How Successful People Think: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life

Thinking Question
Am I regularly revisiting the past to gain a true perspective and think with understanding?

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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?”
—D
OUGLAS
C
ARDINAL
E
conomist 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.