Once you have collected all of that data – that raw information that you are either given, taught, or already knew – you have to do something with it. We, as humans, with the great power of our brains compared to other species, process that information into meaningful data. In order to do that, we have to take two sides and figure out how to connect the dots between them. On one side, we have the limited raw data and information we collected, and on the other side, we have the numerous mental models, our personal beliefs, professional beliefs, symbols, biases, and associations from when the situation had found us in the past.
When you connect the dots, you are often doing it without any information to back you up. You will connect them together in the best way possible by using your preconceived ideas, history, and personal convictions as the thread. When you are through, you have this mental model created from your own brain that is a combination of new information and old information.
These new stories or decisions are based off of the fact that you began to tether the ideas together the best you could. In reality, though, these new ideas will be seething with past information. They will not be clear and concise.Â
