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?”
—D
OUGLAS
C
ARDINAL
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.
