Tom Atlee wrote a thought-provoking post on the distinction between clarity and certainty.

Clarity is that Aha! Moment, when the pieces just fall into place.

He writes, “Certainty, on the other hand, solidifies my clarity into the emotional and mental inflexibility of Truth.”

MindShifters would say that Certainty is when our limbic brains lock in, when our cognitive biases are in full force, and when we go into fight, flight, or freeze mode.

Atlee points out that we can have clarity and also a sense of inquiry or mystery, or what in the MindShifting courses we would call resourcefulness or Sage mindset.

Atlee says that the ultimate secret in the universe is the phrase, “There’s more to it than that.”

Whenever we are sure, repeating to ourselves, “there’s more to it than that” opens us to curiosity. Next time you hear yourself saying any of the following, try repeating Atlee’s ultimate secret,

• “I’m sure I can’t do this.”
• “I know exactly what to do.”
• “This person is wrong and I am right.”
• “There’s a right way and a wrong way.”

He is certain that with no trace of cognitive bias he can pronounce that phrase as the ultimate secret of the universe.

Tom Atlee is the founder of the Co-Intelligence Institute which promotes innovations on collective wisdom, co-creativity and collaborative governance.

You can also learn more about mastering mindsets and the ways they influence how we act and think through taking one of the Mindshifting courses and through the book Mindshifting: Stop Your Brain from Sabotaging your Happiness and Success which will officially be out on December 7.