I’m increasingly convinced that the willingness to change your mind is the ultimate sign of intelligence.
The most impressive people I know change their minds often in response to new information or evidence. It's not that they lack conviction in their beliefs, but more so that they've developed enough self-awareness to understand what it would take to change them.
The world will pressure you to stubbornly resist such change. To cling to every belief as though it might be your last. But there's immense power in resisting that pressure.
I like to think of it as a software update. The update is never perfect, but it's an improvement upon the older version. It's a reminder that the goal isn't to be right, but to slowly, consistently get closer to the truth.
When I'm getting to know people, I often ask them what they've changed their mind on recently. It's an interesting way to go deep in a conversation.
A friend recently flipped the question on me.
After a bunch of thought and reflection, here's my reply:
7 things I've changed my mind on recently...
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