Lisa notes

Have you ever said to someone: “Why can’t you see this?!?”

It’s often a struggle to understand another person, especially when we disagree. We think the other person is the problem. . . .

• They’re so naive.
• They’re being selfish.
• They’re not even trying.
• They’ve gone crazy.
• They’re not listening to me.

Meanwhile, they are thinking the same about us, that indeed we are the problem. 

But the truth? We all have blind spots.

Our brains work hard to protect the status quo. To keep us from using too much mental energy to think things through.

We all operate with a suitcase of mental biases. We unconsciously pull one out as needed and wear it proudly, without even realizing it. 

Biases prevent us from seeing things as they are. The word bias itself comes from an Old French word biais meaning “sideways, askance, a slant.”

Who wants to see life sideways? Maybe for an amusing side show, but for regular living, we need to see life straight forward.

To see more clearly—and to reduce unnecessary arguments with people we love—we need to uncover common biases that blind us, such as Confirmation Bias, Loss Aversion Bias, Conspiracy Bias, Complexity Bias, etc.

Understanding these hidden roadblocks can open our paths to be less prejudiced, less closed-minded. And it can help us have healthier relationships and more peace.

For the next 28 days in February 2021, we’ll create a cheat sheet together of mental strategies that bias our thinking.

And more importantly, we’ll discover ways we can break these biases to see life, God, and each other more clearly.

The Table of Contents page is here. I’ll add accompanying links as we go.

Is there a particular bias that gets in your way? Share your thoughts in the comments.

If you want to follow the series, subscribe to the blog here to receive the posts as email.

If you want to write your own series (on ANY topic!) for Anita Ojeda’s #Write28Days blogging and/or Instagram challenge, get the details here. We start February 1. 

To see clearly, we need to uncover the biases that cloud our thinking. Join me in this 28-part series to reduce our blindspots.

Introduction to the Series(opens in a new tab)

Day 1: Confirmation Bias 
“How Can You Avoid Your Confirmation Bias?”
What is confirmation bias? How can we avoid it to keep from getting trapped in our own thoughts?

Day 2: Comfort Bias 
“I Don’t Want to Leave My Comfort Zone” 
Staying in your comfort zone may feel safe, but it stunts your growth. Take baby steps to step out of your comfort zone. Rewards await you on the other side.

Day 3: Competency Bias (Dunning-Kruger Effect) 
“Why We Fail to Recognize Our Own Incompetence”
“A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.” Why do we think we know more than we do? And how does our incompetence harm us?

Day 4: Negativity Bias
“How to Stop Being So Negative”
Drifting toward the negative is easy. How can we fight against our negativity bias?

Day 5: Bias and Politics
“Blinded by Politics? Uncover Your Biases”
Our biases can easily blind us and divide us when it comes to politics. Uncover these 4 biases to see more clearly.

Day 6: Bias Quotes
“5 Quotes to Awaken Our Hidden Biases” 
5 quotes to awaken our hidden biases.

Day 7: Scripture Wisdom 
“If You Don’t Know What You’re Doing” 
If you don’t know what you’re doing, James 1:5 reminds us that God loves to help. And you won’t be condescended to when you ask him for help.

Day 8: Loss Aversion
“But It’s Mine! Why We Can’t Let Go” 
Why do we cling so tightly to things once we own them? Learn about the bias of loss aversion. We all have it. But we don’t have to live with it.

Day 9: Halo Effect
“Are Taller People More Successful Than Shorter People?” 
The halo effect causes us to make an overall judgment based one trait, such as taller people are also smarter, more skilled, and more successful. But is it true?

Day 10: Community Bias 
“If You See Differently Than Your Group” 
Community bias is seeing only what our group wants us to see. But what if we start seeing differently?

Day 11: Hindsight Bias
“I Knew It All Along! Really?”
Looking back we say, “I knew it all along.” But did we? Hindsight bias tricks us into thinking life is more predictable than it really is.

Day 12: Bias and Religion
“Is Questioning Your Religion Bad? Or Is It Healthy?”
Is it bad to question our religion? Or is it a necessary and healthy way to grow our faith? Look at 4 ways to overcome our biases in religion.

Day 13: Bias Quotes
“Don’t Be Afraid of the Light—5 Quotes” 
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” – Plato. See 5 quotes on bias.

Day 14: Scripture Wisdom
“Wisdom’s Starting Point” 
Wisdom’s starting point? Respect for the Lord. Understanding follows. Get to know the Lord.

Day 15: Fundamental Attribution Error
“You’re Bad But I’m Just Stressed—Fundamental Attribution Error”
When other people act bad, we assume it’s a character flaw. But when it’s us? It’s just the circumstance. This is fundamental attribution error. How can we fight against it?

Day 16: Declinism Bias 
“Are Things Really Worse Now?”
Is the world in decline? See how we can avoid declinism to see reality as it is, for better or for worse.

Day 17: Framing Effect Bias
“How the Frame Influences the Painting”
The frame influences how we see the painting. This is how the framing effect biases us toward making decisions.

Day 18: Contact Bias
“When You Don’t Know the Other”
It’s hard to relate to people you’ve had no contact with. Your prejudices go unchallenged. Get to know someone different than you. See what happens.

Day 19: Bias and Race 
“Are You Aware of Your Racial Bias?”
Look at these four biases. Can you use them to become more aware of any racial bias you might unknowingly have?

Day 20: 5 More Quotes About Bias 
“Cast Off One’s Chains”
Here are 5 more quotes relating to our biases, including Nelson Mandela’s. Which one resonates most with you?

Day 21: Scripture Image
“What Are You Looking At?”
God doesn’t judge people by their weight, their age, their skin color. Do we? The Lord looks at the heart.

Day 22: Conspiracy Bias
“6 Things You Need to Know About Conspiracy Theories” 
Here are 6 things you need to know about conspiracy theories. Why are we susceptible? How can we reduce them?

Day 23: Confidence Bias 
“They’re So Confident, They Must Be Right”
Our tendency is to believe the most confident one. They’re certain they’re right; shouldn’t we be certain too? Not necessarily. Learn about confidence bias.

Day 24: Normalcy Bias 
“Think It’ll Never Happen? Is Your Head in the Sand?”
“It’ll never happen to me.” That’s normalcy bias, burying your head in the sand. Why do we do it and what can we do about it?

Day 25: Anchoring Bias 
“Beware Your Starting Point”
The first number you hear often drops an anchor in a negotiation. Why are you prone to sticking with the information you hear first? Blame it on anchoring bias. 

Day 26: Bias and the Pandemic
“Living (and Dying) with Our Biases During a Pandemic”
During the pandemic, our biases have been working overtime to fill in the gaps of uncertainty. Can we uncover our blindness to these four biases before they do even more damage to us and others?

Day 27: Bias Quotes
“Think First—5 Quotes About Bias”
“Think first. Talk less. Start today.” -Charles Swindoll. See all 5 quotes about bias.

Day 28: Scripture Image
“When You Don’t Know Where to Begin, Start Here. You Can End Here Too.” 
Our many biases can feel overwhelming. Where do we start? The first step always begins with this. And ends with it, too.