8

Question Popular Thinking

“I’m not an answering machine, I’m a questioning machine. If we have all the answers, how come

we’re in such a mess?”

—DOUGLAS CARDINAL

Economist John Maynard Keynes, whose ideas profoundly influenced economic theory and practices in the

twentieth century, asserted, “The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from the old
ones.” Going against popular thinking can be difficult, whether you’re a businessperson bucking company
tradition, a pastor introducing new types of music to his church, a new mother rejecting old wives’ tales handed
down from her parents, or a teenager ignoring currently popular styles.
Many of the ideas in this book go against popular thinking. If you value popularity over good thinking, then
you will severely limit your potential to learn the types of thinking encouraged by this book.
Popular thinking is...

Too Average to Understand the Value of Good Thinking,

Too Inflexible to Realize the Impact of Changed Thinking,

Too Lazy to Master the Process of Intentional Thinking,

Too Small to See the Wisdom of Big-picture Thinking,

Too Satisfied to Unleash the Potential of Focused Thinking,

Too Traditional to Discover the Joy of Creative Thinking,

Too Naïve to Recognize the Importance of Realistic Thinking,

Too Undisciplined to Release the Power of Strategic Thinking,

Too Limiting to Feel the Energy of Possibility Thinking,

Too Trendy to Embrace the Lessons of Reflective Thinking,

Too Shallow to Question the Acceptance of Popular Thinking,

Too Proud to Encourage the Participation of Shared Thinking,

Too Self-absorbed to Experience the Satisfaction of Unselfish Thinking, and

Too Uncommitted to Enjoy the Return of Bottom-Line Thinking.

If you want to become a good thinker, then start preparing yourself for the possibility of becoming
unpopular.

WHY YOU SHOULD QUESTION THE ACCEPTANCE OF POPULAR THINKING

I’ve given you some broad reasons for questioning the acceptance of popular thinking. Now allow me to be
more specific:

1. Popular Thinking Sometimes Means Not Thinking

My friend Kevin Myers sums up the idea of popular thinking by saying, “The problem with popular thinking is
that it doesn’t require you to think at all.” Good thinking is hard work. If it were easy, everybody would be a good
thinker. Unfortunately, many people try to live life the easy way. They don’t want to do the hard work of thinking or
pay the price of success. It’s easier to do what other people do and hope that they thought it out.
Look at the stock market recommendations of some experts. By the time they publish their picks, most are
following a trend, not creating one or even riding its crest. The people who are going to make money on the
stocks they recommend have already done so by the time the general public hears about it. When people
blindly follow a trend, they’re not doing their own thinking.