A while back I blogged about Michael Phelps, and how his “extra stroke” won him the gold. I saw the “disgraced” olympian on TV the other night, along with the rest of the nation. While his publicist-written letter of “regret” was clearly “well-penned”, I hesitate to believe he TRULY regrets his “mistake”. In fact, I am not sure it was a mistake at all… I mean, you can look at the picture itself and tell that he was pretty comfortable with his fancy monogrammed glass bong and favorite herb. ** grin ** Clearly, the “masses” publicly condemn the use of marijuana – many I am sure while using it privately themselves. Just like our good friend, Michael Phelps. But, SHOULD he really be “regretful”? What do the experts say?
Well, the “experts” over at www.abovetheinfluence.com say that marjuana causes “poor motor coordination”, “decreased energy and ambition”, “higher incidence of depression”, and an “impaired ability to communicate and relate to others”… Yet, Michael Phelps won our hearts with his authentic communication style and loving relationship with his family… He broke olympic records (negates the decreased energy and ambition hype) and hardly seems depressed. Hmmm…
Now, I’m not asking everyone to run out and join your local NORML group, but I do have ask, “What else have the experts been wrong about?” and HOW does all of this relate to YOUR success in our new economy?
- In 1912, Professor Michael Foch concluded that “Airplanes have no military value.
- In 1977, the CEO of DEC Computers assured us that “There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.”
- Walt Disney’s brother, along with other media experts told him that “An amusement park with pirates and Indians is the stupidest idea you have ever had.” He was also told that Mickey Mouse was a lousy idea.
- JP Morgan told Alexander Graham Bell that his invention “was without merit”.
- When Ted Turner invested $100 Million of his own money to put 24-hour news on the air (welcome: cable tv), the Washington Post wrote, “The industry doubts Ted Turner knows his ass from a hole in the ground. It can’t be done.” Of course, he was worth $10 Billion in less than 10 years.
Unfortunately, it takes almost an entire generation gap before people are willing to dispell the previous generation’s truth as MYTH and create a new “truth”. In fact, most experts (and those who are funding them) have such a psychological (and $$) investment in their “findings”, they RARELY – if ever- admit they are wrong. So, what does this have to do with success????
Everything. The “success system” I use with the most consistency can be summed up very quickly and can be used whether you are working in a large corporation, a solopreneur working from home… or whether you represent one of the growing options in between.
“Look at what everyone else is doing and saying. Take note of how they are acting and what the gurus are saying you should do. Listen to ALL of the “experts” of your time and then DO THE OPPOSITE. Because in the words of the great Millionaire-Maker himself… The majority is ALWAYS wrong.
