We celebrate people who stick to their guns. The one’s who are sure. The one’s who think the same today as they did 5, 10, 20 years ago. Same answer. Different day. Different year.
But confidence does not equal competence. Neither does consistency. Sunk costs aren’t necessarily well spent.
From one perspective, changing your mind is about science. New data, new methods of measurement, new capabilities, or new ancillary findings that inform our hypothesis.
“We used to think the earth is flat, but we’ve learned new information that now leads us to think its round.”
But we’re also human enough to understand that often, what we think or believe isn’t about science at all. It’s about feeling, and sometimes our feelings change.
“I was an atheist, but I married a Christian. Now I’m not so sure.”
Changing your mind is a very natural thing. A very human thing. We act like changing our minds is weakness. That certainty is a virtue.
Unless, of course, you change your mind and agree with me. Then we call it growth.
But certainty is heavy. It locks you in. Makes it hard to move.
Letting go and changing your mind isn’t weakness. It’s how you move forward.
