The One Approach To Unlock HUGE Value In Our Lives (It’s Literally Not What You Think)
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It seems logical when confronted with a problem or a situation to do the thing that others are doing or have done before you. However, somewhat surprisingly, this approach may blind us to the real value, to the real reward, and to the answer that we are in-fact searching for.
This is because, the greatest answers seem to hide outside of the majority…
We’ve all come across the quote from Henry Ford.
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”
And as we all know,
He instead designed and manufactured the first automobile that people could afford.
The car.
We’ve also heard the origin story of Richard Branson’s Virgin Airlines.
Where Branson and his future wife, Joan, were travelling to Puerto Rico and their flight was cancelled.
This left them and hundreds of other passengers stranded at a small island airport.
Branson picked up the phone, tracked down a chartered plane, and divided the cost of the plane by the number of seats,
And…
Charged the stranded passengers to rebook their seats.
This lead to his transatlantic airline company.
However,
Here is a quote you may not be as familiar with, one that sums up both these stories, and one that can be the answer to unlocking great value in all our lives.
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
- Mark Twain.
The Majority of Value Lies Outside of The Majority
We may not notice it, but the greatest value and rewards we’ve extracted in our lives surprisingly comes from doing something that which the majority aren’t.
From the smallest step to the largest jump we’ve taken.
This includes,
- learning,
- creativity,
- discipline,
- relationships,
- self-development,
- growth (personal and career),
- and much more..
Let me give you a highly dramatised example.
I’m going to refer to the show Seinfield.
It one of the episodes in the fifth season where George Costanza (a neurotic, perpetually unlucky, and predominantly miserable character) realises that every decision he has ever made was wrong.
And that being the case,
He would from thereon in, do the exact opposite of everything his intuition tells him to do.
This leads to him:
- Ordering different lunch to what he normally would,
- Introducing himself to an attractive woman telling her that he is unemployed and lives with his parents,
- Getting an interview with the New York Yankees and instead of being polite and conforming with the thoughts of his boss, he speaks his mind and calls him out in front of others, and,
- Moving out of home graciously
All of which, to everyone’s surprise (and the intended humour), leads to extremely positive outcomes.
-> Things started working out for him!
Even though it is a TV show — there is some valuable takeaway from it.
I’ll get to that in a second.
Let me first give you an example from my own experience
Since mid-way last year, I started to notice that I was feeling tired, more than normal.
Driving home late (not even particularly late),
I would struggle to stay awake and created a “slap-myself-while-driving” process to overcome it.
Also, watching TV, reading a book, and any activity at night…
I’d fall asleep (…knock out, more like it).
This was happening even when I didn’t even perform any strenuous activities throughout the day.
- It was rather odd -
And as most people would do in this situation, I went to
- see a doctor,
- who told me to see another specialist doctor,
- who told me to see another even more specialist “super specialised” doctor.
Through blood tests, sleep studies, and other experiments. I was given a special type of mouthguard which I was to wear when going to bed so that it would improve my sleep.
So the problem, it seemed, was that I wasn’t sleeping well. Hence I was tired. Which makes logical sense right?
Months of using this mouthguard and yes there was a difference.
Nothing substantial though — nothing that had me convinced.
So, I started experimenting, doing things such as,
- Removing caffeine
- More exercise
- Less exercise
- Less stimulation
- Less work
- Herbal medicines
- Changing sleeping times
- Meditation / yoga
- Odd sleeping positions (…yes.)
AND — Diet (nutrition).
Fast forward to the punch line -
Changing my diet and going through a few changes, consuming more fat was the answer. Doing this made an incredible difference.
(by fat I mean the good type of fat, not 26 double sized McDonalds burgers a day which is probably what you’re imaging right now…)
The long drives, the reading of books, watching TV etc. don’t knock me out at all.
Who would have thought?
To prove this factually — I re-did the sleep test, where initially my AHI (number of apneas detected, you want this to be as low as possible) before the mouthguard was 12.7/hr,
AND
This time after my diet change, there was virtually none that appeared.
It was an extremely unexpected solution (for me), and quite left field of what the majority would suggest, do, or expect.
And this, I’ve started to notice, isn’t the exception.
Most of the activities that have produced incredible results in my life have been these out-in-the-left-field type.
So, listen to George I tell ya
Maybe there is value in doing what George Costanza did.
Because if you out there digging for gold where everyone else is digging…
…you can either dig faster, push someone else out of the way, or be incredibly fortunate to really strike big.
Digging elsewhere, you’ll either learn something important, or strike bigger than anyone else.
The value and rewards lie outside of what the majority is doing.
SO,
- When you want to improve the results of a particular student who is struggling in your classroom, instead of speaking to another teacher who did it before — speak to a personal trainer who took an overweight person to now being incredibly healthy and fit,
- When you are looking to grow your online business, instead of speaking to other online business owners or getting a marketing consultant on board — speak to a Politician and how he/she got the position, and,
- When you are looking to get more done in your workday and you feel your productivity is low — try doing less which forces you to prioritise
It is these steps in the unconventional direction that have the potential to achieve the best, and sometimes incredible, results.
Let me include a caveat here.
This doesn’t mean by doing the opposite to that of the majority is bound to get you the result you’re looking for in some magical way.
It does mean, without doubt, you will get insights that others haven’t and won’t…
…which could lead to results that others haven’t got, or won’t.
Nor is there a need to look outside the majority if what you are faced with is a linear problem — you’re not trying to unlock some incredible value.
Because the large fields of value, for repetition sake, lie outside of the majority.
** That’s great, but I don’t have that level of creativity and what you’re suggesting is uncomfortable?
I understand,
We hesitate and find it uncomfortable to veer away into some uncertain direction.
AND
We feel it requires some inherent creativity or genius-level thinking to come up with these creative solutions that only a few can (and I, my friend, am not that “few”).
BUT, I’m sure
Henry Ford wouldn’t have felt comfortable taking the path towards building an automobile instead of finding a way to develop faster horses.
And instead of being successful as he was, even if he failed -
the learning itself would have been valuable enough right?
Same with Branson.
Same with that teacher who improved her student’s results.
Same with that physical trainer who helped his client become fit.
Same with those times we’ve come up with unexpected results.
So, if we look at it, no matter what the end result is, the value we can get from taking this approach can always be the learning itself.
Which can be more valuable than whatever the outcome is.
Maybe then
Is it not more uncomfortable to take the path of the majority?
Is it not more uncomfortable to not learn?
