“Any year that passes in which you don’t destroy one of your best loved ideas is a wasted year.” – Out with the old and in with the new. This shows an evolution in our thought process, which means we are actually thinking. What Charlie is saying is that in any year we haven’t tossed out one of our best-loved ideas, it probably means we aren’t reading and thinking enough to evolve a little bit further in our intellectual development.
Throwing out here could mean sharpening the axe…but be careful. Your counter argument should be just as well formed, if not better than, your supporting argument.
If a cherished idea hasn’t been personally criticized or tested against experience, then thats the one to put into the fire.
Another way to do this is to ask, for any idea you don’t throw out, “what would change my mind?” Write it down explicitly, and then check regularly to see how things change—whether you’re thinking is clear or needs revision based on new information.
