#028 – Anchoring Bias & Credibility-Killing Phrases

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read time 2 minutes 

#028 at a Glance:

• Quote that will get you thinking: Where opportunity is buried.

• Podcast you should listen to: Stoicism’s Lessons for a Disciplined Life.

• Mental Model: Anchoring Bias.

• Hack you should try: 15 credibility-killing phrases.

• YouTube series you should watch: Behind The Diary.

Quote that will get you thinking:

Podcast you should listen to:

Modern Wisdom #541 - Ryan Holiday

Discipline is one of the world’s hot topics, mainly because it’s become apparent that in order to achieve anything, you must be able to temper your desires and concentrate your efforts. The Stoics (a group of philosophical thinkers in Ancient Greece and Rome) believed this 2000 years ago and actively put these principles into practice every single day.

In this discussion, Ryan Holiday, one of my favourite authors, expertly deconstructs lessons from memorable stoic figures such as Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus to distill the most practical insights into our modern lives.

Expect to learn why sanity is your most precious resource, why discipline without an end goal is pointless, how to stay disciplined when success arrives, how to enforce discipline without lambasting yourself for falling short, and much more.

I have listened to all 3 podcasts that Chris Williamson has recorded with Ryan Holiday and I can confidently say that this episode was by far the best. So much value.

Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple Podcasts here. Watch on YouTube here.

Mental Model:

Anchoring Bias 

A cool concept I came across courtesy of James Smith this week:

The Anchoring Bias refers to a tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information encountered (the "anchor") when making decisions. For example, if the first diet you try leads to rapid weight loss, you might become "anchored" to it, believing it to be the best diet, even if it's not balanced or sustainable.

How often do you act on the first piece of information you encounter without critically analysing its source, context, or bias? How often do you take the first explanation you hear as gospel? How often do you cross-reference new ‘inputs’ with other authorities?

Something to keep in mind…

Hack you should try:

15 credibility-killing phrases

Language is easily one of the most overlooked aspects of our day-to-day lives. And because of that, it really can be a superpower.

I think we can all agree that the way we utilise language through diction and syntax can have a substantial influence on both our personal relationships and professional outcomes.

Here are 15 low-modality and non-impactful phrases to remove from your vocab immediately.

In particular, I’ve made a conscious effort to weed out number 4 from my conversations recently. A subtle yet highly impactful eradication, I must say.

YouTube series you should watch:

Behind The Diary

Those who know me know how much I love The Diary Of A CEO podcast. In my opinion, it is, as of right now, the highest value-per-minute business/lifestyle podcast on the market.

The host and founder, Steven Bartlett, has recently created a new YouTube channel and vlog series called Behind The Diary which essentially follows the ins and outs of both his business and personal life.

It is as close as we can get to being a fly on the wall with one of the world’s most dynamic and successful 30-year-old entrepreneurs.

From a technical perspective as well, the quality of the video editing is on another level.

Couldn’t recommend these weekly/fortnightly vlogs more highly.

That’s all for this week, thanks for reading!

Grateful for your support.

Stay hungry, stay humble, & stay curious. ⚡

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