Certainty and No Doubt

Another political season has come and gone and I see the usual chatter – some are going to move to another state and some think all their problems are gone forever. As usual, it’s probably best to avoid the extremes of our modern political nihilism.

Elections bring the concepts of certainty and the personalization of truth to front and center. You know what you know because you know it. Forget politics, how many times have you read an article bashing something you enjoy (CrossFit?) and think to yourself – “these people just don’t get it.” We are all human and thus we have inherent biases that are tough to shake. But there’s one thing that always tears down the walls of bias and that’s experience.

In a classic Seinfeld skit, George Costanza recognized that every instinct and moment of certainty he had was wrong and decided to do the opposite. While hopefully not as extreme, see if you can recognize this arrogance of certainty in yourself next time it appears. Maybe it’s passing judgement on somebody before you get to know them or perhaps doubting the efficacy of an exercise/training program. Instead of rationalizing your certainty, try the opposite approach – one of experience. Make an honest attempt to get to know somebody, give the training a full shot before quitting, etc.

Understand that this certainty limits our own personal growth as well. Some have a hard time believing they can improve beyond where they are while others see some distant past of themselves and won’t accept the reality of where they are today. Push yourself to improve in all aspects of life, be humble and move deliberately.