Don’t Try To Turn Lead Into Gold
Do you think about your thinking?
“Thinking about thinking is the most important kind of thinking”
Imagine you’re a captain of an ocean liner. Your crew is well-trained. The machinery in the hold of your ship is working perfectly. You’re an experienced sea wolf who steers the liner with a steady hand.
The only problem is your course is wrong. So, you’ll never bring your ship to its destination.
Ancient alchemists
Ancient alchemists believed all metals were composed of the same fundamental substance. But various metals, they thought, were at different stages of their ‘perfection’ towards the ideal form. And the ideal form was gold.
So, they believed they could somehow change the structure of basic metals and turn lead into gold. They called it ‘transmutation.’
Alchemists weren’t mad scientists with messy hair. Sir Isaac Newton himself was an alchemist. Roger Bacon, a medieval English philosopher, was an alchemist too.
They didn’t learn to turn lead into gold because it is impossible. And though they made some real scientific discoveries along the way, they wasted years on pointless experiments.
How do we know we don’t do the same?
Thinking about thinking
We ‘knowledge workers’ think a lot. But thinking a lot doesn’t mean thinking efficiently.
Do we regularly challenge the way we think?
This is what I am going to do during the holidays.
I am going to ask myself four critical questions. And I think that we all have to ask ourselves these questions from time to time.
Question #1
What is the problem I try to solve with my work? Is it a ‘me-problem?’
Humans are egocentric. We are too focused on our problems. We ask ourselves all the time:
How can I earn more money?
How can I make my business more profitable?
What should I do to become renowned and wealthy?
Me, me, me.
But as we discussed previously, our world is all about exchange. We offer something to the world, and if it accepts it, we can expect a reward.
However, we are prone to mistakenly swapping these ideas around. We believe that our goals are above all, and all the rest is nothing more than ’a means to an end.’
That’s why so many gurus give advice in business and life, yet few are happy and prosperous.
We should ask ourselves: Whose problem am I going to solve, and what is the problem?
The most successful people solve some others’ problems.
The best teachers resolve their students’ issues
The best medical doctors save their patient’s lives
The best entrepreneurs create exceptional value for customers.
For instance, I try to help my clients – entrepreneurs – develop successful strategies. This is what I can, want to, and will do.
I often criticize traditional strategic approaches for prioritizing ‘me-problems’ and ‘me-goals’ (find more below). Any business starts with potential customers and their problems, not with the founder’s ambitions.
Question #2
What are my goals?
If the problem I try to solve is wrong, chances are my goals are wrong, too. Are they ‘me-goals’?
Me-goals look like ‘having a million in my bank account’ or ‘getting to the Forbes cover.’
I try to avoid setting such goals. For instance, my goal sounds like ‘helping as many entrepreneurs as I can with my work.’
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not an altruist; I charge for my work and expect to earn more in the future. But if I concentrate on my clients and their needs (rather than on my bank account), it helps me create great products they are happy to pay for.
Question #3
What tools do I use to reach my goals?
Are these tools suitable for ‘me-problem’ and ‘me-goals’ only?
Choosing the wrong goals leads to selecting the wrong methods.
For example, if all I needed were to have more likes, followers, and comments, I would post platitudes like ‘think big, think bold,’ or ‘five steps to improve your strategy’ that have flooded social media.
But I openly share my ideas in my blog posts and articles, trying to help entrepreneurs even if they don’t pay me right now. I am positive it will pay off someday.
Question #4
What metrics do I use to evaluate my progress?
I feel happy when the number of likes or subscribers here on Substack increases.
However, I feel even happier when I receive insightful comments or feedback. When I do, I feel that my work makes changes, and my articles make readers think. It means I am not wasting my efforts on my work.
Conclusion
Our thoughts often run along paths not trodden by us – established notions and traditional approaches – like on rails. Now and then, we should stop and sharpen our ‘thinking saws’ by asking ourselves these four questions – or similar ones.
And the winter holidays are an excellent opportunity to do it.
I wish you all the best in the New Year. May your strategic thinking be as sharp as a razor. And may you and your loved ones be healthy in the New Year!
We should all think and question more. Today’s world moves fast, but it’s worth thinking before acting.