Update your Mental Model

As we go through life, we build a simplified understanding of how things work. These mental models are tremendously helpful – we don't need to think about every minute detail of how a computer works or how a car works; we can loosely understand it and figure out how to use it.

For instance, how an electric car works is dramatically different from how a gas-powered car works – but your mental model mostly stays the same.

In other ways, the world is changing more dramatically. For instance, blockchain technology or remote work demands dramatic updates to your mental model. If you refuse to update your model, you get left behind.

Said another way – notice when you are wrong. Please don't feel bad about it; celebrate it – you just learned something. Incorporate your new knowledge into your model and keep moving forward.