“You need to get back into sports in six months.”
“You should’ve recovered by now. It’s been three month.”
“We need to operate.”
“You should be able to walk normally already.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you. You shouldn’t be in pain.”
“Do these three exercises at home and you will be pain-free.”
We hear statements like these all the time. And because they sound confident—or come from someone with authority—we assume they must be true.
But what we think, believe, or say doesn’t automatically become truth.
Derek Sivers explains this beautifully in his book Useful Not True: something is true when it’s objectively true—when any person or any tool can test a fact and reach the same conclusion.
Not a belief. Not a perspective.
A fact. Concrete and consistent, no matter who looks at it.
And here’s the uncomfortable part:
None of the statements above are objectively true.
But “not true” doesn’t mean “false”. It just means it’s not universally true for everyone, in every situation. Sometimes it’s true for one person and completely off for another.
Truth depends on context. Human bodies depend on context. Healing depends on context.
So instead of asking,
“Is this true?”
a more helpful question is:
“Is this useful for me right now?”
Because usefulness moves you forward.
Truth—especially when someone else claims it as absolute—can easily trap you.
Beliefs aren’t truths. They’re perspectives.
Beliefs are shaped by experience, fear, bias, culture, and interpretation. Not by objectivity.
“This house is totally overpriced.” For a young couple expecting a baby, maybe yes. For someone who built their career for 40 years just to finally afford their dream home, maybe not.
Same sentence. Different lives. Different truth.
I see this constantly in practice:
“You should be able to walk normally already.”
For one patient, this might be accurate.
Maybe they had physiotherapy long before surgery, trained consistently, built strength, and practiced motor control.
For another patient? Absolutely not.
Maybe they waited six months for the exact same surgery without any prehab or intervention. Their starting point is different. Their progress curve will be different. (This is a real case from my practice.)
Same timeline. Same surgery. Different truth.
You will never know the absolute truth in every situation.
That’s not how life—or healing—works. But remember:
Facts can be true, while the perspective is not.
Derek Sivers
🧪 Let’s Experiment
When you stop chasing “truth” and focus on usefulness, decisions become easier and less emotionally loaded.
Here’s a simple way to test whether a belief, a comment, or a diagnosis is helping you move forward—or quietly holding you back.
🎯 Try This:
Create two scenarios:
- Take the statement that’s bothering you.
Something like: “I should be further along by now.” or “This pain shouldn’t still be here.” or “Everyone else recovers faster.” - Ask yourself the first question:
If this were true, what action would I take?
Would you rest more? Train differently? Ask for support? Adjust expectations? - Then ask the second question:
If this were false, what action would I take?
Would anything actually change? Would you keep doing what you’re doing? Would the pressure disappear? - Compare your answers.
If your actions look similar in both scenarios, the “truth” of the statement doesn’t matter.
If they differ, choose the version that helps you move forward—not the one that makes you freeze.
Notice how your body feels when you choose “useful” over “true.” Lighter? Calmer? Relieved? More focused?
🧠 Final Thought:
What you say can be useful. What you hear can be useful. What you read can be useful. But none of it has to be universally, objectively true. And that’s okay. Usefulness gets you moving. Truth—especially someone else’s version of it—doesn’t always.
Keep it simple, stay curious, and keep learning—you’ve got this.
Take care,
Carina 🦊