Guy Reams (00:00.718)
This is day 145, challenge the conventional.
Guy Reams (00:08.6)
In the face of adversity, most people look for well-worn paths. They seek safety in precedent, reassurance in consensus, and comfort in conventional wisdom. But history tells a different story, one where those who challenge the norm question the accepted and venture beyond the obvious, often find success where others saw only failure. This pattern isn't a coincidence, it's a fundamental truth about, well, progress.
There's a trap in conventional thinking. Conventional wisdom exists for a reason. It has worked, at least in part, in the past. But it also has limitation. It often lags behind innovation, resists change, and discourages risk. When faced with a challenge, the average person consults the rulebook. The extraordinary person wonders if the rulebook is even relevant at all. Think about the moments in history when breakthrough success has been achieved.
know, the Wright brothers defied the belief that human flight was impossible. We can say that Elon Musk was laughed at for thinking electrical vehicles would dominate the auto industry. J.K. Rowling was rejected by dozens of publishers before she redefined what we even consider literature these days. If these individuals had accepted conventional thinking, they would have stopped before they even started.
There is power in seeing what others have overlooked. Most people stop at obstacles. They see dead ends, insurmountable odds, and well-argued reasons for why something won't work. People would have told Mrs. Rowling that that whole genre is used up, it's already been done before. But the person who challenges the conventional asks a different question. What if it does work? This isn't blind optimism. It's a deliberate shift in your perspective.
When you assume something is impossible, your mind stops looking for solutions. When you assume that something is possible, your mind shifts into creative mode, seeking alternative routes and unconventional solutions. Consider businesses that thrived in moments of economic collapse. While others tightened their belts and waited for better conditions, forward thinkers adapted, innovated, and pivoted.
Guy Reams (02:28.066)
In the depths of the Great Depression, companies like Proctor and Gamble doubled down on advertising while competitors cut back. Their boldness secured their dominance for decades to come. having said that, I also tried to be bold in the face of a downturn in my own company and it didn't turn out so good. So not all the time will be successful. But there is, there is, because there are challenges in challenging the norm.
Going against conventional wisdom is not easy. It invites criticism, your own doubts, and sometimes outright hostility. The masses don't like outliers because they disrupt the status quo. But success is rarely found within the confines of comfort. To challenge the conventional, you must cultivate a mindset of resilience. You must learn to be comfortable with discomfort, confident in uncertainty, and undeterred by other people's skepticism. The world will tell you that you are wrong.
until you just simply prove that you were right all along. There is a path forward. If you want to succeed where others see no hope, start by questioning assumptions. Why is this seen as impossible? Who benefits from the belief that this is impossible? Has anyone actually tried a different way? What if the risk is overstated? Maybe it's not that risky at all. Be the person who looks at the ruins of failure and sees the foundation of something new. Challenge the conventional.
You might just discover opportunities hidden in plain sight. You might just discover, hey, writing about a bunch of kids going to wizard in school will make a lot of money. Anyway.
Guy Reams (04:08.536)
Sometimes these opportunities that are hiding are just waiting for someone like you, bold enough to just seize on them.