Hey there,

Happy Wednesday.

To get into it, today we will discuss briefly what psychologists call ‘cognitive flexibility’. It’s simply the ability to change one’s beliefs especially when faced with new information or experience.

When we are faced with new situations, our brains, specialized over the years by habits, kick in and releases noradrenaline that increases neural ‘noise’ that shakes up our established patterns of thinking. This neurological randomness is actually creativity in action or what researchers call "raising the temperature" of our mental networks to generate new possibilities.

But there's a catch. The more emotionally invested we are in our beliefs, the harder it becomes for our brain to raise the temperature. Psychologists call this identity protective cognition. In other words, we selectively accept information that affirms who we think we are while rejecting anything that challenges our core identity.

Yet the ability to challenge and change one’s beliefs especially when faced with new information is the key to creativity.

The key to mastering this lies in recognizing that changing your mind isn't a sign of weakness. In short, psychologists say it's the evidence of a brain working exactly as evolution designed it to work. The most profound transformations happen when we allow ourselves to be genuinely curious, to sit with the discomfort of uncertainty and to welcome new information even when it destabilizes everything we thought we knew.

This week, explore the story of one of history's most remarkable personal transformations.

One hundred years ago, a child was born in Omaha, Nebraska. But he didn’t begin his journey as we remember today. It would take a pilgrimage to Mecca to shatter everything thought he knew about race and humanity. There, he witnessed Muslims of all colours and from all races, worshipping together as equals. This destroyed the psychological barriers that had defined his worldview for over a decade.

At this time, he visited Nigeria and this transformation found its most profound expression. In a simple ceremony, a new name, he became part of a global movement that transcended race.

Breaking Up With Your Broke Best Friend

Today, we face a different kind of barriers: the pressure to keep up, to say yes when our bank account is screaming no, to maintain appearances even when it's draining our peace. The fear of missing out on ‘the fun,’ has become a generational psychological barrier that has kept many people trapped in cycles of overspending and anxiety.

What we will learn from reading about Malcolm X's journey and how ‘the squad’ pressures us to make decisions and act in ways that are not in our favour is that we must learn to break free from external expectations and shared fictions that don’t serve our authentic selves.

In other words, we must learn to say No!

We invite you to read:

• Becoming Omowale: When Malcolm X Visited Nigeria

• Peer Pressure: How to Enjoy Life On Your Own Budget

The SimplVest Team.

Becoming Omowale: When Malcolm X Visited Nigeria

Malcolm X arrived in Nigeria on May 17, 1964, as part of a broader African tour that would reshape his understanding of the global struggle for human rights.

His most significant engagement was at the University of Ibadan. There, he delivered a speech at Trenchard Hall that left a lasting impression on Nigerian students and intellectuals.

During this visit, the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) honored Malcolm X with the Yoruba name Omowale, meaning ‘the child has come home.’ This ceremony moved him deeply, and he would later describe it as one of the highest honours of his life.

👉 Full Story here: Becoming Omowale: When Malcolm X Visited Nigeria

Peer Pressure: How to Enjoy Life On Your Own Budget

This pieces explores how peer pressure, FOMO and people-pleasing can worsen our spending habits and ways to avoid this trap.

Peer pressure isn’t just dares or bad ideas anymore. It’s “Let’s split the bill evenly” when you only had fries. It’s TikToks that make you feel left behind for living within your means.

This article explores the subtle but expensive cost of keeping up. It unpacks why we overspend from fear of missing out and people-pleasing and what it’s really costing us. For solution, it offers five empowering steps to reclaim our finances without losing our social lives.

It’s argument is that “you can be a good friend without putting your finances in survival mode.” True friendship won’t fade when you say, “not this time.” 

👉 Full Story here: Peer Pressure: How to Enjoy Life On Your Own Budget

Till Saturday,

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