In today’s episode, we cover how to think for yourself with Dr. Vikram Mansharamani. Dr. Vikram is a global trend-watcher who shows people how to anticipate the future, manage risk, and spot opportunities, and is the author of Think For Yourself: Restoring Common Sense in an Age of Experts and Artificial Intelligence. We’re often told to think for ourselves, but how do you separate your thoughts from the bombardment of information we receive from our devices and the people around us and what can we do to think critically about the ideas and opinions we read and hear every day? What to Listen For What can you do to identify the influences in your life and keep them in check so you’re not constantly pushed in many different directions? How do you determine what decisions in your life are worth worrying about? What can you do to stop wasting so much time on the tougher decisions in your life so you can keep moving forward? What can you do to confuse the algorithms to help give you more unbiased information? What checks can you implement in your life to prevent blind dependence on technology? How do we decide when rules should be followed or broken? What questions can you ask to remove underlying biases for rules, recommendations, or prescriptions? What are the four types of decisions we make and how should we approach each one? What is the Cynefin framework and how can it help you in complex decision making? What is the value in being a generalist vs an expert, and how do we balance the two in our own lives? What can you do to sort through the misinformation to find the truth? Being able to think for yourself is an increasingly important skill as we continue drowning in ideas and opinions from the people around us and screens in front of us. A Word From Our Sponsors Share your vulnerabilities, victories, and questions in our 17,000-member private Facebook group at theartofcharm.com/challenge. This is a unique opportunity where everyone — both men and women — celebrate your accountability on the way to becoming the best version of yourself. Register today here! Resources from this Episode Think For Yourself by Vikram Mansharamani Vikram Mansharamani’s website The Cynefin framework Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro Check in with AJ and Johnny! AJ on Instagram Johnny on Instagram The Art of Charm on Instagram The Art of Charm on YouTube