Checking your emotions and bias

We're all human!

We’re emotional creatures, driven by internal forces that we may not always have full control over. We often overreact or underreact to external circumstances. We misjudge situations based on preconceptions we may not be aware of.

There are steps you can take to make certain your biases and emotional reactions don’t overrule your reason when faced with important decisions.

First, don’t rush into them. Take a step back and examine whether you’re really thinking about the ramifications of your decision or if you’re just reacting. If the latter feels likely then it’s good to put the decision on hold and reexamine it tomorrow.

It’s also helpful to have a diverse team of people to bounce decisions off of. Ultimately you’ll be the one to decide, but getting outside perspectives will help you consider problems from angles you may have missed.

When you can, look at the facts. Take you and your emotions out of the equation. This can allow you to accept difficult choices that you might otherwise want to avoid. In the end, we must all learn to recognize when biases and emotions are clouding our judgment. This recognition will free you to make better-informed decisions, which is better for you and everyone around you.