Your Personal Goals New Best Friend: Confirmation Bias

Silent Reading Time: 2 min 41 sec.

Whether you’re half awake clutching a cup of coffee to bring you back to life or wondering what you’re reading, I’ll keep it simple:

The not-so-secret plan is how to use confirmation bias to brainwash yourself into the identity you desire.

Disclaimer: I’m not a psychologist or have a Ph.D. I’m a normal person who got sick of believing our identities are innate.

There are people out there who spend a fortune on coaches, fitness instructors, and self-help books like Atomic Habits.

You know what they all have in common? They tackle how you think first.

So, why not brainwash yourself?

(in a non-zombie or secret cult type of way, of course)

By tapping into the cognitive biases in your mind, you can shift the way you think and take control of your actions and behaviors.

Cognitive bias is just a fancy way to say that you have flaws in how your brain processes information, and NOBODY is immune — including Daniel Kahneman, one of the scientists who discovered them.

The ironic part is that we only have cognitive biases with our mental shortcuts or automatic responses for how we understand the world.

Turns out, there are 180 known cognitive biases, but luckily for you, we’re only focusing on one: Confirmation Bias.

Confirmation Bias just means your mind will work to prove your thoughts right by influencing your actions and behaviors.

Sound eerily familiar? Hope so. My whole platform is based on a cognitive bias!

Logic: If we have biases, why not use them as a tool to make decisions that benefit us?

Look at it this way, have you ever heard something like:

“Surround yourself with people you want to be like.”

Or

“Put yourself in rooms with people you want to be like.”

That's confirmation bias in action. You're curating thoughts, behaviors, and traits you want to embody to shape your identity.

You do that by first with careful thought and planning. Then ruthlessly picking and choosing who's in your life, the books you digest, and your whole environment to support your desired identity.

Screw “You’re the average of the five people you surround yourself with.”

You are your environment.

Keep in mind: Strive to balance your desire for affirmation with a willingness to consider alternative viewpoints.

You are creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Slowly filtering their ideas into your thoughts and identifying with them. When you do, you create new beliefs, and your actions and behaviors will work to make those beliefs true — sometimes without your knowing.

Isn't that both cool and scary at the same time?

Anyway, I've probably been yapping your ear off. Because these newsletters are like mini get-togethers in your inbox, let’s make it a two-sided conversation.

Hit reply and tell me what’s going on in your life? A struggle you haven’t voiced yet. A success story from work. Whatever’s on your mind. Let’s talk.

Pretending not to wait by the inbox,

Nichole