Learning to love Cognitive Dissonance.

What the hell is cognitive dissonance?

'Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding conflicting ideas simultaneously.  The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance.  They do this by changing their attitudes, beliefs, and actions', Wikipedia definition. (never question Wikipedia)

I hadn't heard of this theory until the other day when I was checking out some material from Eben Pagan (a man I'll end up talking about at some point).  He was referring to cognitive dissonance in respect to improving yourself as a person, but I'm going to look at it in a more business related context.  Regardless, the analogy he gave is still perfectly appropriate.

Imagine sitting at a table on your own.  On the table is a glass, it's about 4 feet away from you, and you want it to be right in front of you so you can easily reach it.  Cognitive dissonance is that little discomfort you feel as you figure out how to get that glass where you want it.  In this analogy, you may only feel it for a split second - but make no mistake, it's definitely there.

Kane and I find ourselves in a state of cognitive dissonance currently, as we have a large idea for a business and we know what we want it to be, but we're currently strategising how we plan to get there.  We are faced with many routes, many different ideas and they are all conflicting.  For a moment, we were getting stressed and starting to doubt ourselves and the idea because we were changing our minds on the best option for us on a daily basis.  As soon as I heard Eben Pagan talk about this theory, it all became clear.  We have to learn to love cognitive dissonance, appreciate that it is a part of the journey to success and accept it.  I think a lot of people give up whilst lost in the jungle that is cognitive dissonance.

So if you're working towards something and find yourself changing your route, or doubting that you are still heading in the right direction, stop - and consider what I've just spoke about.  You're most likely experiencing cognitive dissonance, and now that you know about it - appreciate it and keep going.