Wednesday, September 6, 2017 / Perth Australia / By Niekie Jooste

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The Majority is Always Wrong - Issue #036

• The Majority is Always Wrong
• A Winning Mindset
• Collision Course With the Future
• Expand Your Horizons

The Majority is Always Wrong

No matter how many people believed that the earth was the centre of the universe, and that everything turned around the earth, it did not make this idea right. No matter how many people believed the earth was flat, it did not make that idea correct either.

There are many ideas out there that are currently mainstream thinking, that will be exposed as wrong. You do not need to think the same as everybody else.

Because humans have a social structure and social drive, we naturally want to stick to the herd. It keeps our thinking conformal and "in the box". If all you are concerned with is living an "average" life, then I guess that is OK. If on the other hand you want to outperform, then understand that you must think differently from the majority.

When it comes to outperformance, the majority opinion is always wrong!

If you would like to add your ideas to this week’s discussion, then please send me an e-mail with your ideas, (Send your e-mails to: compass@welderdestiny.com) or add a contribution directly into the comments form on the bottom of the e-zine page on the WelderDestiny website.

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Now let's get stuck into this week’s topics...

A Winning Mindset

Probably the most important and difficult part of having a winning mindset, is to know ourselves, and accept ourselves. This does not mean that we believe we are OK the way we are. It means that once we understand ourselves, we can start to understand others with their failings and strengths, and we can work on improving ourselves. Unfortunately this is a life long undertaking. My experience is that whenever I think that I have it all sorted out is when I actually need to learn some more lessons, which life seems very keen to teach me. It leads to pain and subsequent learning. It is the cycle of self discovery.

I think that the second part of developing a winning mindset is owning our own beliefs. We need to know why we believe the things we do, rather than just believing them because that is expected of us. Once you understand why you believe in certain ideas, then you have the power to withstand pressures to change those ideas, or conversely, to change those beliefs when it becomes clear that they are not correct.

In short, own your beliefs, do not let your beliefs own you.

My final part of having a winning mindset is to be OK with temporary failures. It shows you are trying. Without trying you will never succeed. Pick yourself up and set a new course!

Collision Course With the Future

We need to place ourselves in the path of opportunity as often as possible. Sooner or later opportunity will collide with you. The way to place yourself in the path of opportunity is to develop your skills in the direction you want to find opportunities, and to build contacts in those areas.

Don't run from opportunities because it is uncomfortable or hard work. Your life needs to be consistent between expectations and actions. If you want a big win, you need to at least be in the race. Most people put in years of effort to achieve overnight success.

Expand Your Horizons

One of the main skills, and one that we technical types struggle with, is gaining an understanding of the psychology of people. This again comes down to understanding ourselves, so that we can also understand others.

Another skill we need to develop is understanding economics and business. In the machine age most of us will be business owners.

One of the big challenges is to understand how future society will work, and what the driving forces within that society will be.

The idea is not to obtain degrees in all these diverse directions. The idea is to search out learning experiences in these different directions. To show interest, and to search out people that are independent thinkers in these areas to help us gain understanding.

For some people like myself, this means reading widely and searching for "voices in the wilderness" that teaches me new insights on a regular basis, and challenges my entrenched ideas. For other people this might mean volunteering at organisations where we can offer support while gaining valuable experience. For still others, it may mean starting a particular hobby or part time business that can teach them the skills they need to learn.

Your skillset will eventually set you apart from the majority, and place you on a collision course with opportunity.

Yours in welding

Niekie Jooste

P.S. Do you have some tips on having a winning mindset? What skills do you think will be important for outperformance in the future? Please share your stories, opinions and insights regarding today's topic, directly on the e-zine page on the WelderDestiny website.

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