…only the popular way.
To do something only for the sake of it being the popular way, even though it otherwise doesn’t fit your best interest or desires is not a good reason to choose that route at all. My whole life I’ve been told that I was doing it wrong, that things must be done a certain way, that they’ve always been done that way. Luckily, I’ve always resisted giving into such notions and limited ways of thinking.
I love to play pool. I also happen to be pretty good at it. And as an adult, playing pool at the local bar, is probably where I continue to hear that lovely four-word statement the most:
“You’re doing it wrong.”
When I hear that inevitable remark from my opponent in regards to the way I hold the pool cue, I just let out a small and kind smile, but no verbal response. I generally then go on to beat their ass in pool and any comments about how I hold the cue seem to disappear :). Don’t get me wrong, there’s often an old-timer that schools me pretty bad, but I still earn their respect. It just reminds me that no matter how I choose to play, I need more practice. You never stop practicing.
I’ve practiced holding my cue the “right” way and I’ve always found it uncomfortable and restricting, lowering my accuracy, not improving it. While I have the choice of how I’d like to hold my cue, I once played a one-armed man who didn’t and guess what? I couldn’t beat him. No joke. Whether you find a way that you prefer even if it goes against the grain, or whether you have no choice, you can still excel at it.
Our culture is very quick to adapt to new ways of doing things. Often, for years, there’s a way to do something, say communicate, that’s considered the only and best way to do it… until it’s not.
Don’t be afraid to be different, to challenge tradition, to do something the “wrong” way.