Everyone, everywhere, at some point in their lives, has believed something that was wrong. This isn’t new. People used to think the Earth was flat. Or that the Earth was the center of the universe. Or that bloodletting was an effective medical practice. And so on.
Forming an incorrect belief isn’t a defect in humanity. But holding onto that belief is.
There’s an asymmetry when it comes to creating versus critiquing. That’s to say critiquing is more prevalent than creating. Because we can play both roles, we need to be aware of the power and tendencies of each one.
Critiquing vs. Creating Read More »
The quality of our decisions significantly impacts our lives. Good decisions keep us out of trouble while bad decisions mire us in misery. Or at least that’s the common perception. Like most things in life, it’s more complicated than that. Judging the quality of a decision requires more effort than just observing the outcome. Good decisions can yield undesirable outcomes and bad decisions can produce desirable ones. Some factors that we must consider when judging a decision are the amount of information we had at the time of the decision, the quality of that information, the decision making process, likelihoods of certain outcomes, and, of course, luck.
The Decision-Making Process: More Than Just Outcomes Read More »
Imposter syndrome tricks us into thinking we are a fraud and unworthy of accolades. It’s a conniving phenomenon that is a shared human experience. But while it can be uncomfortable, imposter syndrome has useful qualities, such as encouraging us to work harder, try new things, and learn more. We can harness these benefits when we embrace imposter syndrome instead of shying away from it.
Embracing Imposter Syndrome Helps Us Grow Read More »
While a large circle of competence might indicate intelligence, knowing exactly where the boundary of the circle is exemplifies wisdom. As such, knowing the locations of the boundary of the circle trumps the size of the circle. That doesn’t mean we cannot grow our circle. But we should stay within our circle of competence to improve our chances of making good decisions.
Circle of Competence: Stick to What You Know Read More »