Today, I want to introduce my newsletter theme which also is my first topic: “THINKING BEYOND” - a discourse on transcending the confines of our mental constructs in order to benefit society, nature, the businesses and organizations we serve and our own development.
Why the emphasis on THINKING BEYOND?
Grounded in the belief that “No business can surpass the mindset of its owner,” my stance is clear: recognizing and navigating past the self-imposed barriers in our minds is crucial. WHY? These barriers might obstruct our escape from professional or personal quandaries, lead us to dismiss new ideas and perspectives prematurely, hinder our personal growth and, by extension, the development of our teams or businesses.
But why is our MIND SET in the first place?
It's natural for our brains to operate within certain presets; to default to familiar solutions and thought patterns in an effort to minimize cognitive strain. Daniel Kahneman (RIP), in his seminal work “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” articulates this as the “law of least effort.”
Changing our habitual ways of thinking—and acting— therefore demands significant effort. Amidst the myriad of life and work-related challenges we face that already demand our mental energy we might not be willing to go there.
But let's consider the potential benefits:
shifting our mindset can rejuvenate a stagnant project, enhance our career trajectories, enrich those around us, and advance the organizations we are part of. Luckily, we can prime ourselves easily by a first change of thought, a new idea that we think. This effect, where an idea influences action, is called ideomotor-effect. It is also described by Kahneman in his above mentioned book.
Consider my own evolution regarding newsletters:
For years, I harbored resistance towards starting one, fearing an oversaturated market and the disinterest or annoyance of potential readers. At the same time I have always cherished writing and engaging in multidisciplinary dialogues on compelling subjects. Yet, I hesitated to share extensively, unable to envision organizing my thoughts outside the confines of a newsletter.
My mindset completely changed when someone told me that I might deprive interested readers of inspiring ideas and insightful experiences. This new perspective (from annoying people to inspiring people with a newsletter) filled me with motivation and brought us to this point today: With this newsletter I want to offer you a gateway to “think beyond,” while sparing you the time and effort of independently researching the topics we’ll discuss. I hope you find it enriching, and that it not only meets but exceeds your expectations!