How To Question The Acceptance Of Popular Thinking (Some Apple related undertones).
This is an excerpt from John C. Maxwell's book, Thinking For A Change.
How To Question The Acceptance of Popular Thinking
1. Popular thinking is slow to embrace change.
Popular thinking loves the status quo. It puts its confidence in the idea of the moment, and holds on to it with all its might. As a result, it resists change and dampens innovation. Donald M. Nelson, former President of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers, criticized popular thinking when he asserted, "We must discard the idea that past routine, past ways of doing things, are probably the best ways. On the contrary, we must assume that there is probably a better way to do almost everything. We must stop assuming that a thing which has never been done before probably cannot be done at all."
2. Popular thinking brings only average results.
The bottom line? Popular thinking brings mediocre results. Here is popular thinking in a nutshell:
Popular = Normal = Average
It's the least of the best and the best of the least. We limit our success when we adopt popular thinking. It represents putting in the least energy to just get by. You must reject common thinking if you want to accomplish uncommon results.
3. Think before you follow.
Popular thinking has often proved to be wrong and limiting. Questioning is is not necessarily hard, once you cultivate the habit of doing so. The difficulty is in getting started.
Many individuals follow others almost automatically. Sometimes they do so because they desire to take the path of least resistance. Other times they fear rejection. Or they believe there's wisdom in doing what everyone else does. But if you want to succeed, you need to think about what's best, not what is popular.
Challenging popular thinking requires a willingness to be unpopular and go outside of the norm. The next time you feel ready to conform to popular thinking on an issue, stop and think. You may not want to create change for its own sake, but you certainly dont want to blindly follow just because you havent thought about what's best.
*Unpopular thinking, even when resulting in success, is largely underrated, unrecognized, and misunderstood.
*Unpopular thinking contains the seeds of vision and opportunity.
*Unpopular thinking is required for all progress.
PHEW! that took me forever to copy out of the book...enjoy and I hope you get something out of it!
How To Question The Acceptance of Popular Thinking
1. Popular thinking is slow to embrace change.
Popular thinking loves the status quo. It puts its confidence in the idea of the moment, and holds on to it with all its might. As a result, it resists change and dampens innovation. Donald M. Nelson, former President of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers, criticized popular thinking when he asserted, "We must discard the idea that past routine, past ways of doing things, are probably the best ways. On the contrary, we must assume that there is probably a better way to do almost everything. We must stop assuming that a thing which has never been done before probably cannot be done at all."
2. Popular thinking brings only average results.
The bottom line? Popular thinking brings mediocre results. Here is popular thinking in a nutshell:
Popular = Normal = Average
It's the least of the best and the best of the least. We limit our success when we adopt popular thinking. It represents putting in the least energy to just get by. You must reject common thinking if you want to accomplish uncommon results.
3. Think before you follow.
Popular thinking has often proved to be wrong and limiting. Questioning is is not necessarily hard, once you cultivate the habit of doing so. The difficulty is in getting started.
Many individuals follow others almost automatically. Sometimes they do so because they desire to take the path of least resistance. Other times they fear rejection. Or they believe there's wisdom in doing what everyone else does. But if you want to succeed, you need to think about what's best, not what is popular.
Challenging popular thinking requires a willingness to be unpopular and go outside of the norm. The next time you feel ready to conform to popular thinking on an issue, stop and think. You may not want to create change for its own sake, but you certainly dont want to blindly follow just because you havent thought about what's best.
*Unpopular thinking, even when resulting in success, is largely underrated, unrecognized, and misunderstood.
*Unpopular thinking contains the seeds of vision and opportunity.
*Unpopular thinking is required for all progress.
PHEW! that took me forever to copy out of the book...enjoy and I hope you get something out of it!
Comments
Originally posted by Ganondorf
I don't think anyone on this forum needs help thinking for themselves.
I'm not saying they do. It is sort of like an answer to all of those, "why would anyone think or do this?" kind of question. PC users included, ha!
Originally posted by Messiahtosh
PHEW! that took me forever to copy out of the book...enjoy and I hope you get something out of it!
Thanks for taking the time and pointing out an interesting read!
Originally posted by Messiahtosh
This is an excerpt from John C. Maxwell's book, Thinking For A Change.
How To Question The Acceptance of Popular Thinking
1. Popular thinking is slow to embrace change...
2. Popular thinking brings only average results...
3. Think before you follow...
Good points, but there are some counterpoints to be made?
1. In many realms of thinking, popular or otherwise, it's a bit vague how you'd define which changes are good or bad, which results are better or worse than average, etc. One man's better-than-average results for getting gay marriage legalized would be another man's worse-the-average results of social decay. (I'd call it better, myself.)
2. Disagreeing with popular or accepted opinion doesn't guarantee success or rightness. Popular opinion, amazingly enough, is sometimes correct, and even when it isn't, it's easy enough to come up with nothing more than a different wrong answer.
3. For every daring genius wrongly taken as a crackpot, there are hundreds if not thousands of genuine crackpots. It's better for the rare geniuses to have a tough fight on their hands than for too many crackpots to get too much credence... or too much funding for that matter.
Besides, I think that the "world was all against me" stuff tends to get a little overblown and exaggerated sometimes in the stories about famous people with big ideas. -- adds to the drama, you know.
4. Thinking you?re persecuted doesn?t guarantee that you?re on the right track. It might just mean that you need to have your meds adjusted.
Originally posted by shetline
Good points, but there are some counterpoints to be made?
1. In many realms of thinking, popular or otherwise, it's a bit vague how you'd define which changes are good or bad, which results are better or worse than average, etc. One man's better-than-average results for getting gay marriage legalized would be another man's worse-the-average results of social decay. (I'd call it better, myself.)
2. Disagreeing with popular or accepted opinion doesn't guarantee success or rightness. Popular opinion, amazingly enough, is sometimes correct, and even when it isn't, it's easy enough to come up with nothing more than a different wrong answer.
3. For every daring genius wrongly taken as a crackpot, there are hundreds if not thousands of genuine crackpots. It's better for the rare geniuses to have a tough fight on their hands than for too many crackpots to get too much credence... or too much funding for that matter.
Besides, I think that the "world was all against me" stuff tends to get a little overblown and exaggerated sometimes in the stories about famous people with big ideas. -- adds to the drama, you know.
4. Thinking you?re persecuted doesn?t guarantee that you?re on the right track. It might just mean that you need to have your meds adjusted.
For instance the political threads in here. You know exactly where everyone is going to stand in those. And once one person starts a flame, you know the rest of the crew will be there for moral support shortly thereafter. It's sadly predictable.
Another good example is that Sam Adams commercial with the 4 guys out for dinner. the two weasels order water, the 3rd guy orders a beer, and the 4th guy (the boss) orders a beer next. So the two weasels change their orders to beer. It's dead on for what people are like.
We eat what our friends eat, listen to what they listen to, act how they act. We play nice to people to their face, then trash them behind their back when with people who don't like them.
This society is full of followers, and we'd be far better off if more people subscribed to what messiah posted.
Excellent post Messiah. Great read.
Originally posted by Messiahtosh
Hey, you're arguing with the world's leading resource and author on the subject of leadership, not me.
First of, I'm not arguing with anyone. I said "Good points, but...". The kind of thing you posted has it's value, but, like many things, you have to be careful what you take away from it.
Too many people will read something like that, and instead of learning good points about independent thinking, they'll use such talk as an excuse for whacked-out ideas and senseless nonconformity for the sake of nonconformity. Just because senseless conformity is bad, that doesn't make the diametric opposite good.
If you were really picking up the right lessons on independent thinking here, you'd gag on what you just said to me: "Hey, you're arguing with the world's leading resource and author on the subject of leadership", as if I should quake before the Authority of the Master.
I don't think anyone on this forum needs help thinking for themselves.
We all think different, just like Steve Jobs.
Originally posted by Rick1138
We all think different, just like Steve Jobs.
We wish.
Originally posted by Rick1138
We all think different, just like Steve Jobs.
I just reviewed my checking account information online, and I discovered that I have several billion less dollars in my account than Jobs does.
Perhaps I need to think differenter?
Originally posted by rageous
I just reviewed my checking account information online, and I discovered that I have several billion less dollars in my account than Jobs does.
Perhaps I need to think differenter?
Originally posted by Messiahtosh
Maybe you should read the entire book like I have, and instead of posting comments here, email the author. He plainly says in the book something along the lines of, "conformity for the sake of it achives nothing."
Your above comment only applies if you're bound and determined to consider my remarks a criticism of the original work -- something which you do seem determined to do, even if that isn't the case.
By analogy:
You: My traveler's guide by J. Smith says Alaska is a great place for a vacation.
Me: Hey, if you're going to go to Alaska, you should pack some warm clothes.
You: Why are you criticizing Smith? You think he doesn't know this stuff? He already said to pack warm clothes! Why didn't you just read his book first, or e-mail Smith instead of posting here!?
Originally posted by shetline
Your above comment only applies if you're bound and determined to consider my remarks a criticism of the original work -- something which you do seem determined to do, even if that isn't the case.
By analogy:
You: My traveler's guide by J. Smith says Alaska is a great place for a vacation.
Me: Hey, if you're going to go to Alaska, you should pack some warm clothes.
You: Why are you criticizing Smith? You think he doesn't know this stuff? He already said to pack warm clothes! Why didn't you just read his book first, or e-mail Smith instead of posting here!?
One thing is sure Shetline, you do not need to read a book to think by yourself.
Messiah : You read a book that give a different lighting on the world. Shetline pointed it out that this lighting was interesting, but that they where others ones, and that more generally no lighting even the brightess one, can reveal all the details of the whole image.
Most people follow in life for social reasons. We follow to stay in the group. This is the comon code of society. The wrong thing is to follow blindly these codes there is limits. You should not become a criminal, because the group is becoming one ...
For really importants things do it your way, but for minor things, trying to have orignal thoughts at any price, will exclude you from society or will bring you in a isolated group.
Originally posted by Messiahtosh
You need to see what the author also says about himself. He just says he knows that this isnt the end all, be all for leadership and how to do everything. He just asserts that these are methods that have been proven to work over the years, for many successful people.
Of course it works. You do not suceed if you act like any others peoples. You must have something special that only belong to you.
Shetline just pointed out, that this something special is something of value. To many people think that if they want to suceed they have to be or to think different, but they forget that they must think right . A stupid idea, even original is still a stupid idea. A original artist who produce shit, will still be a poor artist. Being original is not sufficiant to be genius.
Also, there is no such thing as an original. As Thomas Edison once said, "Originality is the art of concealing your source."