Like it or not, the day you are having today is a lot like the day you had yesterday, and a lot like the one you will have tomorrow. We are creatures of mindless, time-saving routine. Where are you holding yourself back from creating the cool shit you say you want to create? What is the cool shit you want to create? Do you even know?

Our brains, as a matter of survival, evolved to process complex situations quickly. The brains that did not learn to process complex situations quickly, simply perished. One of the consequences of this is that we all have filters that let certain kinds of information in and bounce others. This is done out of efficiency since a great deal of our energy goes to operating the big mass on top of our shoulders. 

One such filter is confirmation bias. This is the tendency to filter out all information that does not support an idea or precept we already have learned. Everything is true to the person who believes it. This sort of cognitive bias distorts our decision making in macroenvironments that are in the process of changing rapidly. As we work to confirm, validate or otherwise reinforce what we think we already know, we may well avoid some threatening situations but end up missing very valuable opportunities to capitalize on change. Do you want to be right or do you want to create the business and life of your dreams? 

New creations, insights and ideas are the products of new neural connections in my brain and I can't learn what I think I already know. If I hold on to the past the future has no space to grow in.

The best way I have found around confirmation bias–my own and others–is to ask lots of good questions. Not the "don't you agree that my idea is the best idea because if you don't I'll fire you?" kind of questions, but genuine open-ended questions that stimulate new learning, challenge the conventional thinking, reveal new strategic options and lead to valuable new actions. I am aching to cut some new ground but I need to get my feet out of the cement they are locked in.

What challenge are you grappling with? I bet there is an interesting, burning question buried under the stress. My current book series, strangely enough is on the topic of designing really great questions and overcoming conformation bias. I have priced each book at $19.64. A single great question can lead to a massive increase in wealth and fulfillment. What's holding you back? Order yours here. (Seriously, why have you not bought yours yet?)