I don't know how this happened.

And, to be honest, I wish it hadn't.

Because it's taken an excessive amount of my time, and I've been obsessed with it since the week before we went to Jackson Hole. I even watched a documentary about it, which is rare because I hardly ever watch TV.

But I'm fascinated by the people who think. . .

The Earth is flat.

A buddy of mine is a flat-earther.

And if you'd asked me three weeks ago if he were serious, I would have said no.

I mean, he says he's serious.

He insists the long-established fact that the Earth is a sphere is anything other than fact.

It's a big lie.

A cover-up.

A conspiracy.

But I thought he was just a contrarian.

I assumed it was a schtick.

A meme.

A funny t-shirt.

Now, I'm not so sure. Now, I've realized that there are thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of people who, honest to God, believe the Earth is a flat disc.

No globe. Just a pancake in the sky.

If we include all the undecided folks - those who are pretty sure the Earth is a sphere but open to the possibility that it's flat - then we're talking about millions of people.

And, to be clear, I don't care if people think the Earth is flat, per se. If that's what they choose to believe, fine.

It's no skin off my teeth.

But the fact remains - and it is a fact - that the Earth is a sphere.

That makes the belief in a flat Earth, by definition, a limiting belief. And it's an absurd one that demonstrates the extent to which our own minds can fool us.

That's where I get interested because limiting beliefs (which we all have) are the primary factor that has prevented me from achieving the successes I have envisioned.

Those beliefs come from our Lesser Self.

Our Inner Bitch.

Our Small Me.

Whatever you want to call it, it's the voice inside our heads that says we can't do whatever we want to do for some reason or another.

The voice comes up with all sorts of reasons to prevent us from achieving what we want.

--> You're not worthy

--> It's too hard

--> You don't have enough time

--> You're not smart enough

--> That's for other people, not you.

99 times out of 100, the reason isn't a reason at all; it's a bullshit excuse.

Now, consider the mental gymnastics required to believe the Earth is flat.

Here's some of what these folks offer as proof:

--> If the Earth were spinning at 1,000 miles per hour, it would sling everything off the surface (water, buildings, people, etc.)

--> Antarctica isn't a continent, but a wall of ice encircles the globe. Nobody can see it because it's protected.

--> NASA started the conspiracy that Earth is a globe and tricked everyone. Prior to 1958, all textbooks showed Earth as flat.

And that's just the start! I don't advise it, but if you want to know more, there's a big 'ole rabbit hole you can go down.

I suspect, deep down, most of these people know their proof of a flat Earth is bullshit.

Just like I know, deep down, that most of the excuses Small-Me comes us with are bullshit.