Think Better

A few years ago I read Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow, which got me hooked on learning about behavioral economics and psychology – something I wish I had studied in college.

One of the most fascinating parts of the book was reading about the biases of human intuition. Kahneman suggests that when we become aware of our biases, we can work to become better thinkers (and better people overall).

How do you define a cognitive bias?

They are systematic patterns of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment. A mistake in reasoning, evaluating, remembering, or other cognitive processes, often occurring as a result of holding onto one’s preferences and beliefs regardless of contrary information.

Cognitive biases are confirmed by replicable research, however, there is often disagreement about how to classify them. Regardless of classification, they’re extremely interesting to study – many demonstrate harmful behavior chains, while others can actually be explained by more useful behaviors. It’s only through exploring the biases one by one that we can figure out how to understand and correct our mistakes, and use them to our advantage.

Which leads to my new project. I’m going to be spending time researching each of the cognitive biases and writing about the ones I find most interesting. With over 100 cognitive biases listed on Wikipedia, I’ll have lots to choose from.

I’m going to breakdown the biases into three categories:

1. Decision-making, belief, and behavioral biases
2. Social biases
3. Memory errors and biases

Stay tuned!

If you’re not familiar with Carl Gustav Jung, hopefully these 10 quotes will inspire you to get to know him. Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist who founded analytical psychology. Among his many brilliant thoughts, he is responsible for proposing and developing the concepts of extroversion and introversion, archetypes, and the collective unconscious. He was a prolific writer, with many of his works being published after his death in 1961.

In no particular order, here are my 10 favorite C.G. Jung quotes.

1. When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate.

2. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.

3. There is no coming to consciousness without pain.

4. The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it.

5. It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves.

6. The word ‘happy’ would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.

7. A man who has not passed through the inferno of his passions has never overcome them. As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being. Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.

8. I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.

9. The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.

10. Don’t hold onto someone who’s leaving, otherwise you won’t meet the one who’s coming.

The Mona Lisa doesn’t tweet.

Yet, she’s pretty big on social media. This was highlighted on Seth Godin’s blog recently, and it’s worth exploring. Things don’t become popular on social media purely because of social media execution or investment – they do well on social media because they’re offering a great product or service, or valuable content.

This isn’t to say that social media can’t help elevate an already great offering. It totally can – I see it every day. But it is to say that if you have a product that isn’t great yet – you’re better to spend your hours figuring out how to make your product great, not figuring out your social strategy.

As Cal Newport, the author of Deep Work suggests, “You’re almost certainly better off taking the 135 minutes per day the average social media user spends on these services and instead dedicate them to deliberately improving your ability to do valuable things.”

Love it.

“Little hinges swing big doors” 

-W. Clement Stone

 

Small changes can lead to major success. If you’re setting goals and missing frequently, look at the system you have in place, and whether or not it’s helping you accomplish your goals. I always try to focus on the system and let the goals fall where they may. Goals are great for motivation – but ultimately it’s the system you have in place that’s going to garner results. Scott Adams has elaborated on this extensively and I’m a proponent of his assertions.

The swinging big door is the goal, the little hinges are the system. Focus on the hinges.

 

“Fate whispers to the warrior, ‘You cannot withstand the storm.’ The warrior whispers back, ‘I am the storm.’”

-Unknown

 

I first heard this quote from Tom Brady, the five-time Super Bowl champion. I think it’s the perfect little mantra to whisper back to yourself when you hear doubters, when you think about potential negative outcomes, or when you need some encouragement.

Remind yourself.

I am the storm.