearnings. It’s time to understand there is no rational nor irrational reason to fear what is ours to have in this life.

5) Our children are not as resilient as we once believed. Small hurts shift their view of self acceptance to feelings of unworthiness.

Here’s my call to action, identify three beliefs that you are willing to look at differently to facilitate greater connections to others. Big or small ideas are welcome; I hope to hear from you. If you want to challenge your friends and family, feel free to share this post with your social networks.