Steph Paige, Scuba Instructor

10/14/2026

10/14/2026

Experience is valuable, but it can also make us more resistant to questioning what we believe. The longer we've held a position, the more difficult it can become to reconsider it, particularly when our professional reputation or personal identity is tied to that belief.

I've seen this throughout my diving career, where discussions about equipment, procedures, and training philosophies can quickly become arguments about who's right rather than opportunities to learn.

One example from my own experience is our approach to rebreathers at GUE. In the early days, we favored relatively simple, mechanical systems because they were appropriate for the exploration we were doing and the technology available at the time. I was considerably less enthusiastic about electronic closed-circuit rebreathers.

But technology improved, our projects evolved, and eventually the evidence supported a different conclusion. We changed our approach, not because our original principles were wrong, but because the tools available to support those principles had changed.

That's an important distinction. Being consistent with our principles doesn't mean refusing to reconsider our methods.

The same applies beyond diving. In business, we can become attached to strategies that once worked well, even when circumstances have changed. In our personal lives, we can become equally protective of long-held assumptions.

None of this means we should constantly change our minds or abandon sound conclusions. It means remaining willing to examine them, especially when new evidence challenges what we think we know.

In my latest Blueprint for Success article for InDEPTH, I explore the psychology behind our resistance to being wrong, the influence of our communities, and why the freedom to reconsider our beliefs is so important to continued development.

Read the full article:
https://indepthmag.com/blueprint-for-success-10-the-freedom-to-be-wrong/

10/11/2026

09/27/2026

Cool!!

09/27/2026

👀👀👀

09/27/2026

I just received the first proof copy!