We need to normalize being wrong and changing our minds

As I always say, “being wrong is like pooping. It’s not exactly the most glamorous or pleasant thing in world, but it’s something we all have to do once in a while. And, if you’re fairly healthy, you should be able to do it pretty regularly without too much effort and you’ll probably feel better in the end if you just get it over with.”

And I think that, as people who are interested in making the world a better place, we need to get better at holding space for people (and ourselves!) to be wrong. To grow. To realize that something we thought last year isn’t totally correct or could be made more accurate or helpful by adding to our knowledge.

Because as unfomfortable as it can be to realize we messed up or missed something or said the wrong thing,

It’s OK.

It’s part of being human.

And it’s absolutely necessary if we are going to push society forward in a way that’s beneficial to everyone.

And, if we can get comfortable with reframing “being wrong” to “a chance to learn something new and increase our knowledge,” it’s a lot easier to do.

But what does this look like? Well, start by simply being curious! When presented with information that contradicts something you beleive, you can say things like,

“Oh wow, I didn’t know that, tell me more.”

“WHOA - I totally thought something different, thanks for letting me know.”

“Oh, for real? What’s a good resource for learning more about this?”

These statements and questions allow us to approach the issue with humility and openness and spare us embarassment because it feels collaborative vs. combative.

And don’t stop there! if the person is kind enough to provide you with a resource or explain the issue more in-depth to you, do the respectful and right thing and follow up on the resource by actually reading, watching or listening to it.

I know it’s tough, but I like to think of being wrong as a change to give my brain a good workout!