Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
My initial response is no, but when I look back, there have been many.
The Screaming Man did.
I have seen that I initially dismissed it as insanity from my perspective but could see that the situation was creativity.
The most creative people create from a place that does not fit society’s norms and expectations. It comes down to your judgments of what is insanity and what is creativity.
Different was Bad
As I grew up and got my indoctrination into the world, I think I was conditioned to view anything different from the norm as bad or undesirable.
One of my favorite teachers fell under this category. I was a sophomore in high school full of hormones and wanted to get through life as quickly as possible.
I had decided to adopt an attitude of not trying because it didn’t seem good enough for those responsible for my education whenever I did. I especially hated writing because there were too many rules.
Then came this class, the teacher was a woman who looked at life differently from me, and to me, she was a little bit insane. In retrospect, I can say wholeheartedly she was not the least bit crazy. She cared and was willing to do whatever it took to allow us to grow as young people. My education would have been much more valuable with more teachers like her.
She saw our class’s problem as a group that didn’t like English, writing, or each other. She went on a one-woman campaign to change all of those factors.
I remember she had us doing group-building activities outside on the field and in the classroom, and of course, at first, I was thinking, “This is stupid, and I hate it.”
But as I got to know her and the others in my class, I began to find that I liked writing things and having someone else see what I thought.
The writing wasn’t all rules; it was creativity and capturing what you think and feel. That you could express yourself this way was a revelation!
The insanity that had been her method to me led to the creativity of not only myself but many of the others in the class.
It is many years later, and I have relearned the lessons about writing that I learned many years ago. I am grateful to all of the people who have motivated and taught me something, and I know that tenth-grade English class was the first time I saw insanity and later saw creativity.
The Box is for Crackers
I believe this is an essential concept because most of the great.
Keep your thinking here!
Discoveries and genuinely original work come from individuals who think outside the box and may be considered a little insane in their process and thoughts.
Think outside the box as often as you can, don’t let anyone else’s societal expectations change the way you think or dim the great thoughts and deeds in us all.
Don’t let your ideas be dismissed as insanity, stick to them, and they will set you free and most likely change the world.
“Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason, so few engage in it.” ― Henry Ford
At the very least, you think, my friend.
What It Means To Think
The ability to think is a craft that has been too often disregarded by most people today. We let so many other things fill our minds rather than pure, sober thought. When we use our thoughts, they are often twisted, harmful vines of gossip or judgment that do no positive good to ourselves or anybody else. The good news is that it is not too late to learn how to focus on the moment, allowing your thoughts to lead away from the negative and toward the positives of creativity.
Conformity Is A Cage of Mediocrity
From the moment I was born, people seemed to push me into a box of conformity. We are all persuaded and made to “just fit in” and not be different because when someone is so bold as to be different from the crowd, there is no reward, only ridicule from peers and teachers.
The problem with conformity is there is no originality, and without original thought, there can be nothing new, and nothing new will change. It is a paradox that people strive to fit in when anybody who ever did anything worthwhile stood out, was different, and had original thoughts. So the first thing you should do is stop being one of the crowd and start being yourself. When you see a question, don’t just look for the answer; look for the process to get the answer. Think outside of the box, and don’t be afraid. Your greatness is just one thought away because ideas do become things.
Choose Your Thoughts Wisely
Choose your thoughts? A perfect friend of mine once told me that there was no way he could choose his studies because his brain just worked too darn fast to try to control. That may be true. I have no way of knowing, but even my quick-thinking friend can choose which thoughts he gives credence to and which ones he lets float away. Your mind is a machine that works hard to allow you to understand the world. It will think about many things. Some are positive about things you like and support. Then there are the negative thoughts of gossip, anger, hatred, discrimination, greed, etc. You choose what to do with your thoughts, entertain them, or dismiss them entirely. Which direction you decide to go in will determine much about the quality of your life and what you experience. So always choose your thoughts wisely. What you think will determine the pleasure you experience in life.
What You Put In Your Mind Matters
An old saying is that what you put into your mind is exactly what you will get out of it. Today we are a society of easy answers and quick fixes. There is instant entertainment available virtually everywhere now, thanks to smartphones and tablets. This modernization is all wonderful, except that many people choose mindless games to play and programs to watch with little intellectual value.
Some entertainment can be great, but there are so many negative messages sent through the media and on the internet that it can become difficult to feel even the slightest bit positive about ourselves. This manipulation is because marketers figured out a long time ago that you will do almost anything to feel good if they can make you feel bad about yourself. This most often involves buying whatever they sell, making you prettier, sexier, thinner, or more attractive.
Even the shows that should be educational, like the news, drive their programming on negative stories designed to instill fear or spread cheap gossip. Suppose you want to be able to think then, for at least a small portion of time every day read an actual book. Read about philosophy or ideas that might broaden your mind. Reading is an interactive process that increases your ability to think. The more you do it, the greater your power. If you don’t believe me, put down the phone, turn off the computer or television, and read for just half an hour a day. The results will astound you. Reading is the key to the doorway of thought, be brave and open it.
Keep Your Mind Open
Once you start thinking, you will think you know it all and are pretty sure about how the world works. The most intelligent thing that anyone can do is to understand that no matter how smart they are, they do not, nor will they ever know it all. There is always something else to learn, some theory to try, some perplexing problem to solve. Every thought is a step on the path of growth, and you can’t be too surprised when today’s fact turns into a stepping stone to help you reach tomorrow’s truth.
Thinking is a lot like building a pyramid. You can create the top until you place all of the concrete stones at the foundation, then the next level, and then the next. Keep your mind open to give credence to thoughts you haven’t considered, test them, question them, and evaluate their merits. Only then can you glean the wisdom or folly of every idea you encounter. A closed mind will never shed any light on the world, whereas an open mind may provide an opening as bright as the sun.
Someday, You May Need This
When you read this, you may not pay attention right now, which is OK. You may want to hold on to your entertainment, and you may not like to read. Maybe you don’t want to stand out from the crowd because people might talk about you. That is your choice, and I respect that. At the moment in life, you think, “ Is this it?” or “what is life all about?” I want you to come here and read this. Those questions are the spark of all proper thought, and you will have a hard time finding happiness until you learn to evaluate the messages from your mind.
“Think before you speak. Read before you think.”
― Fran Lebowitz, The Fran Lebowitz Reader
Outliers- a person or thing differing from all other members of a particular group or set.
You were born an original, don’t be a copy.
I have always been an outlier in my life, a person who is different from everyone else. This observation isn’t to say I am any better or worse than anyone else, I just am myself, and that person seems to not quite fit into the molds others so quickly pour themselves into. I have felt something wrong with me for a long time, a shortcoming of intellect or the things I enjoy. Some people look at my differences and see a weakness that needs to be fixed so I can fit into their ideas of “normal” and find their version of happiness and safety. That would be a crime. My greatest strength and most valuable commodity are that I am an outlier, and I see the world differently than everybody else. I don’t ask anyone to think like me, speak like me or act like me. I ask only for my true self to be on full display, which differentiates me from others and is my value.
Thoughts of an Outlier
The older I get, the more I learn, and the more I understand, the less I know. But there are a few nuggets of knowledge this outlier has found to be accurate and helpful. We are all in control of a large part of the reality we experience, and it is done through the beliefs we carry around in our subconscious minds. What we believe about ourselves and life tells us precisely what types of things we will accept from others and what we expect from the experience. The level of success you will reach and the value you see in yourself are all dictated inside of you.
You can change your programming through a consistent effort of conscious thought and action in your life. It begins by examining how you talk to yourself and noticing what you say to yourself. If you are critical, cruel, judgmental, or unaccepting of who you are on the inside, what chance do you have in the outside world of finding success? Reworking the inner dialogues, you listen to and your beliefs about yourself will take work but will lead to a version of yourself that can accomplish almost any goal. This outlier believes we are in total control of what we ultimately experience. If it doesn’t make any sense, you have to accept responsibility for whatever it is and change your thoughts and expectations about who you are.
Actions of an Outlier
Actions are the things we do. I have developed a list of things I like to do and experience. I enjoy time by myself, writing, learning, and thinking about life. But I have found my favorite thing is to have an honest conversation with someone about the things in life, I guess. Not a debate but a discussion about the validity of my thoughts, where they are weak, where they are stable, and where they are in between. Finding a partner as an intellectual equal is a gold mine of creative juice and thought provocation.
I also think as an outlier. I enjoy creating adventures in close-by places and spending time with another who wants the small things in life. A good meal, a beautiful natural spot, a movie, a concert, time spent just quietly together talking about our hopes and dreams. Finding these adventures in life has been a great find and one I think is unique to me. It seems like people are looking for other things that are more complicated or refuse to see the joy that can come from sharing small thoughts, a stop for ice cream, or hiking a mountain. I know people who look at me, the outlier, as if I am crazy because I am not like them. I look at them and feel sorry for them, understanding they are limited by their vision and expectation.
Company for an Outlier
Just being an outlier, by definition, is going to involve some lonely moments. You are not like the whole group, and although I am OK with the way it is, there are moments when you wish there were more companies. When a company comes, it is delightful and painful to realize the potential fellow outlier was a fake—just stopping by to see how you lived because it looked interesting. But then they retreat into the comfort of society.
You have no choice here because you are what you are, even if the person judging you is someone you care about. The judgment is like all others, a reflection of themselves, not of you. They must live with that, and you have to be true to yourself and be the best person you can be. This outlier believes in honest and open communication. If I do something, I am going to explain why. That is the responsible thing to do if you care about someone. Anything else reveals a character flaw that will negatively affect your life until you rectify it. I have carried many mistakes out into the edges of my existence, allowing them to change me.
Become an Outlier
I will encourage you to find your path in the world that is different from those walked by any others. I know people who pay verbal homage to this idea but in action don’t follow through; their lives are empty and lost. They wish they had the strength to become a real outlier, but the leash of their programming has them caught entirely in their little lives. No matter how big their dreams are, they will never take the steps necessary to achieve them because, deep down, they think being an outlier is too dangerous and wrong.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Thinking differently, and acting uniquely like yourself is the most critical decision you can make. Finding your style can be hard to do and open you up to the judgment of others, but that is where greatness comes from and a real contribution to the world. Become an outlier today and be yourself; you are the only person you can be. It will start with being more conscious of the thoughts you think, the words you speak, and your actions. Look around and see just how far from the group you have strayed and know that it is precisely where you need to be, an outlier. I am the outlier.
“Achievement is talent plus preparation. The problem with this view is that the closer psychologists look at the careers of the gifted, the smaller the role innate talent seems to play, and the bigger the role preparation seems to play.”
“Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning. Once it does, it becomes the kind of thing that makes you grab your wife around the waist and dance a jig.”
“Hard work is only a prison sentence when you lack motivation.”
“Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”
“He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away.”– Raymond Hull
When I first saw the question, who do I compare myself to? I spent a few moments thinking of who I compare myself to. It was challenging because I didn’t compare myself to anyone. Not because I don’t want to grow and aspire to the positive traits of others, but instead, I like who I am quite a bit and can’t see myself being anyone else.
I do not care where I am in life, instead of someone else. I don’t care how much money I have compared to anyone else. I don’t care about the car I drive, my clothes, or a particular hairstyle. I wear what I like, go what gets me there, and cut my hair the way it feels comfortable. How somebody else thinks about how I look or what I have is really out of my hands.
So I came up empty when it came time to answer this. Then it hit me. I am constantly comparing myself to someone, and I worry about how I do concerning that individual. It is not anyone famous or rich or successful or that you would ever have heard of. I am constantly comparing myself to the person I was yesterday.
I Don’t Want to Be Anyone Else.
Although I admire many people in the world, many of you reading this are definitely among them. Yet, I do not want to be you or anyone else other than myself.
I am the only person qualified to be me. Nobody else can see things the way that I do or will think the thoughts that I do.
I am a unique, one-of-a-kind, original human who is creating things in the world that has never existed before and would never have existed if I didn’t come along. That is the same for you as well as for me.
I Can’t Compare.
This makes it impossible for me to compare myself with anyone else, and I have read enough to know that there is a world of fantastic, thoughtful, creative, and talented people doing precisely what I am. Trying to get through this complicated game of life and still feel optimistic about how things are going and what we are contributing to others.
How do you compare one tremendous and unique human being with another? We are all our stars, performing our parts the best possible. That should be enough for anyone! It certainly is for me on this fantastic summer day!!
Quotes about being yourself
“You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.”- John Mason
“Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are.”- Julius Charles
“There is only one success to be able to spend your life in your way.”- Christopher Morley
“If you don’t like my words, don’t listen. If you don’t like my appearance, don’t look. If you don’t like my actions, turn your head; It’s as simple as that.”- Anonymous
“Why live to please others? I mean, it’s your life. If you aren’t happy with it, what’s the use in living?”- Anonymous
“I never wanted to be different; I just wanted to be me.”- Anonymous
“Originality is a by-product of sincerity.”- Marianne Moore
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”- Anonymous
“The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere.”- Anne Morrow
“Love who you are. Don’t hate yourself for what you aren’t.”- Anonymous
“Almost every man wastes part of his life in attempts to display qualities which he does not possess and to gain applause which he cannot keep.”- Samuel Johnson
