95 - Rethink the Problem to Solve it
Breakthroughs happen when we challenge our own assumptions. This episode explores how asking the right questions, especially what would prove you wrong, can unlock deeper thinking and better solutions.
The Hardest Problems Don’t Just Require Smarter Thinking. They Require Braver Thinking.
Sometimes, we’re stuck not because the solution is hard to find but because we’re too committed to the solution we’ve already chosen. That commitment clouds our judgment, even when the evidence tells us to look again.
In this episode of Pattern Cognition, we explore the fifth key in a smarter approach to problem-solving:
“What evidence would prove that my current approach is wrong?”
This question is a mental reset. It shifts us from defending ideas to testing them. And that shift creates space for insight.
• Emotional attachment limits objectivity. We protect our current strategies not because they work but because we built them.
• Breakthroughs require intellectual humility. Being willing to ask, “What would prove me wrong?” invites new information.
• History rewards challengers. In the 1950s, ulcers were thought to be caused by stress. One scientist, Barry Marshall, believed bacteria were to blame. No one listened. So he drank the bacteria, gave himself an ulcer, then cured it. He won a Nobel Prize.
• Rigorous thinking is uncomfortable. It forces us to go deeper than surface logic and face the possibility that our best idea might not be the best solution.
• Clarity comes from evidence, not attachment. You're not solving it if you can’t define what would disprove your approach. You’re defending.
This episode challenges you to let go of certainty and replace it with a process that moves you forward.
Listen to this episode of Pattern Cognition to learn how to navigate these challenges and invest wisely.
Highlights:
00:00 Introduction: Five Keys to Smarter Problem Solving
00:05 Challenge Your Own Thinking
00:16 The Power of Questioning Assumptions
00:29 The Barry Marshall Story
00:48 Reflecting on Your Approach
Links:
Website: https://www.sidmofya.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidmofya/
Transcript:
Five keys to smarter problem solving number five challenge your own thinking and the question to ask here is what evidence would prove that my current approach is wrong? Often we hold onto ideas because we are emotionally invested but real progress happens when we challenge ourselves in the 1950s doctors thought ulcers were caused by stress one scientist Barry Marshall disagreed and no one believed him so he drank a beaker full of bacteria gave himself an ulcer and then cured it with an antibiotics he won a Nobel Prize for proving everyone wrong so ask yourself what would convince me that I'm wrong? If you don't have an answer you might not be thinking deeply enough about the problem