Those who think differently find themselves wanting a different system than the existing one.

It would seem evident, that this leads to change.

But there is a powerful force pulling things in a different direction.

The system we live in looks like one that has proven to be working.

Inherent in the definition of the system are ideas of success and what it looks like. And once an idea of success exists, there are enough people around who seem to represent that success. The blueprint of what they did, then becomes how success can be reached. They seem to have proven formulas.

Thinking differently becomes the task to be a leader of one’s own cause and creating new definitions of what success may look like. This means to start by understanding how success works in the given system, use enough critical thinking to verify how proven the formulas are and believe enough in one’s ideas to trust the process one is stepping into. That is, to trust oneself enough to be confident about one’s own path even if it takes a long time until others can see it too.

To many, establishing this confidence can prevent them from doubting where doubts would be useful. The danger to be sucked back into the existing system with its possibilities leads to denial as a means of protecting oneself against its possibilities and images of success.

It takes work, courage, and investment to think differently.

It helps to know the difference between thinking differently and wanting things to be different. Wanting things to be different, often is nothing else than wanting discomfort to go away.

Changing things starts with thinking differently clearly enough to become able to act on it. However, it doesn’t mean having an established solution in mind, not even knowing where and how to start.

Questioning the proven formulas is a good enough place to start.