Contrary to popular belief, it’s okay to be skeptical. I’m sure most Nigerian princes are wonderful people with generous hearts. Just not the one that emailed you yesterday. You’re not going to strike it rich stuffing envelopes in your spare time. You can’t win a lottery you didn’t enter or even know about. And you can’t lose weight without dieting or exercise. As David Letterman says “That just leaves disease, doesn’t it?”
The old adage “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” is a perfect example of skepticism and sound negative thinking. Does that mean all opportunities should be avoided since they may be bad? Of course not! But research is the key to any good business deal. If you don’t do your due diligence, you’re setting yourself up for disaster. So do a couple things when you think someone is spouting facts that don’t sound right to you.
- Listen to what they’re actually saying. Is the BS meter going off in your head? That’s always your first clue. If someone tells you something that you feel is just wrong, ask them to repeat it. Sometimes they hear their own delusional ideas and will change the information accordingly. People talk faster than they think and given a chance to think things over lets them get the actual information they intended out.
- Then ask direct questions. Learn more about where they got their information. Sometimes the facts they heard are really rumors. When I hear the “uh…um…someone I know” without the actual name, I know it’s BS. Then…
- Check the facts. Look up their source and verify on your own with others. Always get an independant verification of any suspect info. It might still be wrong, but at least you won’t be the only one repeating it.
You can do all of this without sounding like a jerk. Skepticism isn’t a bad thing.
I know you have some doubts about that, which is exactly what I want!
