Episode 156: Search for the Opposite: How Confirmation Bias Is Shaping Your Creative Business

When Your Mind Becomes the Investigator
There are some weeks when a single sentence shifts everything. This episode came from one of those moments in therapy…a realization so simple, yet so powerful, that I couldn’t stop thinking about it. We all carry beliefs about ourselves. And without even realizing it, we spend our days quietly collecting proof that those beliefs are true. It’s called confirmation bias, and once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

In this episode, I’m sharing how this concept has reshaped the way I look at my marriage, my mindset, and especially my creative business. Because what if the story you’ve “proven” about yourself isn’t the whole story?

What Confirmation Bias Really Is
Confirmation bias is when your brain acts like a private investigator hired to prove your current belief is correct. If you believe you’re bad at selling, your mind will highlight every low-sales day and conveniently forget the wins. If you believe you’re behind, you’ll notice everyone ahead of you and ignore how far you’ve already come. It feels safe to be right. It feels grounding to have a conclusion. But when we collect only the evidence that supports our fears, we unknowingly narrow our future.

And when a belief goes unchallenged long enough, it stops being a thought… and starts becoming an identity.

How This Shows Up in Creative Business
This is where it gets real.

• “People don’t want what I make.”

• “I’m bad at selling.”

• “The algorithm hates me.”

• “I’m behind.”

When we use absolutes like always and never, we close the file and call it truth. But the truth is rarely that tidy. There is almost always counter-evidence; we just aren’t looking for it. The danger isn’t just discouragement. The danger is that these beliefs shape what we attempt, what we risk, and what we believe is possible.

If you believe you’re bad at sales, you stop trying new strategies.
If you believe you’re not an artist, you stop claiming the title.
If you believe you’re behind, you rush instead of building intentionally.

Confirmation bias doesn’t just shape thoughts; it shapes futures.

The Practice of Searching for the Opposite

The tool my therapist offered was simple, but humbling: Search for the opposite.

Instead of asking, “Why does this always happen?” ask:

• What would prove this belief wrong?

• If the opposite were true, what evidence would exist?

• What wins don’t fit the narrative I’m clinging to?

Start collecting counter-evidence. Keep a journal if you need to. Write down the moments that contradict the story. Remember the times you were brave. Notice the growth. Borrow someone else’s perspective if you have to: a trusted friend, a mentor, even a future version of yourself. Curiosity creates space, and space creates change.

Rewriting the Identity
You don’t have to keep carrying beliefs that keep you small. Because when you pull out an old belief by the roots, you create room for growth you didn’t think was possible.

So I’ll leave you with this:

What belief have you closed the file on?
What story have you accepted as permanent?
And what might change if you began searching for evidence in the opposite direction?

There is so much possibility waiting on the other side of curiosity.

Let’s do the work. 🧡