3748 days ago and 2500 posts ago

On November 17, 2009 I began Enlightened Conflict. On that day I shared my thoughts about what I wanted for visitors to the site, “Your Visit here”, my thoughts on Conflict and People and, of course, About Me.

I recently revisited what I wrote that day and, well, wouldn’t change a thing. I am sure there are some lessons in that:

my North Star remains my North Star

my beliefs, and principles, remain true

my understanding of me, well, maybe my understanding of who I am, what I care about and what I want to do (in terms of making an impact) remain unchanged

 

Your visit here.

I am not a big business or self help book reader. I often find they simply rehash a variety of things, thoughts and ideas that if you have been in the business long enough you pretty much know already. On occasion someone does a great job of articulating a thought and in those cases I take my hat off to them and wish I could have said it as well. With all that said I believe people would be better off reading less of these things and reading & learning more about other things. Anything. To me the most interesting people in the world are the ones who have a variety of interests. That doesn’t mean you should not have a specialty just that maybe your specialty would be even better if you knew more about other things.

 

I do believe: Ideas result from a new combination of specific knowledge about products with general knowledge about life and events.

 

I do believe: Interesting people are extensive browsers in all sorts of fields of information.

I do believe: The more of the elements of the world around us which are stored away in the mind, the more the chances are increased for the production of new and striking combinations, or ideas.

I do believe: There are certain things you just cannot write, or think of, until you have lived through certain experiences and filled your reservoir of knowledge to a point when you can drink freely from it.

I do believe: Knowledge is basic to good creative thinking (and interesting personalities).

I do believe: Conflict done well, enlightened conflict as it were, is healthy, challenges the status quo, sparks thinking and fresh ideas.

 

Interestingly all of those things are also believed by James Webb Young in his 1937 booklet “How to Produce Ideas” (a book on my list of things everyone should read).

So if you want someplace to visit to see a variety of different ideas on some of the most random topics you can think of (although there is business stuff) then I hope you visit here and maybe learn something, maybe chuckle a little, maybe have your curiosity piqued somewhat. There will be some fiction, some fact and always an opinion. I guess my objective is personally reflective (I just want to share some thinking and writing) as well as professionally I have a desire to help broaden someone’s perspective on the world. So, even if one person visits here and starts thinking about something new or in new ways, then I imagine I would have achieved success. Of course, if someone wanted to hire me for a project or something I wouldn’t be opposed to that either.

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Written by Bruce