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Changing Your Mind Should Be a Process, Not a Reflex

Changing your mind doesn’t have to be impulsive or accidental; you can purposefully choose to put your beliefs to the test too.

First, decide what your most fiercely held beliefs are. Then, throw your very best arguments against them until you believe something else. Going out of your way to change your mind in this way is the key to growth.

As physicist Richard Feynman explained: “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.”

He also said, “We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress. I’m talking about a specific, extra type of integrity that is not lying, but bending over backwards to show how you’re maybe wrong.”

The more you challenge your beliefs, the more accurate they will be, leading you to make better choices. This is the larger benefit changing your mind offers, but there are many more.

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