What is your most original thought?

Hello there,

Please stop and reflect before reading further!!

The question sounds easy because it’s straightforward. But actually, it’s very hard to answer.

For some of you, it presents an internal conflict because you think it’s impossible to conjure an original thought.

Few will question the default, abandon the default, and think less in the uniqueness of the thought and more to the uniqueness to self or context.

Which category do you fall under?

When I first came across this question, it made me think about my learning cycle which is often the trigger to my thoughtfulness.

My most, having gone through this cycle, thoughtful thought would be my personal work impact metric.

Comparative Advantage = high creative to menial ratio.
Net Productivity = creative work – menial work.
Average = high menial to creative ratio.

Is it original? If originality involves ‘introducing and advancing an idea that is relatively unusual within a particular domain, and that has the potential to improve it’ I could simply imagine the domain to be my mind domain, then heck yes. ?

I mean, what’s the point of being reasonable, if the reasonable person will reason there is no point in answering that question. Be unreasonable. And as George Bernard Shaw famously said, “Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

Here we go!!

Thoughtfulness

Originals are non-conformists:

Who won’t settle for the commonly acceptable impression, belief, barrier.
Who have dialogues within themselves.
Who do not stop at dialogues, but undergo a thoughtful process with a paradigm shift from idea to action.

Non-originals are as you guessed, the opposite of that.

But much more importantly, the non-originals experience self-doubt where they lack confidence in themselves and their abilities. Whereas the originals experience idea-doubt. They believe in themselves, aren’t sure whether a certain thought process will work but trust in their abilities to find something that clicks.

Self-doubt is paralyzing. Idea doubt is energizing.

Enjoy asking yourself questions. Hard questions.

For it is through questioning, that you get to actively practice idea generation. If you generate lots and lots of ideas, the higher the probability you will stumble upon a good idea(s).

If it were not for their thoughtfulness, why then do we remember Marcus Aurelius, and not Aurelius Diocletian, Steve Jobs more than Steve Wozniak, Nelson Mandela, and not Nelson Bounatrika?

Okay. I made up that last one for the rhyme. ?

I often imagine an African continent that is more prolific in shared thoughtfulness. Through personal blogs, newsletters as a focal point then distributed through social media and Medium. Not the other way round.

Thoughtfulness is a superpower.

Special Thanks

To SW, MR, DC, DM, WG, TN, WW for your feedback. I truly appreciate each and every one of your pieces of feedback.

Key: First & Second Name Initials.

Best Stuff I Read

1. Why I Meditate

Why spend time sitted with my eyes closed, legs crossed, doing nothing? What kind of anticlimactically meek response to philosophy’s old question – how to live- is plopping down on a cushion and breathing?

I sit to combat the amputation of my consciousness. I sit, quiet inside and out, to expand the registry of my awareness beyond the pale of language; to push perception into dark, pre-linguistic woods of consciousness.

2. Buffet Lines

The first item in the buffet was taken by 75% of the diners (even when the food order was reversed).
66% of all the food taken came from the first three items, regardless of how long the buffet is.
Serving the less healthy food first led diners to take 31% more total food items.

This means that optimizing marketers usually put the things they most want to sell first.

3. Idea Generation

The best ideas are fragile; most people don’t even start talking about them at all because they sound silly. Perhaps most of all, you want to be around people who don’t make you feel stupid for mentioning a bad idea, and who certainly never feel stupid for doing so themselves. Stay away from people who are world-weary and belittle your ambitions. Unfortunately, this is most of the world. But they hold on to the past, and you want to live in the future.

Supplementary video – now that we are on thoughtfulness. Here is an extra take on agnostic atheism.

Complement with List of Gods (3000+).

What I’m Watching

Bad Banks. A recommendation by DC subscriber. If you are into Billions and watching them faster than they produce them, Bad Banks is a decent stopgap. A financial drama telling the tale of a major bank collapse. A type of collapse that constantly flashes through my mind. Remember not to store all your worth in ONE Bank.

Feel free to shoot me an email anytime with comments, critiques, and open-ended questions.

Till next Saturday, take care.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Solomon Muigai.