Critical thinking
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
If you believe your opinion on a topic is 100% correct, recognize this as a sign that you do not know enough about the subject's complexity.
Certainty often indicates a lack of knowledge regarding what one doesn't know.
- This rule does not apply if you are an actual expert on the subject.
one person who lived it
Try to prove yourself wrong rather than trying to prove yourself right.
This approach helps ensure correctness, similar to checking if a door is locked by trying to open it rather than turning the lock again.
one person who lived it
Study the patterns of those who tried and failed to get a realistic picture of the odds, rather than focusing only on those who succeeded.
For every famous success, there are many others who did the same things but did not make it.
one person who lived it
- Work out advice by examining the patterns of those who did not succeed, rather than just asking how successful people succeeded.1
Define success based on your own values rather than tying it to the same standards everyone else uses.
People have different values.
one person who lived it
Admit when you do not know enough about a subject to form an opinion.
It is useful to be honest.
one person who lived it
Embrace finding out you are wrong as an opportunity to increase your knowledge and understanding.
Finding out you were wrong makes you smarter and grows the richness and fidelity of your picture of the world.
one person who lived it
Notice and acknowledge your ignorance.
You are usually most intelligent when you do so.
one person who lived it
Seek out alternate views rather than understanding issues as two-sided or black-and-white.
Understanding views as two-sided or black-and-white leaves you close-minded.
one person who lived it
Acknowledge when something you believed to be true might actually be false.
It is described as the most intelligent action in that situation.
one person who lived it
24 more on this
Read 'The Demon-Haunted World' to dismantle superstitions.
It humbly destroys all your superstitions.
- The book is dry.
one person who lived it
Stop judging people as simply successful or mediocre, and remember that financial stability does not reflect a person's worth.
Viewing people in binary terms is childish.
one person who lived it
Treat new information with skepticism and work out it against your existing beliefs rather than accepting it just because it is new.
New does not always mean correct.
one person who lived it
Do not blindly follow things you have known for years.
You often memorize something incorrectly or carry bad info for many years.
one person who lived it
If you are successful, attribute roughly equal parts of your outcome to luck, timing, and hard work rather than solely to effort.
2 people, independently
Understand that wealthy people can afford to take big risks with potential big losses because they have a financial foundation and backup.
Their safety net ensures their foundation will always be there.
one person who lived it
Adjust your views when presented with new information, even if you fairly process it and arrive at the same conclusion.
Arriving at the same conclusion after fair processing does not make you obstinate.
one person who lived it
Make a conscious effort to examine opposing ideas on any topic.
Rarely is anything 100% correct.
one person who lived it
When someone expresses absolute confidence in a subjective opinion, treat their conclusion with skepticism.
High confidence often indicates susceptibility to confirmation bias or time spent in an echo chamber.
2 people, independently
Always question your assumptions.
Every mistake stems from an incorrect assumption.
one person who lived it
Recognize that most issues exist in gray areas involving trade-offs rather than stark right-and-wrong solutions.
one person who lived it
Ask senior colleagues or trusted peers to aggressively critique your ideas to test if your theory is good and identify potential counter-arguments.
This allows you to test your ideas and prepare responses to potential arguments.
one person who lived it
Remember that advice from successful people may not apply to you because individual circumstances differ.
Everyone is different, and what works for one person may not work for another; for example, inheriting a company is different from building one through reading.
one person who lived it
Give people the initial benefit of the doubt, but vigorously use mute and block functions against those who engage dishonestly or with outrageous opinions.
Entertaining bad-faith actors accomplishes nothing except raising your blood pressure.
one person who lived it
If you are skeptical of unscientific concepts like NoFap, explore the skeptical movement to help filter out pseudoscience.
NoFap is described as lacking scientific soundness and basis in reality.
one person who lived it
Check if you possess the necessary resources before attempting to replicate a successful person's strategy.
Missing those resources can mean game over.
one person who lived it
Avoid labeling issues as 'pro' or 'anti' to prevent creating unnecessary us-vs-them dynamics.
Most people hold moderate opinions, and extreme labels polarize the conversation.
one person who lived it
Recognize that success may create a bias (Dunning-Kruger effect) leading you to believe you had more control over outcomes or were smarter than you actually were.
one person who lived it
Research everything important, including your side, the opposing side, and everything in-between, to avoid missing crucial information.
Failing to research thoroughly can lead to forever wondering what was missed if something goes wrong.
one person who lived it
Learn to distinguish reliable sources from unreliable ones by understanding different types of studies, rather than relying on opinion pieces or YouTube videos.
Opinion pieces and YouTube videos are unlikely to provide quality information, especially in nonphysical sciences like social science and economics where general knowledge access does not equal understanding.
one person who lived it
Do not blindly trust every piece of advice; judge whether it fits your specific circumstances.
General advice might not necessarily apply to your situation.
one person who lived it
Do not compromise on civil rights or core ethical stances when practicing open-mindedness.
one person who lived it
Be intellectually rigorous by critically examining your own beliefs, biases, prejudices, and privilege.
one person who lived it
Adopt the caveat that conclusions are 'the most likely given available facts' rather than absolute truths, allowing for revision when new information appears.
one person who lived it