Ciera Peters | The Liquidity Journal | Q3 2026

An author I admire was taking questions from the audience when someone asked a simple question.

"What's something you've changed your mind about recently?"

It wasn't controversial. It wasn't political. It wasn't even particularly difficult, but it was one of the most interesting questions I’ve ever heard. I’m also willing to guess that possibly very few people have an answer.

We spend a great deal of time talking about what we believe. We defend our opinions, explain our convictions, and surround ourselves with people who see the world the same way we do. But we rarely stop to ask a different question:

“What no longer seems true to me?”

Somewhere along the way, we've confused consistency with wisdom. We celebrate people who never waver. We admire certainty. We praise those who "stand their ground" and "never back down." There is value in conviction, especially when it is rooted in principle. But conviction and stubbornness are not the same thing. A person who refuses to reconsider anything isn't demonstrating strength. They're demonstrating close mindedness. That they’ve learned nothing new over a span of time.

The older we get, the easier it becomes to mistake our opinions for our identity. A political affiliation becomes part of who we are. A religious tradition becomes part of our story. An opinion about education, parenting, work, or success slowly shifts from being something we believe to someone we are. When that happens, new information feels less like an opportunity and more like a threat. Changing your mind begins to feel like losing a piece of yourself, but what if it isn't? What if changing your mind is simply evidence that you've continued learning?

We should be aiming to pursue what is true, even if the path toward it requires revision. Think of your worldview like a map. A map is incredibly useful, but only if it reflects reality. Roads change. Cities expand. Bridges are built. A map that never changes doesn't become timeless. It becomes outdated.

Our thinking works much the same way. As we gain new experiences, meet different people, encounter better arguments, or uncover new evidence, we have an opportunity to refine our understanding of the world. It doesn’t mean our previous beliefs were foolish, just maybe they were incomplete.

There is, of course, another extreme.

Some people change their opinions as often as the wind changes direction. Every trend becomes a new conviction. Every loud voice becomes a new authority. That isn't intellectual humility. It's intellectual drift.

Wisdom isn't about changing your mind constantly. It's about remaining willing to change it when the evidence deserves it. The strongest convictions are the ones that have survived honest examination. There’s a confidence in saying, "I used to think differently." Not because you've abandoned your values. Because you've deepened your understanding.

The most curious people I know aren't obsessed with proving themselves right. They're interested in getting closer to the truth, even when that truth asks them to leave an old assumption behind. That kind of humility is becoming increasingly rare. In a world where algorithms reward certainty, outrage, and immediate reactions, changing your mind can almost feel like a public confession of weakness.

I, however, think it takes far more courage to say, "I learned something," than to spend years defending an idea you've quietly stopped believing. So here's a question worth carrying with you:

When was the last time you changed your mind?

Not because someone shouted louder or because everyone around you agreed. But because you encountered a perspective that made you think more carefully than you had before. If it's been a while, ask yourself why. Have you finally learned everything there is to know? Or have you become more interested in protecting your beliefs than expanding your understanding?

A curious mind doesn't fear being wrong. It fears reaching the end of life having stopped learning long before it stopped living.

Are you not already subscribed to our mailing list? Click here, or use the following link to get our articles delivered directly to your inbox: LiquidityJournal.com/Subscribe