I have a tents problem. I keep buying tents, but I never go camping. Just kidding - I don’t own a tent. I have a tense problem – because I’m so excited about the future and what’s possible that I sometimes lose track of what’s been actualized "in real life" already.
Once I’ve thought it, it becomes real for me. Once I’ve figured it out and told it to someone ... on some level, it's already done. And, I’m probably moving on to the next idea or challenge in my head (like: And what would that make possible?).
I think this is common among (to use a Kolbe term) Quick Starts. I love being around entrepreneurs because a lot of them are Quick Starts, and they share this future-focused perspective. The problem, however, is that when you say something’s possible that hasn’t been proven yet, the average person responds with “no it’s not.”
I’ve seen the pattern over and over, both in my own company and in my friend’s companies. At my company, we have a lot of data scientists - and they’re almost all naturally pessimistic. Which makes sense; if you were going to hire a personality type to be a scientist, you’d want someone who didn’t believe their hypothesis until they’ve proven it. It’s the right personality for the job, but it doesn’t mean they’re right, and it certainly doesn’t mean that approach is right for the visionaries.
I’m not telling everyone to be visionaries. What I am saying is, if you’re naturally a visionary, feel free to embrace it, but surround yourself with people who keep you grounded in reality. We’d never have innovation if it wasn’t for you, and innovators wouldn’t ever get anything done if it wasn’t for other personality types.
Information Is Beautiful put together an interactive list of famous ideas rejected that were later proven correct. You can filter by industry - Astronomy, Biology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine, Physical Sciences - and by other factors like how long the originator was a pariah, how they were treated due to their idea, and when the idea was formally adopted. Click to see the interactive version.
In 895, Al-Razi believing a fever was a natural defense mechanism got him beaten.
In 1592, Giordano Bruno believing the Sun was one of many stars got him killed. Shortly after, Galileo Galilei was imprisoned for believing the earth wasn’t the center of the solar system.
Losing some of the stakes, in 1884 and 1903 respectively, Nikola Tesla and the Wright Brothers were ignored and rejected for their technological innovations.
Even today you can see the initial response to visionaries like Peter Diamandis or Elon Musk.
The status quo is comfortable, but if you’re standing still you’re moving backward.
Are you a maverick or a heretic? You won’t know until you see it to the end. You may experience failures, but that’s the experience for your next endeavor.
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas Edison
Onwards!
