It’s easy to see the appeal of a confident leader who offers a clear vision, a strong plan, and a definitive forecast for the future. But in times of crisis as well as times of prosperity, what we need more is a leader who accepts uncertainty, acknowledges mistakes, learns from others, and rethinks plans.

For me, the difference between reflection and rumination is whether you’re still learning. If you’re pondering a familiar problem without gaining fresh insights, it’s time to seek new information or reach out to your challenge network.[*]

A third puzzle is how much rethinking to do. Yes, overthinking is a problem, but underthinking is a bigger problem.

A second dilemma is when to think again. Before making a decision, it’s worth considering two questions: how high are the stakes, and how reversible is it?

On the one hand, it would be a mistake to recklessly abandon what’s core to your sense of self. I’d hate to see you walk away from a good job after one bad day or a good marriage after one bad fight. On the other hand, sometimes our most important rethinking happens when we question the ideas and ideals that we’ve been most reluctant to give up. Fa

One key question is what to rethink. The case for being quick to rethink taken-for-granted assumptions, intuitions, and opinions is clear. It’s less obvious how we should approach deeper knowledge, core beliefs, and sacred values.

Epilogue

Our identities are open systems, and so are our lives. We don’t have to stay tethered to old images of where we want to go or who we want to be. The simplest way to start rethinking our options is to question what we do daily. It takes humility to reconsider our past commitments, doubt to question our present decisions, and curiosity to reimagine o

As we get older, we become more focused on searching for meaning—and we’re most likely to find it in actions that benefit others.