Tonight, I was communicating in real time with a friend in the United States. We have known each other for several years and she wrote to me and said that she felt like an “outcast.” Now, I know this lady well. Our emails number in the hundreds, if not thousands, over the years. He came to Thailand to study with me on a five-day Master Thinker program. She is a doctor who lost her practice, her spouse, her home, and all her worldly belongings because she stood up for people. She took over the entire health care system without help and was a whistleblower. They tried to destroy her, but were never able to lower her spirit. She has been an inspiration to me since before I met her. They even made a movie about her, but it only served to make her a target. She is an iconoclastic thinker. I will not use her name in this article because she has been attacked enough already.
I immediately answered the first thing that came to mind. “The iconoclastic thinker is always an outcast. I use the stones that others throw at me to practice hitting. It improves my focus, aim, accuracy and distance.”
Most of the great leaders in virtually every field are iconoclastic thinkers. Most managers are not. Most managers urge their people to “think outside the box.” What they don’t say then is: “Don’t think outside of mine!” For the iconoclastic leader, there are no boxes. They simply do not exist. Some examples? Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Jesus Christ, Buddha, Copernicus, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, and many, many more. We are surrounded by them but, instead of listening to them, we are usually the ones who throw stones.
Iconoclastic thinking isn’t just the domain of leaders and this is where it gets really interesting. An iconoclastic thinker is anyone who thinks upstream while everyone around him relaxes in their chambers of perception and idly floats downstream. They can be a teacher, a parent, a friend, an enemy, or even the smallest child.
Have you ever felt like the weird person? Welcome to the world of iconoclastic thought! Understand, it is not about being right or wrong, but about thinking differently. You can put your own values in your thinking (and you will), but know that others are equally willing to put theirs in it as well (and will). Expect others to think differently from you and the stones they throw don’t hurt as much.
I cannot think of a single iconoclastic thinker who has lived his life without pain, attack, and opposition. We all, at different times, ask ourselves: “Is it worth it?” The resounding answer is yes! “Sure, we have our moments of doubt. One of the signs of a true iconoclast is the constant challenge of our own beliefs. Another is unwavering flexibility as situations and circumstances evolve. Yet another is the ability to act on those beliefs despite the fear of the unknown that inevitably accompanies them. That is the essence of courage and commitment. That is the makeup of the iconoclastic thinker. Do you qualify? If not, why not?
Keep in mind that the iconoclastic thinker does not always go against the grain. Great iconoclastic leaders have a way of merging what others believe or want to believe and lead the way to change and evolution. A large experiment was carried out in Japan which is known as the “100 Monkeys Experiment”. It involved a group of monkeys relocated to an island with only a supply of yams (sweet potatoes) to eat, something that was outside their normal diet. One day, a monkey from the company picked up a yam, went into the sea, washed it, and began to eat it. Soon, the entire company was doing the same and everyone survived as a result.
The fact is, we are all potentially iconoclastic thinkers. We all have ideas and thoughts that go against the winds of current thinking. I suspect that passion is what separates the iconoclast from the masses. What is your purpose in life? Are you willing and able to pursue it with unfettered passion and undeterred? Are you willing and able to take the blows of others? If so, welcome to the world of the iconoclastic thinker. Get off your butt and get out there and involve and include others. It doesn’t matter what area of human activity is involved.
Artists, musicians, poets, and dancers are all iconoclastic thinkers when they step out of the mold and take their art in a new direction and on a new level. The same is true of businessmen, politicians, and theologians. When I was 11 years old, I remember an older boy who came up with a system that revised the way we pack food at the store where he worked, increasing customer service and raising our level of tips. I still consider him a genius, an iconoclastic thinker. Management was totally opposed to the change, but convinced us all to try it in one shift and management could not deny the results. I was so inspired that I decided to apply what he had taught us to my newspaper route and the result was that I doubled it in two weeks! Iconoclastic thinking can be contagious to the point of becoming mainstream.
Find your purpose and pursue it with passion. Be brave enough to think differently and have the courage to follow the dictates of your heart, mind, and spirit. Live what you preach. Walking the way. Dare to be different!