There is a fundamental truth: Almost all ideas are wrong. It doesn’t matter if they are your ideas or someone else’s ideas. They are probably wrong. And even if they strike you with the force of brilliance, your job is to assume, first of all, that they’re probably wrong, and then to assault them with everything you have in your arsenal and see if they can survive.
Jordan B. Peterson
You are most vulnerable to the worst ideas within you. Find some good mentors, peers, experts, teachers, engineers and rigorously test your ideas. I often give my UC Berkeley students the following advice:
Whenever you network or meet new people, you will inadvertently run into people you dislike. You might dislike their ideas, their attitude, their opinions, their experience, their habits, their communication style. Keep a good list of those people. Write down what they think they are really good at or have a strong opinion about. Don’t worry if you think they’re full of themselves Instead, put yourself in their shoes and think hard about what they think they are an expert in. And whenever you have a brilliant idea: Ask your good friends and mentors, but also ask at least two of the people from the “do-not-like” list.
