October 21Expert on You
Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my constitution; the only wrong what is against it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson—Self-Reliance (1841)
There's a good chance you're trying to change someone's status quo—even if it's your status quo—and that's going to eventually threaten people.
Humans like status quo; in fact, they go out of their way to create institutions and rules and policies and laws and doctrine in order to guarantee the status quo.
The transcendentalist movement was founded on challenging the status quo and saying “Enough! We're going to think and act for ourselves and remain true to what we believe.”
Seth Godin, author of Tribes, likes to buck the status quo and offers this advice: “If you aren't upsetting someone, you aren't changing the status quo.”
Don't let anyone tell you that your purpose or idea or dream is the wrong one. You may need to develop a thick skin, but you don't have to listen. You're the only expert on you.
Go crack something today.
Challenge Question
- Who in your life is most threatened by your evolution? Why?
Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.
Read now
Unlock full access