Change of Mind …

“What have you rethought recently?”  Adam Grant, PhD (author, podcaster, psychology professor)

There is an old adage taught in many medical schools which says "Half of what we are going to teach you is wrong. Our problem is that we don't know which half."  For me that that number is now greater than 90%, and well more than half of my present medical knowledge wasn’t even known when I was in school!  Statistically, most of us have been in medicine long enough to have had to “re-think” many practices that were at one time held to be “true.”  The scientific method is built upon this premise.  So, on the surface, we clinicians should be very skilled in the process of changing our minds. 

How quickly I forget.  Recently I had a wonderful PRx90 check-in (“Up to 90 minutes every 90 days”) with one of my PeerRxMed buddies.  During the course of our lively conversation, he reminded me that “just because you believe something doesn’t mean you need to keep believing it!” – in this case referencing some administrative burdens (aka: “stupid stuff”) that I had resigned myself to keep soldiering through, sharing my belief that they would “never change.”   

While on the surface his may seem a “duh” statement, in many circles it has become quite trendy to “dig-in” or “double-down” on what we say we believe rather than positioning ourselves to be open to new ideas and the possibility of changing (or perhaps the “safer” alternative, of “evolving”) our beliefs.  Indeed, I was demonstrating this very behavior with my “never change” mindset.  It turns out we’re wired for this.

In his book “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know,” organizational psychologist Adam Grant writes: “We’re mental misers: we often prefer the ease of hanging on to old views over the difficulty of grappling with new ones.”   He tackles this challenge head-on, encouraging us to embrace intellectual humility when it comes to what we “believe.”  Taking this posture increases the chances we will do the essential work necessary to overcome a natural tendency to resist changing such beliefs,

This week, consider the question “what have I rethought recently” and share what you discover with your PeerRxMed partner or other colleague.  Remember, the willingness  to change one’s mind is not a sign of weakness, but wisdom - and of embracing the scientific method.   And that same science says you’re the only one who can bring about that change of mind.  At least that’s what I believe … for now ….