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Trust but Verify |
“Trust but Verify”
This is a saying made famous by President Ronald Reagan of the USA and was in fact his signature phrase.
Take responsibility for your own actions. Every single day we get bombarded with advice and opinions ranging from which toothpaste we must use, to which stock to put our money into. Friends, family, strangers and the media are the culprits.
If you blindly follow someone’s advice without doing your own research first and it leads to a bad outcome, what are you most likely to do? Chances are that you will blame the person who gave the advice for your bad outcome. You may stay mad at them or if you are mentally unstable you may even physically assault the person. (Don’t do this!!) However, it is not their fault, it is yours. I say this because you are the person who made the decision to follow the advice of someone else.
Whatever the advice or opinion that you are going to follow may be, always do your own homework first. Do your own research, verify the facts and then decide if you do or do not agree with it. This may sound obvious, but only follow someone’s advice if you agree with it, not just because you trust someone!
You will not believe how many people pour their savings into stocks because some guru or successful person who they trust recommends it. These people do not know the first things about stocks. They have the idea that if someone successful recommends a stock, that it must be good and that they are guaranteed to make a fat profit from it. That is crazy! It’s like playing darts with a blind-fold and trying to get a bulls-eye. Occasionally you may get lucky and hit, but more often than not you will end up completely missing the dart-board. What happens when the stock tanks and you lose boat loads of money? Yep, you are going to get really, really mad at the person who ‘told’ you to put your money into that stock.
Even when it comes to your health, never rely on the opinion of just one doctor if you have the opportunity. I have personally had experiences where doctors have given opinions that were pretty extreme and totally unnecessary. Luckily I got opinions from other doctors that stated otherwise and everything turned out just fine. Doctors are also human and make mistakes. There is absolutely no reason to take someone’s opinion just because they are a specialist. Even if multiple people have the same opinion, it can still mean the opinion is wrong.
A couple hundred years ago there were civilizations that shared the same opinion that the world was flat. If we sailed to the horizon and kept going that we would fall off the edge of the eart. Well, guess what…they were all wrong. The earth is not flat.
It is possible on some level that you do not want to do your own research and verify someone’s opinion. This may be due to the fact that you are not interested and trust the other person’s opinion. It may also be due to the fact that you want an easy ‘out’ when the advice is incorrect. That way it is not your fault, but the person who gave the advice. This is total nonsense, because in the end YOU end up losing or end up with the bad outcome.
Yes. It means you have to take responsibility for your own decisions. It also means that you are more in control of your own decisions and not blindly following someone else’s. I am a strong supporter of having your own opinion. Be rock-solid and do not be easily swayed by others selling their stories to you. You should be open to everyone’s ideas and opinions, but you should know that you do not have to follow a single one of their opinions if you do not agree with it.
This way, you get the best of both worlds. You stay true to yourself and your own opinions, but you are able to capitalize on good and great opinions or advices from others. Weed out the bad advice that will cause nothing but problems by verifying your facts.
Get one, two, three or more opinions if you have to in order to verify the advice. Do not be afraid to pass something up because you do not agree with it. Trust your instincts and your own decisions.
Remember: “Trust but Verify.”
Have a Rockin’ day
Diggy
43 Responses to “Trust but Verify”
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Very good thing to keep in mind.
No reason to drive yourself crazy questioning absolutely EVERYTHING you ever hear (”This pasta is delicious!”"Prove it!”), but definitely when it’s about something important.
Colin Wright´s last blog ..The Shortest Post I’ll Ever Write
Haha Colin! Yeah of course only when it’s important. But hey, if someone tells you they make the best pasta in the world, make them prove it and cook you dinner so you can verify the truth
Have an awesome week!
I agree with Colin too. We can some suffer from analysis paralysis if we seek too many people’s advice. We get confused. However, it’s important to get some advice from people who a bit about what you’re doing.
Gordie Rogers´s last blog ..10 Things You Can Learn From Hitler About Success.
This post made me think about how valuable it is not just to do your own research but to approach each opposing view with questions rather than statements. If you are always researching in your conversations with people, you will always have access to new information. That information may be bogus, but it might point you in a direction you didn’t think was important or relevant before.
Kristin´s last blog ..mine is beauty
Hi Diggy…Thanks for the great post… My Dad always tells me 1 thing : “Listen to all but do only what you feel is correct”…
Also, it’s always easy to blame others but it’s very important that we take the responsibility of our own decisions..
Thanks again for the great post…
Hey Gunjan!!
Your dad seems like a wise man
Thanks for leaving a cool comment: )
Totally there with you, Diggy. You can’t really learn something new unless you open yourself to new streams of information, but this very approach can lead to some “poisoned” gifts. Verifying is the key.
I had a raw food diet for 9 and half months and now I know how it is to be a raw foodist. It’s fantastic, but just by reading stuff on the internet without really verifying it, I just couldn’t tell.
Heeey Dragos!
I love the idea of going raw food! I still have to get round to it, and like you say, you never completely know until you try it yourself.
Thanks for stopping by
Great article Diggy…I like the focus on the trust AND verify…it’s a balance, I like to be open but logical and a really good point to be responsible for our own choices.
Jen´s last blog ..The Power of “No”
Heya Jen!
It is indeed good to be responsible for our own choices although sometimes it can be scary taking that responsibility. What if we make a wrong choice?
Then we have to deal with the consequences!
Thanks for post. I`ll read it one more time and maybe one more… Sometimes we forget that whatever we are told we are still controling our actions and taking all responsibility for that.
Heeey Maris!
You’re totally welcome. Read it as many times as you like
Hi!
Thanks for a great post! I really enjoyed reading it and I totally agree with “Trust but Verify.” As you said, we really do need to trust our instincts and our own decisions, but we also have to listen what others want to say.
knallan | IFeelGreat.co.cc´s last blog ..Why should you make others feel great?
Hey Knallan!
Thanks for stopping by!
I think it is good to have an open mind and listen to others, but only follow their advice or opinion if you agree with it!
Hey Diggy,
This is a nice topic. Sometimes we go into things blindly and there will be a painful lesson waiting for us.
Whatever anyone says, we need to take it with a grain of salt and yes you said it best. Trust but verify.
Cheers,
Vincent
Vincent´s last blog ..I Beat Myself Up For Failing To Complete My To-Do List And Why It Is A Bad Idea
Thanks Vincent!
Have an awesome week!
Hi Diggy,
I read a great short story about a doctor who worked at a university training hospital. He talked about how much ‘art’ there is to medicine.
You can’t learn to do surgeries and accurately diagnose patients from a book or teacher. Doctors have to experiment a lot and that means errors.
He said that training hospitals are necessary because there is no other way to learn, but he would never have a member of his family go to one.
Even the experts are not experts. A lot of what we ‘know’ and do is gut feeling.
The stock market is not even close to the level of scrutiny of medical doctors. It is easy to make money when the entire market goes up, but the so called experts often lose their shirts in down turns. There is a great book called Fooled by Randomness that goes into this in great detail.
John Bardos – JetSetCitizen´s last blog ..Interview with Pat Flynn, $200,000 per year in 15 minutes a day!
Hey John!
Yeah that is true and scary to think. We all put so much faith and trust into doctors and sometimes forget that they are merely human too and also make mistakes. That is why I suggest always getting a few opinions before considering a drastic solution such as surgery (unless its an emergency).
I have read Fooled by Randomness, it’s a great read.
Thanks for stopping by!
So many good points here. I’m actually about to publish a post that is similar to this one. My motto I follow is, “Challenge everything,” and I really believe in that way of thinking. Being trusting is great, but I think it’s very important to figure things out on your own. Glad to read that you feel the same!
Nate´s last blog ..Soap. Lather. Rinse. Repeat – The art of living free in the moment while naked in the shower
Heey Nate!
Thanks for stopping by man! I read your post and really enjoyed it! Don’t just take things for given without questioning why they are done that way.
Cheers!
Nice lessons here Diggy. People far too often take the advice of gurus and experts and trust it as the word of god. The thing I think is important is to learn from them, but adapt according to your own style.
Srinivas Rao´s last blog ..IBS, ADHD, and Uphill Career Battles
Thanks Srinivas
too true, Diggy!
We thought we were moving Tues, so I changed all the utilities, but my wife warned me to wait until we get the keys.
Now, we’re not moving until Saturday, so I have to change all the utilities back…or just go showerless for 5 days.
Maybe I’ll rock out the caveman look.
brian papa´s last blog ..Post-it Note #25
Hey Brian!
Haha, that is unfortunate, Murphy’s law, what can go wrong, will go wrong!
Hope you hooked-up the utilities again!
Thanks for stopping by
I’ve always loved the concept of “trust but verify” and I’m so glad you wrote about it today!
Positively Present´s last blog ..the benefits of having a grateful day
Dani!
Always a pleasure miss!
So true! You can not follow blindly and must be willing to take responsibility even though you may not want to at times.
Might be a little hypocritical for Reagan though, haha.
Casey´s last blog ..Photo of the Week: Paddling Along the Mekong in Vietnam
Hey Casey
haha, that’s true! Thanks for stopping by!
Great article again. Haven’t been here for a while but I’m back. =)
Katya
Heeeey Katya!
Glad to have you back, missed seeing your comments
How are things with you?
That’s really a great article, especially for me as a scientist, always “trust but verify” every advice i got from professors, colleagues, and collaborators.
Hey Ying!
Welcome to UpgradeReality
Thanks for leaving such a kind comment !
Good point, Diggy. I know when I make an important decision I try to ask opinions from several trusted people. Then I weigh the different opinions and decide what feels right to me. Only time it doesn’t work is when the opinions split down the middle and I still can’t decide!
Carmen´s last blog ..Are You a Lifestyle Designer or a Lifestyle Lemming?
Hey Carmen!
Sounds to me like you do the smart thing and take everyone’s advice into consideration but make your own decisions.
That is exactly the point I tried to bring across
Hey Diggy, I totally agree with that. We have so many beliefs that are simply not true. Great post.
Oscar – freestyle mind´s last blog ..Is Learning to Program Worth Your Time?
Trust has been our automatic response to authority or to the people whom respect. We follow blindly thinking that they will take responsibility should there be mistakes. Little do we realize that we are the ones who suffer in the end.
Verification is our privilege and I agree that we should trust our instincts and believe in our decisions.
Hey Walter!
Long time buddy
How are things?
I agree with you on the trust part, we are conditioned to just follow people who are ‘trust-worty’ like doctors, celebrities and big CEO’s. I still think it’s good to always make your own decision and question other people’s opinions instead of following them blindly
I doubt that you will ever follow blindly. You are a “think for yourself” kind of guy. Some sound advice here in your post, especially verify the important stuff. Walter is right, we do get into automatic response mode. So to keep moving forward we skip over steps we should pay attention to.
Be blessed and have a fabulous week.
Erin´s last blog ..What Do We Deserve?
Hey Erin!!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a kind comment
I hope you have a wonderful week!!
In finance I think it could be Verify and Trust but with relationships (employee, love, customers) I think Trust, Trust Again and Then Fire Fast might be the way I would go. Thanks for the piece.
Great post.
Glad to see others aren’t completely acting like sheep as well.
JONNY | thelifething.com´s last blog ..Some Bad Ass Travel Tips To Let You Be A Smug Bar-stuard Even In The Company Of Seasoned Travelers – You Know You Are Going To Read This
Good writting, Diggy! always:)we have to follow our own decision, because after that we’ll be sorry that we didn’t do what we felt – so we have to follow our soul& mind.Nice chatting with you on “facebook” on Saturday:)Keep “brighting” our days, cas’ I love to smile – for the real that I can:)
sabina
I think the reason people follow advice so blindly is because 1. they don’t want to do the work themselves to research the answer and 2. they want an easy scapegoat to place blame on should the information prove less useful than anticipated. Check, double check and then check it again…that’s my motto. ;o) Awesome post Diggy! I’m a subscriber now!
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Michael Stagg´s last blog ..Life’s Lessons as Powerful Fuel for Weight-loss Goals