Always question whether you are wrong. Step back and rediscover the possibilities. Don't be afraid to admit that you are wrong.
This is great philosophy to live by in both your personal and work life.
This is a fascinating 18-minute TED video by Kathryn Schulz, a "wrongologist" and author of "Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error.
Specifically in Medicine, many instances of medical error occur when physicians just can't admit to themselves that they may be wrong in their assumptions. So in the Emergency Department, when I encounter a challenging or perplexing case, I step back and challenge what I assume is true. Maybe my assumptions that the patient is clinically intoxicated or malingering are wrong. Maybe my bedside ultrasound of the gallbladder was falsely normal.
Step back.
Reassess.
Repeat the exam or test, if necessary.
Such questioning has often saved me from going down a completely wrong path.
An especially funny anecdote was the speaker's insight about how one psychologically processes the fact that someone else thinks you are wrong:
- The ignorance assumption
- The idiocy assumption
- The evil assumption