Get a life! (redux)

I never did tie the text together with the title in the post below. In short, I think that too many business people (and probably politicians, professionals, scientists, athletes, and artists of every stripe) focus way too intently on their vocation. Those superiors and peers that have looked down on me because I was obviously not thinking about the right things implicitly believe that their narrow view gives them strength of purpose, value, and/or power. It makes their work and contribution more valuable. In other words, those who exclude all BUT the important things, do better at those things they work on.

What baloney. Such single-mindedness achieves nothing but smallness. I contend that, on the whole, a full life with wide interests and thoughts provides greater value even to the singular purpose of a vocation than does intense focus. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Creativity, after all, requires stimulation. Without adding new stimulus (e.g., information, thought, etc.) to what one does necessarily inhibits the output. Einstein (no slouch in the intellectual, creativity, and fashion(!) areas) said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, while expecting a different result.

If the results of your work -- of your organization's efforts on the whole or your profession's capabilities -- are good enough, stick to it. Don't change a thing. Follow the rules. Don't get any additional information, ideas, or sparks of knowledge from anywhere else. Especially not from anything hundreds of years old or outside the realm of commerce. Concentrate on the important things that provide real value.

Posted by Grayson at November 11, 2003 04:50 PM