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August 28, 2005
Doubt Makes You Happy?
I’m reading Easier Than You Think by Richard Carlson. (It’s about small changes you can make in your life that add up to a big, positive return on your investment.)
I was surprised to read this bit of advice: “Plant a seed of doubt."
Doubt always seemed to me to be a negative thing. I assumed that people would be happier without doubt.
But Carlson makes a compelling argument. He points out that when we allow for a shade of doubt in what we “know" then we leave ourselves open-minded, able to see that there are two sides to every issue. It reminds us that we don’t know everything and that there is a possibility we are wrong, or at least not 100% right about everything.
It’s easy to see how that would lead you to be a happier person, plus someone who is easier to be around and in a better position to build bridges instead of walls.
Now that’s good advice. Strange and unexpected, but good.
Posted by Selena at August 28, 2005 03:46 PM