The Breakthrough Manifesto

Silence Your Cynic Method 1: Interrogate Yourself

It's okay, even healthy, to be skeptical once in a while. The key is to make a conscious decision about when to be skeptical or not, to be vigilant in diagnosing the source of that skepticism, and to avoid sliding into the more corrosive space of cynicism.

As we discuss in the strip away everything chapter, shedding light on assumptions and biases can help defuse nonproductive skepticism and redirect intellectual fire power to getting to breakthrough. In this case, we're trying to shed light on your own internal processing so that you can consciously mitigate and/or direct your doubt. In essence, rather than focusing your skepticism (and potentially toxic cynicism) outward, we're suggesting first turning your scrutiny inward. After all, as author and astronomer Carl Sagan is quoted as saying, “Skeptical scrutiny is the means … by which deep thoughts can be winnowed from deep nonsense.”¹²³

How to interrogate yourself:

• Step 1: Identify what is triggering your skepticism to identify the source of your reaction. Is it an idea? A person or team? A situation? Yourself?
• Step 2: Ask yourself, what is it about that trigger that is bothering you, for example, …

• Step 3: Identify the assumptions underpinning the issue. In other ...