Doctor Benjamin Hardy explains that: “Most people seek to confirm their own bias. Rather than getting the facts or facing the truth, people prefer to justify their own mediocrity. The most successful people, on the other hard, act as scientists toward life. They want the truth. They want data. Rather than seeking to confirm their bias, they are continually seeking to disrupt and disconfirm their bias.”
‘Recency Bias’ is just that, it’s the justification and adoption of past, present, and future events based on what we already know. It’s only informed by the past, and yet we cling so tightly to its predictive ability to shape of our own future. The extent we energize ourselves around the defense and ownership of its existence is one of the most troubling of all personal ailments.
When we only consider the recent past as a predictor of what can be, we limit our progress. Period. We become fixed and finite, with no potential for the new. Growth is stifled.
Dr. Hardy confirms for us that growth requires us to do the work. One’s bold actions around disruption of their own biases can prove to open pathways once closed and better yet, never discovered. An example of this is in the judgement of others and how we’ve allowed it to shape our endorsement of their future. It creates a separation of value and confirms a less than or better than view. With that, I’d challenge us all to be careful with skepticism as it can give new wings to ego’s way.
This past week was insightful, and I hope that by sharing a few of my favorite quotes found on my own road and journey, that they will find place on yours as I pass them along. If they resonate with you, I’d challenge you to do the same. Each one of us have the ability to impact this world and help shape those around us through our influence for good.