Back in the late 1960s there was a TV show called Dragnet. It was about two detectives who solved crimes. They would interview people who might give them important information. Often the person being interviewed would start giving their opinion. One of the officers, Joe Friday, would interrupt them and say, “Just the facts ma’am.”
In my last post, The Magic Formula, step one in solving a problem was to analyze the situation fearlessly and honestly. To do that I need the facts. In the fourth chapter of his book How to Stop Worrying and Start Living Dale Carnegie gives his strategy on analyzing and solving problems. Here is his simple three step process:
Get the facts.
Analyze the facts.
Arrive at a decision–and act on that decision.
The main step on which he focuses is getting the facts. He quotes Herbert E. Hawkes as saying “Confusion is the chief cause of worry. Half the worry in the world is caused by people trying to make decisions before they have sufficient knowledge on which to base a decision.” Hawk goes on to say, “I have found that if a man will devote his time to securing facts in an impartial, objective way, his worries will usually evaporate in the light of knowledge.”
My experience has found this to be true. My main challenge is to be impartial and objective so I can gather the relevant information instead of searching for data that will just support what I already want to do. Conformational bias is very strong. As Simon and Garfunkel say in a line from The Boxer, “Still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.”
In my post CYA (Check Your Assumptions), I quoted scientist Sarah Stewart who said, “What is hidden from my view by my assumptions?” My preconceived ideas and desires are the enemy as far as having a clear perception is concerned. My challenge is to tame them long enough to gather the best information I can so I may rebound well. I strive to box out any opinion regarding the best course of action until I have the facts. Focusing on collecting evidence gives me a clear course of action to solve my problem. I am able to build some positive momentum.
After that the rest is easy. I write down the specifics, which gives me clarity. The answer is usually staring me in the face. Then I act. The bonus to this process is that I’ve come to a conclusion with minimal emotional wear and tear. The facts may not always be what I would like. However, they are almost always helpful, if I am brave enough to face them.
May you have enough today, one moment at a time.
THIS HELPED ME 