Judging Others, Taking Photos, Complimenting Strangers, & More
Article Round-Up: 2.26.23
Enjoy this weeks curated list of articles, podcasts, and more from the web.
Featured Thoughts - Making Judgments on Others
“Jumping To Conclusions About People”
Takeaway: As the article explains, it’s easy to jump to conclusions about others’ behaviors. But we’re almost always wrong. This is because we’re going off of incomplete and often faulty information, as well as led astray by our inherent biases.
This is no more obvious then when people make mistakes, especially if the consequences negatively impact us directly. It’s easiest to jump to the conclusion that they spited you on purpose for ill-gain.
This concept is so common, and so detrimental to our relationships, that it became the inspiration for my life rule #21:
Assume miscommunication before malicious intent.
By giving people the benefit of the doubt—by assuming they made a simple error instead of intentionally causing you harm—you can approach the subject in a calm manner, which opens the door to better discussions and resolutions.
This is not an easy rule to live by, we all have instinctual, emotional reactions to being harmed. Learn to master this approach and it will completely change the health of the relationships in your life.
“5 Things Everyone Should Do More Of”
Takeaway: Get good photos taken, try new things, compliment strangers, practice gratitude, and make time for fun. These five things can dramatically improve your sense of wellbeing. You should do more of them.
“21 Sentences To Make You Mentally Stronger Than 98% of People”
Takeaway: Here are a few that stood out to me from the author:
“If you want to feel good about yourself, help others feel good about themselves.”
“Miserable people expect others to be a certain way.”
“You will limit yourself to the degree to blame others for your problems.”
“The Human Mind Has A Shut-Off Device”
Takeaway: From the author,
“Once the mind has accepted a plausible explanation for something, it becomes a framework for all the information that is perceived after it. We’re drawn, subconsciously, to fit and contort all the subsequent knowledge we receive into our framework, whether it fits or not. Psychologists call this “cognitive rigidity”. The facts that built an original premise are gone, but the conclusion remains—the general feeling of our opinion floats over the collapsed foundation that established it.”