The Pigeon Challenges Your Biases 🐦

Psst, you are the first to know about this.

I’ll soon launch Mindful Pigeon Letters, a weekly newsletter about mindfulness, self-reflection, and affirmation-reflection exercises to help you grow as a person.

Detect your own biases, blind spot, dark sides, etc, and overcome them. Through exercise, week by week like with fitness to get in shape.

But this time it is not your body but your mind.

Anyhow. I wanted to share the first exercise with you, so here we go.

Pigeons are almost everywhere. You love them, you hate them, or you don’t care much about them. Most likely that you fall in the last category. They are so common that we don’t even notice them anymore.

Not even dead ones.

You pass by, barely noticing them, not even spending a second thought on it, minding your own business, thinking about what is next.

And a few steps later, you already forgot the dead pigeon.

But the exercise is not about animal rights or morals. It’s about perception and biases.

We all have our biases and thoughts about that bird. That makes the pigeon a great example.

People love pigeons in the form of the white dove. Symbolizing peace. At the same time, they despite the same regular bird in town.

Symbol of Peace vs. Rat Of The Sky

Contradicting, isn’t it?

## Action

This week’s action is to uncover some of your biases towards pigeons to spark the observing skill in you. Observing your thoughts and behaviors is an essential skill for change. You can only change what you are aware of.

1. Take 5 - 10 minutes every day and observe some pigeons. What do they do? More importantly, what thoughts are coming up in your mind?
2. Where do those thoughts come from? Do they feel familiar? Do you remember someone in your life using the same words or feelings?
3. How does your perception change during the week? What did you learn about yourself?

Try not to judge whatever comes up. Neither you, the birds, or anything else. If this happens, just notice it, accept it and move on. Don’t fret about it. It will become better over time when you train your observing skill.

## Next Step

Get on the Mindful Pigeon Letters for more exercises now.

Every Sunday Morning, you’ll receive one mindfulness, self-reflection, or affirmation-reflection exercise in your inbox. Concise and to the point as your time is precious.

If you are an Inner Peace member, it’s already included in the program. Find the details in the course section of the members’ area.