I am coming to appreciate that the concept of belief change is important.

It is becoming clear to me that growing is not solely about gaining new knowledge, but also about changing the beliefs you currently hold. So many of the opportunities I have missed out on were born of false beliefs — not from pure ignorance. And now, at 31 years old, I have experienced disappointment due to false beliefs enough to understand the cost the bear. I really really want to believe in things that are true or durable rather than false or fragile.

One tool that I recently learned to spot beliefs that might need further examination is: If you want the world to be a certain way. Your beliefs and actions around that want might benefit from some detached dispassionate assessment. It is hard to remain open-minded when you have a desire. This is why you don’t bet on sporting events when you are a fan of one of the teams.