A few examples of how we extrapolate our exceptions all the time:<ul><li>“House prices will probably keep increasing.”</li><li>“That person will never change.”</li><li>“My business will keep growing.”</li><li>“I will never learn from my mistakes.”</li><li>“He doesn’t like me.”</li></ul>The root of this problem is our quick judgment.

Extrapolating our thoughts

But that doesn’t mean we should follow through on every single thought that pops into our mind.Every time you start thinking about future events or start making mental movies, keep count on a post-it note or a small piece of paper. Be aware of your thoughts. But don’t follow through.

We’re fast thinkers

“It takes skill and discipline to bat away the pests of bad perceptions, to separate reliable signals from deceptive ones, to filter out prejudice, expectation, and fear.”

Ask yourself: What’s within my control? Is there something I can do right now? Can I make the situation better? Then do it. And do the job well. If you can’t, choose to do something else. Have different things in your life that you can give your attention to. For example: learn a new skill, get some exercise, work on your goals.

Do your own thing

I bet that you're extrapolating your perceptions all the time. Let me give you a few examples and tell whether I'm wrong. "House prices will probably keep increasing." "That person will never change." "My business will keep growing." "I will never learn from my mistakes." "He doesn't like me."

RYAN HOLIDAY

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