This is a popular question. Sometimes it is blatantly asked, but usually it’s just implied in the way we behave, because how we act generally depends on which group we’re in.
Are you a “Smarter” or a “Harder“?
There are a few challenges with this question. First, whichever group we’re in tends to make us think the other group doesn’t really exist. Everyone thinks like I do, right? No, actually NO ONE thinks exactly like you (and that’s great!).
The second problem is even worse. If we gravitate towards one group or the other, deep down we also tend to think the other way is inherently “wrong” somehow. Our preference can make us think the other group is stupid.
It’s easy for a group of hard workers to belittle the importance of the thinkers. “They have no idea how hard we work!” (not appreciating how hard the thinkers work, just in a different way).
It’s just as easy for a group of thinkers to decry the workers. “If they would only think before they act!” (not appreciating that the hard workers have probably never been asked for their opinion or given the permission to use it).
This is the real problem with this question: it leads us to assume one of these approaches is inherently better than the other.
It’s not.
Both need each other.
And our approach to this question will make each other’s lives better or worse.
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As encouraged from afar by my invisible mentor, Seth Godin, I am compiling a list of things I achieved and accomplishments I am proud of from 2010.
As Seth mentions, this is not an easy thing to do, because first, we don’t like to feel like we’re peddling or hawking our “stuff.”
I suspect it’s also that we don’t want to come across with too much braggadocio — but a list like this isn’t really about that, is it? By taking a look at what we actually got done, it helps us to benchmark our progress, to see where we’re coming from in order to remind us where we’re going. By posting it for the world to see we add an extra layer of accountability to keep producing, which, in these increasingly self-motivated times, isn’t a bad thing either.
Here are a few of the things I am proud that I “got done” in 2010:
Forward-focused goal-setting is important, but while creating this list it occurred to me that the above kind of list might be just as important. Here’s why: if you’re any kind of “achiever” personality (like I am), it’s very easy to let a year go by without realizing or recognizing the progress that was made and the goals that were met. Before writing the above items down, I would’ve regarded 2010 as a very “unquantifiable” year for me — but, it turns out, I accomplished a great many of the things I set out to do.
Looking forward, I have a few simple goals for 2011:
If you’ve created a list like this, please post it in the comments so we can share in your success!
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I used to believe in the Lone Solider of Ideas — a kind of “Captain of the American Dream” who shows everyone else how to do good things. In my mind, this individual was a Lonely Pioneer on the dusty horizon of the future, trailblazing into the unknown. One Person against the odds, battling for their idea to be heard, changing the world with their vagabond spirit, fortitude and courage.
What a bunch of crap.
In truth, ideas just don’t happen in a vacuum. In fact, I might go so far to say that nothing humans create that is of any real value happens in isolation.
I used to look at individuals who often get sole credit for the creation of a genius product, be it Jonathan Larson of Rent, Lin-Manuel Miranda of In The Heights, or even Steve Jobs at Apple and think they somehow made it on their own.* That they had some kind of extraordinary otherworldly brilliance that would let them succeed alone where others failed. While the talent part is partially true, the rest isn’t quite that simple.
The ideas we come up with are inextricably intertwined with what’s around us, what we read, what we listen to, what we watch. It’s the way culture works. It’s the way our brains work.
And it’s completely OK to share!
We like having a figurehead, a single person to reference, because it makes it easier for us to understand and talk about things. And it’s not that certain individuals aren’t absolute linchpins in the creative process; they are. But it’s good to remember how much we need each other — and how much our creations owe to others around and before us — even when we’re busy being a pioneer.
In fact, I find this strangely comforting. It’s easier, and a lot less lonely, to forge a new trail when a whole tribe is helping.
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What To Read Next:
Where Ideas Come From by Kevin Kelly & Steven Johnson
1.0 Is The Loneliest Number by Matt Mullenweg
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
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*The rampant musical references are due to the fact that I am currently co-music directing a brand new musical here in Los Angeles. Through this workshop process, I’ve been continually amazed at just how much collaboration is required to make good things.
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Copyright © 2005-2012 Josh Allan Dykstra
