Common Knowledge Isn’t Necessarily Correct

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Mark Twain was said, “What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.”

There are numerous “facts” circulating that just aren’t true. Basing a decision on these facts undermines your conclusion. A perfect example is the divorce rate. I recently read a book where the author used the fact that America has a 50% divorce rate to show that Americans aren’t happy. We’ve all heard that statistic. It’s been around for decades. Despite the statistic being widely known, there isn’t any truth to it. It has never been true. According to CDC, which tracks the divorce rate, the actual rate is 3.2 people out of every thousand. That is a divorce rate of under 1%. This is a far cry from half of marriages failing.

While bad “facts” have always existed, they now gain credibility by being repeated ad infinitum on social media. The biggest topic that these lies are spread in is nutrition (I know you thought it was politics, that comes in second). When you see a “fact” on social media, check the source and verify it for yourself with an internet search. Just because you saw it on Facebook doesn’t make it true.

Verify your facts. Having accurate data to start builds a strong foundation. Without that strong foundation, your strategy will collapse like a house of cards.

To see how a Modern Observer Group coach/consultant can help you build a strong strategy, schedule a free conversation here.