Thinking like a Contrarian
I’ve been thinking about
…. a lot of ridiculous crap lately.
From mining asteroids on the moon to selling coffins online and everything that lies between.
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been teased for my naiveté, dumb optimism, and unqualified judgments for my remarks. Chief among these criticism would be my inexperienced youth.
But whenever I feel dejected and shitted on by the world, I turn to this book for help.
If you’ve been an optimist for the whole of your life, this is a book I highly recommend you read. (Even if you’re not particularly keen on startups).
Written by my favorite billionaire in the world right now, Peter Thiel is someone vastly different from the average individual.
He was not born into an extraordinarily wealthy family, nor did he have famous parents that he could leverage their connections from.
But what he had was a form of thinking that I’ve been adopting into my life for the past 2 years, and that is to Think like a Contrarian.
-Was the moon landing a hoax?
-Did the aliens help build the pyramid?
A contrarian is someone who independently questions EVERYTHING they know that often goes against popular beliefs. They establish their own philosophies about the life they live in.
One question Peter Thiel likes to asks in his interviews is: “What important truth do very few people agree with you on?”
Of course, one need not go to extreme lengths to be a contrarian.
Everyone can start somewhere.
For starters, if you find yourself waiting in a stagnant line in IKEA (which happens most of the time) instead of standing (why do people stand anyway?), you could grab a chair and pull it along as you wait in the queue. Yes, you might look silly, but who’s the one with a comfy seat after a couple of hours of standing & walking?
In terms of education, it could be extending an entire year of studies and underloading multiple units each semester. While you would be graduating an entire year later than your peers, the free time between each studying semester allows you to explore your innate passion more and try as many things as possible. This could help expand your network, validate your interests, and sharpen your skill set so you know what job you want to work in as you graduate. Yes, you might be slower, but why were you comparing knowing full well that everyone has their own clock in life, in the first place?
In terms of work, it could be telling your boss that you would rather work from home 2 days a week (because of a higher productivity level) and reassure his decision by exhibiting a stronger work ethic. Who wouldn’t say no if you’re achieving set milestones and results?
In terms of business, it could be asking: How can I make this a billion-dollar business instead of a million-dollar one? Because everyone wants to be a millionaire, competition is stiff for the number of people who would do whatever it takes to hit 2 commas. But at 3 commas (1,000,000,000) you’re gonna have to think, and work differently, because you’ll see a birds-eye view of a grander scheme.
Of course, at some point in life, everyone has had a contrarian aha moment! But the point here is to question and reflect frequently & deeply.
The future belongs to those who think independently for themselves.
The by-product of this often results in them having to walk the opposite direction as everyone else, not because they think themselves smart, but because they rather risk being wrong than being normal, or lazy in thinking.
Here are my favorite quotes when it comes to contrary thinking.
“The roads less traveled is less traveled for a reason. But it is these difficult paths that often lead to the most beautiful destinations.”
“The most contrarian thing of all is not to oppose the crowd, but to think for yourself.”
“Contrarian thinking at its best simply asks: is this really true? It speaks up when the politically correct answer or the conventional wisdom doesn’t match reality — when things simply don’t work the way everyone says it should.”
Being a contrarian really isn’t hard, all it takes is independent thinking and deep reflections.
Maybe, selling coffins wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.
