Day 601 - Learning from others without being influenced - https://golifelog.com/posts/learning-from-others-without-being-influenced-1661310066546
This is a tough question. Something I’ve been thinking hard about.
Thing is, I enjoy learning collectively, from others. Learn from the mistakes of others so that I don’t have to make the same mistake too. Lessons and insights might provide new opportunities for me. Above all, from learning collectively, we form connections, make friends, build relationships.
It’s hard to hate on learning from others.
Yet there’s downsides.
You form narrative and perspective of how things should be, where there might be none, or where it doesn’t apply to you. Success stories and the factors that led to it, might not be applicable to my context. Survivorship bias, recency bias, lack of data, hype – all contribute to a narrow perspective becoming all-defining view of the world. Like my post about how the indie maker playbook is dead. If we didn’t observe reality close enough, I would assume the playbook still works as influenced. Yet the meta kicker is, it’s from learning from someone else’s experience that I learned this new discovery.
It’s a tough balancing act for sure.
On one hand I would love to continue learning from others. On the other hand, I want to have independent thinking, be discerning and selective, and not be overly influenced.
HOW?
It takes a lot of effort basically. It takes energy to not accept a cool idea or hack at face value, and consider the nuance and do the research. Anything that’s either/not or polarized are likely too simplistic – those are easy to tell. When it appeals to what I already like, or suits my personality is when it gets harder to be discerning. Worst of all, if it comes from an idol or someone you look up to, or someone with power or authority. Being around people who practice mindful speech, nuanced thinking, healthy skepticism is also great reminders. Above all, test every idea through my reality, my context, before accepting it into my worldview.
A self-aware, mindful gatekeeping thoughts, perceptions and narratives going in and coming out from the mind is the best way perhaps, of being able to benefit from learning from others yet be independent thinker.
Thing is, I enjoy learning collectively, from others. Learn from the mistakes of others so that I don’t have to make the same mistake too. Lessons and insights might provide new opportunities for me. Above all, from learning collectively, we form connections, make friends, build relationships.
It’s hard to hate on learning from others.
Yet there’s downsides.
You form narrative and perspective of how things should be, where there might be none, or where it doesn’t apply to you. Success stories and the factors that led to it, might not be applicable to my context. Survivorship bias, recency bias, lack of data, hype – all contribute to a narrow perspective becoming all-defining view of the world. Like my post about how the indie maker playbook is dead. If we didn’t observe reality close enough, I would assume the playbook still works as influenced. Yet the meta kicker is, it’s from learning from someone else’s experience that I learned this new discovery.
It’s a tough balancing act for sure.
On one hand I would love to continue learning from others. On the other hand, I want to have independent thinking, be discerning and selective, and not be overly influenced.
HOW?
It takes a lot of effort basically. It takes energy to not accept a cool idea or hack at face value, and consider the nuance and do the research. Anything that’s either/not or polarized are likely too simplistic – those are easy to tell. When it appeals to what I already like, or suits my personality is when it gets harder to be discerning. Worst of all, if it comes from an idol or someone you look up to, or someone with power or authority. Being around people who practice mindful speech, nuanced thinking, healthy skepticism is also great reminders. Above all, test every idea through my reality, my context, before accepting it into my worldview.
A self-aware, mindful gatekeeping thoughts, perceptions and narratives going in and coming out from the mind is the best way perhaps, of being able to benefit from learning from others yet be independent thinker.