When DOUBTS Lead to CERTAINTY

 

We all shun off DOUBTS.  I myself, if I had my wife, I DON'T want to have anything that has got to do with DOUBTS.   WHY?  DOUBTs DON'T bring you over and cross-over via a clear path of a thought process.  BUT we are reminded by psychologists that EVERY BREAKTHROUGH STARTS IN THE DARK.  LIKE WHEN a scientist spots an odd pattern in the data.  LIKE WHEN a doctor senses something's OFF even before the test results arrive.  LIKE a designer noticing a friction point a metric CAN'T even explain.  In these circumstances, definitely CERTAINTY will come in, BUT much later.  After starting with a guess, sharpened by DOUBT and eventually tested by reality

Experts shared that everything starts with an incomplete information, leading to abductive reasoning.  19th century Philosopher Charles Sanders was quoted that DOUBT is the very engine of 'real thought'.  LIKE a designer noticing confusion before it happens.  LIKE a scientist forming a theory from partial data.  LIKE a product team guessing WHY a metric dropped.  Experts also advised that 'abductive reasoning' is a trainable skill alongside one's mindset, one that resists rushing toward certainty and treats wrong turns as part of a process

Experts advised us that transforming doubt into a decision tool helps us with the incidental discomfort WHEN the outcome remains uncertain, effectively a DOUBT.  Studies by Canadian researchers also concluded that DOUBT can be a powerful tool for improving decision-making and ensuring that new OR bold ideas are supported by rigorous evidence.  True, questions arising from DOUBT do open the possibilities leading to complex problem-solving, critical thinking and even creativity

Recently, I got curious with a research study WHICH concluded that our brain craves for CERTAINTY and in effect, that feeling of CERTAINTY leads us to feel rewarding, LIKE a nice shot of dopamine WHEN we believe we know OR are certain of something, thus closing a 'cognitive loop' [to borrow the jargon from experts].   WHEREAS a sense of UNCERTAINTY OR DOUBT generates a strong, psychological threat response, something our brain wants to avoid❎❎❎

Our takeaway:  Listening to a famous local motivational speaker recently, he urged us all that to thrive in this new world, we need to notice WHEN to operate from a position of UNCERTAINTY and start to consider the notion that even DOUBT might serve us better.  That is NOT to suggest that we develop a chronic lack of self-confidence and start to DOUBT everything we do.  The key message here is that we develop enough self-confidence to accept that maybe at times, CERTAINTY might even be misplaced OR worse, unhelpful.  YES, CERTAINTY will NOT help us to solve complex problems, think critically and create innovate solutions.  Next time UNCERTAINTY and DOUBT surfaces, let us embrace it as it will eventually lead to CERTAINTY💚💛💜