if we only follow the herd, it is difficult to see the way where we are heading

Art by imagimo

“Let’s face it. We live in a command-based system, where we have been programmed since our earliest school years to become followers, not individuals. We have been conditioned to embrace teams, the herd, the masses, popular opinion — and to reject what is different, eccentric or stands alone. We are so programmed that all it takes for any business or authority to condition our minds to follow or buy something is to simply repeat a statement more than three or four times until we repeat it ourselves and follow it as truth or the best trendiest thing. This is called “programming” — the frequent repetition of words to condition us how to think, what to like or dislike, and who to follow.” — Suzy Kassem

Oh that quote, I couldn’t agree further. Either in my private life or in my work as a Mentor & Advisor I observe on a consistent basis that so-called authorities or leaders in some areas of life, is it financial, spiritual, marketing, sales or self-development sector try to sell their opinion, product or service by asking people to follow the exact advice and process they went through and charge a decent amount of money for this.

What does that lead to? One sheep more which follows the herd. Problem with this: What works for others, what is other people’s success and path is usually not our success and our path. Following other footsteps, we are only entering familiar territory and are strongly anchored in other people’s habits and beliefs. We are mentally unwilling to lead ourselves. Our Individuality gets lost. And yes, it is safe to play by the rules or step into the exact footsteps of others, it might be comfortable and easy, but where is our self-expression? Where is our individual spark? This beautiful little difference between you & them?

Objectivity gets removed out of an equation, whenever methods get produced. When we get a product or solution suggested, be mindful. Stop, think and feel into it. Is this right for me, right now? Or do I just want to feel accepted, a quick fix or instant gratification? To call something best practice is not a replacement for discernment, knowledge or creativity. To look at things from a black or white perspective limits our spectrum of true experience. Our individuality gets ignored. But is our greatest asset.

The purchase of further systems someone else created, online courses and tools, more self-help books and coaching sessions lay a grid over your questions, even aggravate the problem, the results are zero or only short-term. If all those ‘how-to-do’ methods would help, why struggles almost everyone? The answer is: There is no one magic.

And no, I am not saying we should stop reading books, stop hire a Mentor or Coach, never ask for help or follow advice from anyone. Absolutely we should do this even more regularly. What I am saying is that we need to start to question existing things, that we need to question existing systems and think for ourselves more often instead of blindly walk behind others without knowing what we are actually doing. To make our own experiences and decisions more often and then come together and share them with others.

When we follow blindly behind the masses and take everything mindless what we are actually after is someone or something who leads us. So, we can feel safe and secure, comfortable and a sense of belonging. And yes, there are great leaders out there, but most known and famous leaders are not.  The magic we are looking for lies somewhere else…. Self-leadership. It is an open loop win-win-win with endless interconnections of wins: We cannot lead others consciously and effectively if we cannot lead ourselves first. Imagine if all our current support systems won’t exist anymore – what would you do?

We have forgotten how to think and be creative, we are not innovative. We solve symptoms instead of root causes. If in private or business context, many people, executives or entrepreneurs consider lateral thinkers and generalists as disruptive factors because they are different, they are rebels. Visionaries, Idealists, Artists, Misfits, Outcasts & Gamechangers are precisely those who are urgently needed and indispensable to lead through the current worldly transformations. They are questioners, orchestrators, holistic thinkers, and try-outs. They leave the beaten track on familiar ground, which is why they are weirdos in our society, are marginalized, hostile or not taken seriously. And that is exactly the reason why we are in a crisis. 

We need people that are challenging the status quo and seeing beyond the systems. We need people that believe, have faith, and see the possibilities of what could be. If you happen to be one of them, I urge you to believe in yourself - you are not unnormal, you are the normal one, you are not the black sheep, but the rainbow sheep. The world needs your otherness, your uniqueness, your unconventional creative thinking and expression.

We have to become both, Creators and Destroyers at the same time - the Destroyer who has the courage to leave behind the status quo and the Creator who leads forward with boundless curiosity. And we will find and connect with those who are the same.