Question everything—even your own truths

Gil was sure his new diet was gold. Every morning he stepped on the scale—down half a pound! He scrolled Instagram for proof, double-tapped each success story and stored dozens of before-and-after photos.

Yet his weight never budged in six months. Each plate of veggies, every kale smoothie, could be explained away as “just a bad week.” Gil filtered out the misses and held only on to the hits.

This is confirmation bias: your brain irons out wrinkles in your theory by ignoring the bumps. Gil caught on when a fellow dieter flipped the script. “Show me when it didn’t work,” she challenged. Armed with missed weigh-ins and cheat days, he saw the full pattern for the first time.

From then on, Gil actively hunted disconfirming signs—meal logs that showed weight climb, nights he din’t touch his salad. It felt strange at first, but it led to real breakthroughs: he finally found what truly triggered the gain.

You know your convictions better than anyone, but they might be flawed. Start by listing your three strongest beliefs—whether it’s about money, fitness or management. Next, hunt down reputable sources that challenge each one—articles, studies or expert tweets. Finally, grab a friend and debate those counterexamples every week. You’ll be surprised how quickly your mind broadens and your decisions get sharper. Give it a shot this evening.