There's value in charting your own path.
Then there are times when it just makes sense to follow a path that others have created.
Why is it so god-awfully hard to differentiate when to do which?
It isn't actually that hard to differentiate. Usually, your instincts and common sense prove to be a decent guide. Also, more tangible things like the time available and how much effort you are willing to put into it.
For example while creating new habits, after failing plenty of times, it made sense for me to look at how others had been doing it successfully and emulate them (it worked). The same might be true for creating a business from scratch or even routine office work. You just have to see how it was done by others and learn from there, improving as well as increasing the efficiency. Of course, the challenges you face might be different and you'll have to adjust your course for them.But that is how growth occurs. By standing on the shoulders of those before you. You don't have to re-invent the wheel all the time.
It might not hold true for other things like painting or creating a niche business where there is no precedent. Your art isn't going to be called great if you simply copy the style of some great artists. There, it's better to become the deaf frog in the story, who climbs out of the well not hearing the discouraging opinions of others who say it can't be done or that it should be done a certain way.
When laid out like this, things looks fairly simple.
The trouble starts when our innate ego and arrogance (as well as ignorance) creeps in. Suddenly even if a solution or a great suggestion is handed to us on a platter, we refuse to follow it. It's mind boggling how stupid you look to a detached observer when you do this. Not that that should matter. The worrisome point being you damage your own chances at success by being pig-headed about following your own way when someone else has figured out a solution. The flip-side, of not accepting the discomfort of creating your own path when the situation calls for it, is equally self-defeating.
It's better to make a thumb rule of asking, before you embark on some new change, whether this has been done before by others and whether it is wiser to follow them or find your own way. A little time spent contemplating this, keeping aside your self-importance, will save you a lot of time and heartburn later on.
Then there are times when it just makes sense to follow a path that others have created.
Why is it so god-awfully hard to differentiate when to do which?
It isn't actually that hard to differentiate. Usually, your instincts and common sense prove to be a decent guide. Also, more tangible things like the time available and how much effort you are willing to put into it.
For example while creating new habits, after failing plenty of times, it made sense for me to look at how others had been doing it successfully and emulate them (it worked). The same might be true for creating a business from scratch or even routine office work. You just have to see how it was done by others and learn from there, improving as well as increasing the efficiency. Of course, the challenges you face might be different and you'll have to adjust your course for them.But that is how growth occurs. By standing on the shoulders of those before you. You don't have to re-invent the wheel all the time.
It might not hold true for other things like painting or creating a niche business where there is no precedent. Your art isn't going to be called great if you simply copy the style of some great artists. There, it's better to become the deaf frog in the story, who climbs out of the well not hearing the discouraging opinions of others who say it can't be done or that it should be done a certain way.
When laid out like this, things looks fairly simple.
The trouble starts when our innate ego and arrogance (as well as ignorance) creeps in. Suddenly even if a solution or a great suggestion is handed to us on a platter, we refuse to follow it. It's mind boggling how stupid you look to a detached observer when you do this. Not that that should matter. The worrisome point being you damage your own chances at success by being pig-headed about following your own way when someone else has figured out a solution. The flip-side, of not accepting the discomfort of creating your own path when the situation calls for it, is equally self-defeating.
It's better to make a thumb rule of asking, before you embark on some new change, whether this has been done before by others and whether it is wiser to follow them or find your own way. A little time spent contemplating this, keeping aside your self-importance, will save you a lot of time and heartburn later on.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your thoughts are very welcome and I look forward to them eagerly. Just be mindful of being civil. This is a good book about the same in case you are interested:
Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct - P.M.Forni