Monday Motivation, 3.15.2021

Written by: Stacy Tolbert

Every Monday, The Rogers-Long Team meets for one of its two weekly meetings. The Monday meeting always ends with “Monday Motivation” in which a few minutes are spent listening to one team member presenting a quote, a quick reading from a book, a scene from a movie, or anything else they find motivating to provide a “spark” to the whole team on a Monday morning.

“Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything” – George Bernard Shaw

It is often heard, “Well let’s agree to just disagree”, sure we can do that and proceed on with our day. We do this for a variety of reasons, the main one is that we will not be wrong and someone with a different opinion or presentation of facts will not change our mind because we are never wrong. Guess again, you could be right but you very well could be wrong, but no one wants to recognize that they are wrong.  “There is so much we do not know… And we are all wrong about some things. Our inability or unwillingness to seek out ways we are wrong will keep us wrong. And that is a bad idea. Rethinking – thinking again – is the only path to getting more things right.”–Randy Mayeux. So for those thinking, “hmmm.. not me”, we need to ask ourselves an honest question, Do we surround ourselves with people who agree with our opinions and biased versions of the fact? Are we willing to invite those that can challenge our opinions and provide a new avenue of thoughts/views or judgements that we did not consider before. “Questioning ourselves makes the world more unpredictable. It requires us to admit that the facts may have changed, that what was once right may now be wrong. Reconsidering something we believe deeply can threaten our identities, making it feel as if we’re losing a part of ourselves. “ – Adam Grant.  And there you have it, often the root cause of staying stubborn in our opinion is that precious ego of ours. “All of us are guilty of being stubborn or have a fixed mind at times. And yes, it takes a lot of courage, strength and self-discipline to admit that you are wrong or allow progress to happen. But what is life without a change of heart or a change of mind?” – Sergei VanBellingen.

So how do we get out of the habit of just digging our heels in and standing our ground? In our Machiavellian world of ours this is probably one of the most ridiculous things we will have to do…..Rethink, do it again and then rethink again. Our opinions and thoughts need to have fluidity because the world around us is changing at a pace that is impossible to keep up with.

So here is a list of some things to learn:

• Rethinking is a skill set, but it’s also a mindset.
• We need to develop the habit of forming our own second opinions.
• If you lack the motivation to change your mind, you’ll miss many occasions to think again.
• Think like a scientist…when a scientist is actually in scientist mode:
• Thinking like a scientist involves more than just reacting with an open mind. It means being actively open-minded. It requires searching for reasons why we might be wrong—not for reasons why we must be right — and revising our views based on what we learn.
• It starts with intellectual humility — knowing what we don’t know.
• If knowledge is power, knowing what we don’t know is wisdom. 
• Our convictions can lock us in prisons of our own making.
• The solution is not to decelerate our thinking—it’s to accelerate our rethinking.
• We all have blind spots in our knowledge and opinions
• The bad news is that they can leave us blind to our blindness, which gives us false confidence in our judgment and prevents us from rethinking.
• When a core belief is questioned, though, we tend to shut down rather than open up.
• The technical term for this in psychology is the totalitarian ego, and its job is to keep out threatening information.
• (The second kind of) detachment is separating your opinions from your identity.
• You/we all have a responsibility!
• I’d like to modify that: yes, we’re entitled to hold opinions inside our own heads. If we choose to express them out loud, though, I think it’s our responsibility to ground them in logic and facts, share our reasoning with others, and change our minds when better evidence emerges.
• Beware of HIPPO — the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion.
• Starting a disagreement by asking, “Can we debate?” sends a message that you want to think like a scientist.

-Source Adam Grant “Think Again”

Lastly but loosely tied just remember you can have your own set of opinions but you cannot have your own set of facts.

So go out, be wrong, fix it, be wrong again and this allows you to continually grow and become a better.

Stacy Tolbert, The Transaction Coordinator for The Rogers-Long Team: Powered by Hometown Realty, was a client of Ben & Kevin’s in 2015. After hiring The RLT for her family’s move, Ben returned the favor and hired her to come work with the team! Stacy’s primary role is coordinating transactions from contract to close. In her spare time, you can find Stacy working in the garden, tasting Craft Beer, or managing her three fantasy football teams!