[SERIES] 5/7 Unpopular Belief: Trust Your Gut

But what about evidence?What about data?What about expert opinion?This is Part 5 of the 7 Unpopular Beliefs Series.

Trust Your Gut!

Expert Advice

The idea here is that you're believing in someone else's abilities to understand your situation better than you. Sometimes that's really helpful.In that case, you'd be following your gut to go with someone else's.

Heuristics

If you've done this a million times before, you've probably developed what psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer refers to as a heuristic based gut feeling.The idea is that even if you can't consciously articulate your situation, your brain has seen this so many times that it's actually making you feel what's different this time.It's called a heuristic. We use these all the time.

Can you read this?

I cnduo't bvleiee taht I culod aulaclty uesdtannrd waht I was rdnaieg. Unisg the icndeblire pweor of the hmuan mnid, aocdcrnig to rseecrah at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mttaer in waht oderr the lterets in a wrod are, the olny irpoamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rhgit pclae.

That's a really basic heuristic. Your brain is just making it happen for you.If you've done something enough times, Gigerenzer estimates that 80% of the time, your gut is accurate. That is a really, really good chance.

Avoid Regret

Ultimately, a major motivator for people is avoiding regret. We don't want to get to our death beds and struggle with something we should or shouldn't have done.If you didn't follow your gut, you have a much higher likelihood of regretting your decision.If the expert was wrong, you can blame the expert. How were you supposed to know? You're not the expert.If you had a gut feeling and you ignored it . . . good luck getting rid of that regret.If your wrong and went with your gut, well, you were just wrong. But at least you didn't know the answer and pick something else.

*Disclaimer for High-Stakes Decisions*

Remember the consequences of your decision in high-stakes situations.Here's an example of a flawed gut feeling:In 1999 NYPD fatally shot Amadou Diallo in New York City. Police fired when they thought the young Guinean man was reaching for a weapon, but he was actually unarmed and digging in his pocket for his identification.What happened? Social conditioning creates non-conscious beliefs. These beliefs are hard to identify because they're non-conscious. You're not aware you have them. This is the basis for racism, classism, sexism and a ton of other "isms."It's these non-conscious beliefs that produce the first impressions that can trigger flawed decisions.

2 Minute Action

Here are a few things that only take 2 minutes to do:

• Is there someone in your life who just drains the energy out of you? That's a gut feeling. Cut it off.
• Make a subtle gesture of gratitude or kindness to someone you otherwise might not. This helps those around you feel safe and more like themselves. Others are less likely to make rash decisions or judgments when they feel like we're all on the same team.
• Phone a friend. If you have a high-stakes decision to make, call 3 experts.

The Unpopular Beliefs That Make People Tick

"You're anxious, stop telling me to worry so much.""You don't know what other people want, so don't tell me what to do.""Your writing is too basic, why are you dumbing it down?"

I've gotten criticism for a few unpopular beliefs, like my death bed timer, the idea that you absolutely should get rich, and the fact that I write at a 7th-grade reading level.That's fine.Let me explain why I hold firm in these beliefs.

My Writing Style

I've written and edited academic publications in Developmental Neuroscience and the Decision-Theory literature.I don't use that kind of language here for good reason--only a few people can read it.The average reading level in the USA is a 7th-grade reading level, and I want to reach more people.Not everyone, just more than the people who already know the value of what I'm sharing.The point is to get to the point. We've all got things to do and places to be.Few people want to read some huge wall of text.Most people just want a useful, digestible, actionable nugget every day.

On Getting Rich

I think you should get rich and then spend that money helping people live healthier, happier, more productive lives.In the amount of time people try to make everything perfect and in the perfect way, they could have had a profitable product by now.Apple didn't start by making computers that were deconstructable and recyclable. Patagonia didn't start by making pullovers from only organic trees. There are many examples of this in the world.You start by making a minimally viable product, getting the cash you need to survive and THEN you figure out how to make things even better.Speed to market and profitability will decide how you survive.If your idea/project/business dies or dries up, you can't help anyone.

The Death Bed Timer

I have estimated how much time I have left to live.Of course, it's not accurate because no one can ever know this exact number--but that's not the point.The point is to have an estimate.The point is to look at a number that decreases and understand the reality of my shrinking mortality.Two of the most common regrets of dying people are:

1. Not having lived the life they wanted
2. Having worked too much

If you're serious about avoiding regret and living a life of purpose and deliberation, you'll do what it takes.Watching my Death Bed Timer countdown is my way of reminding myself to stay the course, make every second count, and keep improving.

2 Minute Action

I want you to take 2 minutes to question yourself right now.Unpopular beliefs are a good way to challenge others and get to the bottom of the truth.They're also helpful because challenging others can help them solidify their point of view.What are some unpopular beliefs you have?I'd love to hear what yours are, so comment or reply and let me know.Just identifying them, or saying them out loud can help you think about how to build a lifestyle or habit around them.

The Only Time You Should Say "Don't"

Don't is powerful. It's more powerful than can't.We can change "can't" with attitude and hard work, but "don't" is different.

In this case, I specifically mean "I don't." As in:

I don't miss a workout.I don't skip meditation.I don't eat junk food.When we say the words "I don't," we somehow pull meaning from deep within us. It's suddenly a powerful belief inside."I don't" translates to "I'm not the kind of person who . . ."Next time you want to confront a temptation or stir up some intrinsic motivation, try saying "I don't."