Better Understanding - the key to better outcomes in life and work

Understanding brings insight that can vastly improve the quality of our approach and actions, and the outcomes we can achieve. But first, you need to want to cultivate this kind of mindset. In this episode, Rob Bialostocki explores how better understanding can lead to better community change, a better divorce, and even better use of time and energy.

WHAT WE COVER

• Understanding brings insight and that enables compassion
• Understanding circumstances allows you to make better decisions
• Relationships based on mutual understanding are more rewarding
• It also brings clarity that helps you carve your own path
• Things happen for a reason, even if we don’t know what it is
• Why do we do what we do?
• What are the options?
• You can in fluency more when you understand more
• You need to want to understand - curiosity
• Pushing back on initial or first impressions, or easy answers
• Ockham’s Razor
• Know yourself and how you operate
• You have beliefs, preferences, an agenda
• Knowing how you’re blind
• Confirmation bias
• Ask better questions
• Eg. What’s behind this?
• What’s causing this?
• What other factors might be at play?
• Taking a more useful approach that aligns to cause
• Assess work, family, community group scenarios before choosing a solution
• Developing empathy for the other party brings understanding
• How to be nicer during divorce
• Knowing that reactions have an emotional basis
• You don’t have to agree with them
• Fostering compassion
• “Responding out of compassion is going to be far better than reacting out of self-preservation.”
• Seeing cause and effect allows you to cut them some slack
• The agenda behind advertising
• Knowing the game being played allows you to choose whether to play.

HOW TO WORK THIS INTO YOUR LIFE

It’s about asking yourself questions.

1. What is happening here?
2. Why is this happening? What’s causing it?
3. Given that, is what I’m seeing any surprise?
4. Also given that is probably what’s happening, how should I best respond?

Notice that it has little to do with being right. It has everything to do with being better.