“I haven’t eaten a banana since I was 10” he said. I didn’t believe him. He was in his 70’s. I was about 12 and was eating a banana at the time.
Ronnie went on to explain how he had grown up in England during the second world war. Due to the food rationing, the first and last time he had ever eaten a banana was on the same day.
A bite or two in, someone told him that the darker core — the part you see after a bite — was a worm that stretched the entire length of the fruit.
What’s worse than having a worm in your banana? Half a worm. In 60+ years Ronnie had only eaten half a banana and half a worm, which wasn’t actually a worm at all.
Ronnie started a small business in England, selling dented food cans at a discount. He then moved to South Africa — a place far from home, family and a safety net — to build a small but highly profitable business empire.
This man who couldn’t overcome his initial worm reaction was highly successful. It surprised me. It still kind of surprises me.
A lesson learned from Ronnie is that it’s ok to never overcome biases, misbeliefs and misconceptions if they don’t affect your day to day life. But, like acknowledging that there was no worm, it is a good idea to know that they exist.