Note: This is an audio version of IoNTELLIGENCE Issue 49. Usually, this podcast is only available to paid Community Members, but today, everyone is receiving it. Enjoy!

IoNTELLIGENCE draws on science and philosophy to help busy people achieve professional success, personal transformation, and lasting happiness in five minutes a week.

* 🧠 The Big Idea: Our instincts cause us to avoid risk and miss opportunities. We need to change our view of change.

* 🔧 What To Do Next: Apply the 5 Rules®️ of Becoming Bold.

* 🔬 Go Deeper: Read “Look Again” by Cass Sunstein and listen to Tyler Cowen.

“If you are considering a change, you are past the point where you should have made it.”

I heard these words from economist Tyler Cowen eight years ago, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that they transformed my life. I had been thinking of moving from Canada to California for years at that point, and that one sentence tipped me into action. I made a silent commitment to relocate from Montreal to LA—and kept that promise three years later.

I share this anecdote as someone who loves his routine more than most, so this is advice that I struggle to act on personally in almost every way. This is hard, I know. But that also means that if I can learn to do this more often, anyone can.

When was the last time you did something for the first time? When did you last take a risk?

Don’t feel bad if the answer to both those questions is “forever.” Humans are hardwired to fear change and get stuck in a rut. Psychologists point out that this tendency to prefer things as they already are - the status quo bias - can significantly impact our choices and decision-making.

This thinking trap causes us to favor inaction even if our current situations are no longer the best ones for us and aren’t the best options available to us. In other words, change is often optimal, and standing pat is not. Yet, because we dread uncertainty so strongly, we are willing to miss out on the possibility of something better to avoid it.

There’s a good reason why we evolved to think this way. Though, like many relics of our time out on the savannah, these evolutionary behaviors have outlived their usefulness.

We must fight complacency to succeed in a world defined by volatility.

Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich

🏆 Key Takeaways

The IoNTELLIGENCE 5 Rules®️ of Becoming Bold: Become aware of your brain bugs. Reframe your view of risk. Replace Status Quo with Venture Go! Start small. Turn the lights on.

🔬 Go Deeper

* If you have a few hours, 📖 Cass Sunstein’s new book Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There, co-written with neuroscientist and professor Tali Sharot. 

* If you have under one hour, 🎧 to the podcast episode that changed it all for me - a lively discussion between Ezra Klein and maverick thinker Tyler Cowen.

* If you have under 10 minutes 👓 this article on the power of inertia in our lives.

Thank you very much for being a Member of the IoNTELLIGENCE Community and supporting my writing and podcasting.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iontelligence.substack.com/subscribe