Why Question Your Assumptions
- Johnny hears about business ideas.
- Johnny has criticisms.
- Johnny thinks he can do better by doing X, Y, and Z.
Yet, with his very own ideas:
- Johnny devises plans.
- Johnny executes his plans.
- Johnny rarely if ever questions his assumptions.
Optimistic biases corrode his thinking, and stunts his potential -- as Johnny forgets that:
- A could result.
- B could result.
- C could result.
- D could result.
- E could result.
...ultimately destroying whatever dreams he had for his plans.
Your Biases Suck You Up
Optimism bias makes more than half of us think we're:
- more attractive than the average population
- smarter than the average population
- drive better than the average population
- perform better at X than the average population
Mediocrity results because we assume X will happen if we do Y.
How do you combat your biases?
- Start becoming your biggest critic.
- Start finding a million different ways to destroy your BIG IDEA.
If you were a competitor, how would you defeat yourself?
Questioning your assumptions -- and embracing criticisms from various perspectives -- helps you shore up those holes that will prevent your big idea from happening.
You start optimizing your idea's chances for success, while building a much better product.
Find a million ways to destroy yourself.
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Posted on September 11