1-2-3 Sundays: Being Present, Graduation & Cognitive Bias

Spring weather is here. Clear and sunny skies. For now at least.

1 Theme

Being Present

Aimee and I had an overnight stay in Pitlochry on stunning grounds. It was in the valley surrounded by hills and mountains.

We were fortunate enough to walk around, even managing to see a deer a little ahead of us in trees.  

We both stood quietly watching, whispering to one another.

The deer ran off and we continued through a field with the sun shining on us and a light wind to keep us cool.

The following morning we swam in the pool, went into the steam room, sauna and cold plunge pool.

All of these make you focus on your breath. Your attention is solely on each moment.  

It's not only these activities that promote the feeling of being present.

Lunchtime walks with colleagues, catching up with friends over coffee and yoga are other examples.

What have you done this week to feel present?

2 Positive Outcomes

Graduation (Eventually)

I was lucky enough to have my delayed graduation ceremony this week.

The weather was fantastic. Clear skies and fairly warm for March.

It marks the official end of my time at university, albeit 2 years later than expected.

Seeing my classmates and their families joy at the occasion was deserved. As with all degrees, a lot of hard work was required. Getting official recognition from the university was satisfying.

I wrote a thread about the 4 most valuable lessons I've learned since finishing university here.

Distance Running

I'm running the Edinburgh Marathon in May this year.

My training currently involves three runs per week - one of which is a distance builder.

The first week of training was 10km, the second 12km, the third 14km and now 15km.

It's required a big mindset shift to hit those numbers.

Running is just as much a mental game as a physical one.

At the Falkirk 10km in January, I went out the blocks flying and completed the first 5km in record time. I probably went out too fast resulting in a struggle in the middle section.

During these longer training runs, I've been focusing on my pacing and making sure I'm not gassed at the halfway mark.

There's still plenty of training to be done before the event in May.

3 Things I've Learned

The Dunning-Kruger Effect

This is a cognitive bias where you overestimate your knowledge or competence for completing a given task.

If a task requires a skill you have, then great.

If you don't have that skill, you don't realise you don't have it. But you can think you do.

Because you don't know about any incompetencies, you don't think you have any.

The end result is what we think we're good at and what we're actually good at not aligning.

A 2018 study showed that Americans who know little about politics and government are more likely than other Americans to overestimate their knowledge in these areas.

Identity-Based Choices

According to University of Stanford professor James March, we tend to make our long term decisions based on our identity.

He calls it the 'identity model'.

This way of thinking happens based on questions we ask ourselves such as:

• Who am I?
• What kind of situation is this?
• What would someone like me do in this situation?  

Answers to these questions can explain why we might not act rationally.

High-income earners may vote for tax rises if they see themselves as compassionate, generous or fair people.

In everyday life, we often make decisions based on this model of thinking.

It can be used as a positive tool if you're trying to change or reach a goal.

The 3rd question above is key for this.

Walk Through Your Day The Night Before

I made a silly mistake this week.

On Thursday I got up and went for my run.

I went into the gym for a sauna and shower.

I was getting ready to head to work when it went wrong.

I couldn't find my jeans in my bag.

I had forgotten to pack them the night before.

These things happen. As my gran used to say to me:

"If you don't laugh, you'll greet"

I went home and got my jeans before heading to work.

My lesson learned here is to walk through my morning and visualise what I might need for the day. This makes sure I pack it in my bag.  

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