Self Help
Something hit me this morning, and I felt inclined to write about it.
I am a religious person. But I have to admit, that I almost never learn anything at church. Most of what is discussed in church isn’t about learning new concepts… it’s about reminding you of the importance of the ones you already know.
This leads me to self help books. I looked up on my shelf this morning at one of those great self-help books that entrepreneurs are always suggesting to each other. But all of these books are really one chapter of saying something you already knew (but weren’t actively practicing) in a witty way. Followed by several other chapters of belaboring this point.
It’s amazing how often in our lives we take information as insightful, when in reality we should look at it and say, “Duh. I already knew that. Why the hell did I lose track of it’s importance yet again?!”
It’s shocking when you look at this a little bit. As people, we are far too likely to fall into the behavior of doing silly, stupid stuff without even thinking of it, while not paying attention to stuff that (if we took the time to think) we know is really important.
Why is that?
I can’t pretend to be able to tell you why. But I think we can all admit that we fall into this trap. Things become the norm, and we just do them. Even if they’re stupid.
So my suggestion to you is this: Take a weekly sanity break. Don’t actively try to fix anything. Just sit back, clear your head, and look at what you and your company are doing. As yourself, “Is this because it’s the smart way to do it, or just because we have fallen into a habit.”
Don’t try to fix things yet. That’s a whole different effort. Just use this as your weekly Uber-Chi-Focussing session to smack yourself and say, “Duh!” Then plan time to change things.
Clarity is a good thing, and you don’t need some puffed up author to give it to you.
