Nothing Is Right Anymore

It probably never was either. Just about every idea, opinion or thought has it’s flip-side, counter argument or opposing view. What’s right for one person is wrong for another. There are always exceptions. (Except the few things that don’t have any). Everyone will have their fans and their critics. When we’re being someone’s critic, someone else is busy being our critic. That’s just the way it works. Most of our problems will come down to wrong assumptions or limiting beliefs of ours, that stopped us behaving in such a way that would have avoided the problem.

So how do we know what’s right?

We don’t. But I’m pretty convinced that what’s not right is accepting a new thought, idea or opinion as it is without question. Too many people do it too often. This might sound obvious to you, but you may still do it without realising. Some people do it almost every time they read or hear something. If it’s in writing, it must be true. Others like to think they don’t do it, but when they learn something that supports their existing beliefs and worldview, they don’t question it. They just nod and enjoy feeling ‘right’ about it. We all do this. It brings a quote to mind:

“Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking” – Einstein

What sparked this post off? I just read an article that began with, “Resumes are essential in order to find a job”. But I know people who found good work without them. It made me wonder how many people would read that without questioning it. And how many would then, head hung low, get on polishing their resume through their tears. And then what ‘game’ or league they’d now be playing in, and head to head with who? And what would be further down the road for them?

Versus a reader who’d question it and consider alternative approaches.
Versus another reader who’d not only question it, but actively google, “resume alternatives”
Versus another reader who’d just ignore it altogether and find work their way (perhaps because they haven’t yet got caught up in how things have been done in the past.)

Each of those readers would take different journeys to different places and face different challenges along the way.

So here I am challenging that article, and you may be challenging my post. But of course, I know the advice is right for certain people (probably the people who want it to be right). I know that the majority will go down the resume route because it’s a known approach. Some may even enjoy it. But my blog posts are for the other people around the edge. Those who aren’t convinced yet. Those who are ready to challenge convention and outflank the competition (or maybe even collaborate with them to steal everyone’s attention?), those who want to differentiate themselves (because after all, we are all different – why hide it when you can turn it into an asset?) and those who are looking for alternative, easier or faster ways to get a job done and demonstrate your value.

So ask challenging questions when you learn:

Is this true? (or who is this true for?)
What if the opposite is true?
What are the exceptions?
What type of people have made this advice work?
What were their circumstances at the time it worked?
Would this advice still work in today’s world?

It’s this approach that makes self-directed learning powerful. As a learner you can make your own decisions and take what road you want to your destination. And of course you make sure it’s a learning destination that takes you towards your goals.

2 more related resources:

1. Despite the big ad that popped up when I opened this, this article ‘Burn Your Resume‘ gives some good ideas. And I wrote a related blog post here.

2. Ignore Everybody – an excellent book by Hugh Macleod, labeled as a book on creativity, but it’s definitely a business book.

Posted via email from Mark’s posterous