Being wrong hits a nerve for most of us, and it’s rarely about the small stuff. It’s about what it feels like to be corrected when a belief is tied to our pride, our relationships, or our sense of identity. I’m Mike Rathman, and I want to make a case for something that sounds simple but can change the way you live: getting more comfortable changing your mind can be one of the kindest things you do for yourself and for the people around you.
We dig into the psychology behind why we double down. You’ll hear how cognitive dissonance creates that “well actually…” reflex, and how confirmation bias pushes us to collect proof, dismiss counterevidence, and turn conversations into court cases. We also talk about why it gets messy when beliefs become identity, when “I believe this” turns into “people like me believe this,” and how that team mindset can make curiosity feel like betrayal.
Then we shift to practical tools for better difficult conversations. We lean on a surprisingly strong phrase, “I don’t know,” and the kinds of curiosity questions that lower the temperature fast: Where did you hear that? What makes you believe that? What am I missing? You’ll also get a challenge for the week: choose one belief you hold tightly and ask what evidence would actually make you reconsider, because an open mind doesn’t have to be a wide-open door, just an unlocked one.
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Intro music: ‘Human First’ by Mike Baker – YouTube Music: https://youtu.be/wRXqkYVarGA | Podcast: Still Here, Still Trying | Website: www.mikebakerhq.com
