The Wisdom to Know the Difference

Whiners, blame shifters, indignant people, people with victim mentalities, online trolls, people who demand things and cheerless givers of “constructive criticism” are all herded into one decrepit old corral in my brain.

That corral is a category in my mind.

As these unhappy cows moan “moooo” I walk sadly away and think “dog food.”

I put them in that corral so they can’t follow me. Cows stand in the way of getting things done.

Occasionally one of the cows gets tired of hanging out with all the mooers and moaners and whiners and kicks open the gate to escape. I applaud that cow. I love that cow. The world needs more cows like that one.

I remember the day I kicked open the gate.

A funny thing happens when a cow kicks open a gate, escapes the other cows, struggles to the hilltop and views the far horizon: it grows a horn from its forehead.

Is this a unicorn?

No, it’s a rhino.

The world is full of injustice. It’s everywhere.

Do something about it.

The world is full of opportunity. It’s everywhere.

Do something about it.

Pick a purpose and then lower your head and charge.

Patience, taken too far, becomes cowardice. There is a time to shut up and do something.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.”

A father was unable to explain to his little girl why she couldn’t go to an amusement park. So Martin Luther King decided to do something and we became a better nation.

A boy was hospitalized when a group of bullies threw him down a flight of stairs and then beat him until he blacked out. This sort of thing happened to him every day but the boy refused to see himself as a victim. He chose not to let those experiences define him. Ashlee Vance tells that story in her new book, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future.

I actually think those bullies may have been the secret to Elon’s success. When facing a risky business decision, he was less afraid than the rest of us. After all, the worst that could happen was that he might lose all his money and be embarrassed. No one was going to throw him down the stairs, right?

Fantastic ideas are more common than you think.

What’s rare is a person who will take action.

When a friend tells you about an idea, your first impulse is to think of all the reasons why that idea might not work. You immediately look for potential problems because it’s our nature to look for hidden dangers. And we know that if we encourage our friend to take a chance and it turns out badly, we’re going to feel terrible.

So we make them feel terrible instead.

The next time someone tells you about their new idea, consider this for a response: give them your brightest smile and say,

I’m going to give you three reasons why this is a dangerous idea and then I’m going to give you three reasons why it’s brilliant. If the brilliant parts outweigh the dangerous parts, then this could be an idea whose time has come.”

Having painted yourself into a corner with your promise of three and three, you will immediately be able to think of three huge impediments and then you’ll just as easily be able to think of three reasons why the idea is truly brilliant.

You just became the best friend on earth. Everyone needs a friend like you.

Fantastic ideas are more common than you think.

People willing to take action are rare.

But most precious of all is a friend who is willing to encourage you.

Will you be such a friend this week?

I promise you will have the chance.

Roy H. Williams