I've had a rough week. I realized very quickly and almost shockingly that I am wholly incapable of simultaneously satisfying the needs and wants of a large group of people. Specifically, it's a large group of people with wildly different sets of wants. In business terms, I have failed to satisfy demand.
Let me preface the following by explaining that I've gotten "butchered" on a few reports and the like this week and I'm feeling extremely bitter. I've gotten a few marks back that I completely disagree with on every single fundamental level I have. And it all boils down to one thing: ego.
Not my ego (though that's pretty big too), but the ego of those whom I'm trying to satisfy. Self-absorbed people who think that their way is best and that no one else knows better. You know the kind of people I'm talking about: "It has to be this way. That's just the way that things work."
Here's a newsflash for you: that's not the way the world works.
The main concept here, above marks, above ego, above everything, is the fact that other people LOVE to give unsolicited advice.
It could be anything. For instance, "I think you should take this course." "I don't like the way you write." "You need to go to the gym."
It could be anything but it's all bullshit in the end. Let me explain why.
Most criticisms people have of you stems from some inner insecurity that they're not consciously aware of. Maybe the person telling you to go to the gym does think you're fat, but maybe they were made fun of as a kid and thus have issues with anyone that they perceive to be obese. They've jumped the line. They don't just want to see improvement, they see problems with those that disagree with their points of view. And that's a scary trend that I'm seeing more and more of as my rose-colored glasses are slowly being lifted.
People have their opinions and if you don't conform with the group, you must be wrong. That's what these thought processes have evolved into. Those who disagree are churned by society. Let me give an example of one person with different opinions and who acted differently. Everyone thought he was messed up. It's Albert Einstein.
Einstein was at odds with traditional school systems of his era. He expressed his thoughts that rote learning, a process based upon repetition in order to rapidly recall the meaning of words and phrases had eroded the learning process. In short, he thought one way and everyone else around him thought another way. Conventional society dictates that Einstein must be wrong. Whatever you think of relativity, you'll probably agree that he turned out to be a pretty smart guy though he had a fundamental gripe with the way that things were being taught.
Which brings me to my next point: just because many people do it or think it's right, I don't think that justifies following the pack. Applying this to what I've written above, just because the norm is to think one way, it doesn't mean that you should blindly agree like cattle.
They want things a certain way. They always will. If you're in school, give them what they want. Yes, they're on so much crack, but let them be because it's what makes them happy. Sooner or later they're gonna offer you crack too: "You have to take this. It's the right thing to do and everyone is doing it." But you know what? You don't have to do anything you don't want to and you sure as fuck shouldn't listen to people you think are wrong. Don't always go against the majority, just stick to your guns on things you're passionate about. Tell people giving unsolicited advice of any kind to fuck the hell off and don't take crack even though everyone around you is on it. Vote for freedom of mind.
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