Stay Hungry for New Input—Never Stop Being a Beginner
Learning never stops, not even in school and so we ought to be students in almost every situation in life. Making ten thousand dollars doesn’t mean you know how to make 100 million. It’s a circle of development, adjustment and lessons; and so is life. We ought to expose ourselves to new experiences, data, trends, news and so much more. The more we learn, the more we realise there is much more to uncover. We ought to keep this vigour burning on the inside, digging into new details, innovations. As though, we have never done it before. This will not only gradually change how we think but will change how we view the world.
Many of us fear investing. However, as people get more exposed: to accounting, banking and finance, their views tend to change in the process and before you know it they are full time entrepreneurs. Why?
Knowledge.
This constant exposure to knowledge will keep us in the know and open to us, unfamiliar territories. Perhaps, changing our perception.
Force Systematic Thinking—Facts First, Feelings Later
Processing lots of information is a huge task for the brain and that’s why it naturally filters out most of the data. Leaving only what it thinks is important. That’s where confirmation bias happens. So how do we prevent this?
Systematic thinking is a better approach, when we are faced with these dilemmas and want to make the right impartial decision. We ought to look at the facts, and accept them. Then make amendments in respect with the facts only; without considering our assumptions, differences or beliefs. It may feel uncomfortable but we ought to remind ourselves of the truth. Every time our minds are trying to deviate us.
Develop an open character and perception
This takes the most time, in a world full of sides and beliefs; some even pushing people to a point of self harm or even death. We are all entitled to believe in what we think is true but should not be blinded by the fact that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. We sort of see the world from our own “lens” due to very many different conditions and factors. Stemming from how we were raised, who raised us, environment, gender and so forth.
Openness in character or perception is practiced by deliberately killing or skipping the prejudice our mind is always presenting to us every time we get exposed to a particular topic, race or agenda. We ought to practice empathy and let the facts be spilled out, not filtering out what we don’t want but putting it all on the same scale.
Impartiality calls for patience which accommodates learning, this will show us the truth in the end.
Train yourself to get comfortable in unfamiliar territory
Most humans are built with a self defensive mentality, mostly people who grew up in dangerous or harmful societies and sometimes were on the weaker side. It is evident in gender interactions, women tend to feel more insecure when left alone alongside a man in an isolated place like the woods or in the countryside.
Many of us tend to frown or have low moods when first introduced to new people. Be it in a new office department or in a social gathering. Then our moods lighten when a familiar person or friend joins us. And so it is with information.
Most people don’t even understand things at all when they read them for the first time and it’s even much worse if they have an initial bias against the information. Like asking a Moslem to open a Bible to see what it says: this not only makes them uncomfortable but makes them look for only the wrong verses to point out without comprehending the whole story.
Disclaimer: (no religious harm was intended in developing this article)
But on the other hand, a well trained army female private may not fear walking alongside a man in the woods. Why?
They’ve got enough exposure to unfamiliar danger and although not comfortable with it, they can still face it.
You can make it a habit to familiarise yourself with uncomfortable situations, people or even propagandas you don’t personally agree with. Not to change your beliefs but to make your brain get used to such environments.
Flexibility and willingness to accept when you are wrong – Be humble
Ego is the biggest blocker. Nobody likes hearing “you’re wrong.” We’d rather discover it ourselves than have someone point it out.
But the people who learn fastest are the ones who can swallow pride, admit the mistake, thank the person who called it, and update. No defensiveness. No grudge. Just: “Damn, I had that wrong. Lesson noted.”
This flexibility turns resistance into fuel. You iterate, adjust, keep moving. Humility isn’t weakness—it’s the ultimate strength against bias.
Bottom line: Beating confirmation bias isn’t a one-time fix. It’s a lifelong grind of staying curious, forcing facts over feelings, sitting in discomfort, and dropping ego when it gets in the way.
Many among us, may also have problem of procrastination besides confirmation bias. Here are the 6 essentials you need to finally overcome procrastination…for good.
