Ignoring the public opinion?

[Gonzosan]

It seems like no matter how bad things get and how little they have to show for it, people will always preach the slowlane way of doing things. Does anyone here just get tired of listening to people altogether and stop trying to convince others that "that way" isn't working? I just recently got into a heated debate with someone stating how I'd need to have a degree to pursue the field I want (game programming/design). None the less they always seem to think they're right about everything, and the whole country (and world) is brainwashed into thinking what you're doing is wrong. Seems like 90% of people out there have a negative outlook when you try to do something out of the norm. Just tired of talking to people trying to "open them up" to trying new things that will work. I'm far from successful, but I know what I want to accomplish with my life, and it definitely isn't sitting in a classroom for 4 years, or sitting in a cubicle till I 'make it big as CEO'. Does anyone have experiences like this? How did you deal with it? Seems like everyone is riding that train, including my close family.

 

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[valuegiver]

You are not busy enough. If you're busy, you don't wanna spend time talking bullshit like this with people. They don't and most likely won't understand your way of thinking, so stop preaching to the choir.

 

[John C.]

Gonzo,

One of the most difficult things for anyone to admit/accept is that their beliefs are wrong. One of the reasons people have so much trouble changing is that the first step is to acknowledge that what you were doing was not working - that you were going down the wrong path. People do not want to admit they were wrong.

I learned a long time ago that offering advice, no matter how sound and/or well intended is usually not meet with an open mind. Basically most people do not want advice. Even when they are hurting, they still want the world to work according to their concept. They would rather hold on to their view of how the world should work (and keep their problems) than to accept some other approach and solve them.

So the best approach is to realize your advice will only be welcome when asked for. Instead of freely offering advice, live your life according to your thinking and when people see how successful you are, they will start to ask you for your secret. Instead of giving advice free, people will value it more if you charge for it. This concept, charging for your advice, is hard for most people to accept. But studies have shown time and again, that the more people pay for advice the more likely they are to act on it.

James Bach wrote a book titled Buccaneer Scholar. I do not recommend reading the book (it might speak to you more than it did to me) but in the first few pages he shows a photo copy of his report card from the 10th grade. Basically he dropped out of school after the 10th grade. He never went to college. Yet he is a highly accomplished software tester. He gets letters and emails all the time addressed to Dr. James Bach because everyone assumes based on his success he must have a PhD.

Do not spend too much time and energy trying to figure out the masses. It will drive you up the wall. You only have control over yourself so spend more time on your own attitude and life will be much easier.

 

[cashflow3000]

...Does anyone here just get tired of listening to people altogether and stop trying to convince others that "that way" isn't working?...the whole country (and world) is brainwashed into thinking what you're doing is wrong. Seems like 90% of people out there have a negative outlook when you try to do something out of the norm. Just tired of talking to people trying to "open them up" to trying new things that will work....How did you deal with it? Seems like everyone is riding that train, including my close family.

Hey Gonzosan -

Yep, I think we all deal with this.

The best you can do is stay true to your own personal path and lead by example. Trying to "convince" others or attempting to reverse their "brainwashing" is a losing game and a waste of your time and energy. The 90% (I think closer to 95%) of people who will be negative when you are doing things differently are negative because what you do challenges their world view. At the heart of it this is just a variation of fundamentalism, and fundamentalists always react poorly when their world view is challenged.

As far as what John C. says about don't waste your time or energy trying to figure out the masses, I respectfully disagree.

I agree that you shouldn't waste time and energy trying to change them, but a certain amount of time and energy trying to understand them and accept them is necessary.

Let's face it, as Producers we *need* the masses. Ultimately, the masses are our bosses. We need them to Consume what we produce, and we need them as employees.

The better we understand them the better we can identify their wants and needs and create solutions that solve their problems.

Have fun, and good luck!

JW Hagarty

 

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[John C.]

JW,

My comment about ignoring the masses was in the context of the post

None the less they always seem to think they're right about everything, and the whole country (and world) is brainwashed into thinking what you're doing is wrong.

I totally agree that in the context of marketing, we need to know all we can about our target market/prospect. I believe the most common and costly mistake producers make is to think the "know" the market.

So I do not disagree with you at all. Just in the context that Gonzo was posting about, I think it is a waste of time to try to "fix/change" the world unless that is your mission.

 

[Rickson9]

Does anyone here just get tired of listening to people altogether and stop trying to convince others that "that way" isn't working?

I never saw the benefit of trying to convince others. Not sure why I would?

I just recently got into a heated debate with someone stating how I'd need to have a degree to pursue the field I want (game programming/design). None the less they always seem to think they're right about everything, and the whole country (and world) is brainwashed into thinking what you're doing is wrong. Seems like 90% of people out there have a negative outlook when you try to do something out of the norm. Just tired of talking to people trying to "open them up" to trying new things that will work. I'm far from successful, but I know what I want to accomplish with my life, and it definitely isn't sitting in a classroom for 4 years, or sitting in a cubicle till I 'make it big as CEO'. Does anyone have experiences like this? How did you deal with it? Seems like everyone is riding that train, including my close family.

Again, I don't see the benefit in trying to convince people. I'm not selling anything.

I just do my own thing. Who cares what other people do?

Best regards.

 

[Rickson9]

Just in the context that Gonzo was posting about, I think it is a waste of time to try to "fix/change" the world unless that is your mission.

I agree. I don't have any "mission" to try and change people because there's no benefit for me. It's a waste of my time.

 

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[Gonzosan]

Thanks for the advice all, I'm just one of those people that always wants to help others but it always seems to backfire and I get ridiculed or just plain ignored. None the less lately I've been taking the "if they don't ask, don't tell" policy in regards to any advice. I figure people don't want to be told what to do or how to do it, including myself. I consider myself pretty open minded and everyday I try to do something I wouldn't otherwise have done in my past. I think I just need to focus on myself and not worry so much about trying to change things. I'm the type that wants to change the world, but I'm going through it in the wrong channels. I should do what I want to set out to do, and just "reveal" it when there is undeniable proof I was going down the right path. Honestly I think I'd be happier in general if I just stuck to myself and did my own thing, unless of course I met people with the same mindset (which I've met maybe a few in my lifetime). Thanks for the advice all.