Have you ever wondered why, when faced with crucial decisions that could change everything, so many well-intentioned efforts seem to fall short? It's a challenging thought, but some observers suggest that perhaps only a tiny fraction of people consistently achieve truly exceptional, high-impact results – maybe as few as three percent. What sets this small group apart? And more importantly, what can we learn from them to shift our own approach from the conventional to the extraordinary?

Consider a well-known anecdote often told about a brilliant physicist early in the 20th century. When questioned by his assistant about giving the same exam questions to his senior students two years running, he reportedly replied, "It's alright; the answers have changed." This simple story holds a profound truth, especially today. The challenges we face might look familiar, the questions might seem the same, but the solutions that worked yesterday are often inadequate for tomorrow. What brought us success in the past likely won't propel us to new heights. If we desire outcomes we've never reached before, we must inevitably start doing things we've never attempted.

The Allure of Autopilot: Why We Resist New Paths

Let's pause and ask a fundamental question: What is the real purpose of thinking? From a neuroscience perspective, an intriguing answer emerges: the purpose of thinking is often to stop thinking. Deep thought consumes significant mental energy, and our brains are masterfully evolved to conserve resources. Consequently, it's estimated that we spend a vast majority of our waking lives – perhaps up to 95% – operating on a kind of mental autopilot. We navigate familiar routines, make habitual choices, and react based on ingrained patterns. Even as you read this, parts of your mind might be drifting, processing on this energy-saving mode.

This tendency creates a phenomenon often described as 'tunnel vision'. We become like a race car driver so focused on the competitor immediately behind them in the rearview mirror that they lose sight of the wider track and genuinely believe they are leading the pack, even when far behind. This happens because our thinking naturally confines itself within comfortable boundaries – not just the obvious legal, technological, or physical limits, but narrower, self-imposed moral and cognitive frameworks.

Think about your own professional sphere. We often operate within accepted standards, established norms, and industry best practices. While these provide structure and predictability, adhering strictly to them means achieving results similar to everyone else who follows the same playbook. To achieve something truly exceptional, something that stands out, requires deliberately stepping outside these comfortable confines.

Breaking Free: The Power of Unconventional Thinking

Imagine a scenario in a major city grappling with a shortage of licensed taxi drivers. The traditional licensing process is rigorous, requiring deep geographical knowledge and taking years to complete, hindering rapid expansion. How could a new taxi company grow quickly under these constraints? One ingenious, framework-breaking idea emerged: create two tiers of service. One would be the traditional taxi with a knowledgeable driver. The other, clearly marked, would feature a driver admitting they don't know the city well but are equipped and happy to follow the passenger's directions precisely. This wasn't just a workaround; it was brilliant. It instantly tapped into a new pool of drivers and appealed to passengers who knew exactly where they wanted to go and enjoyed being in control.

This example highlights a crucial pattern: breakthrough innovations often arise precisely where individuals or groups dare to question and consciously break generally accepted norms and rules. Consider the furniture industry. What if a company decided, against all conventional wisdom, to stop assembling furniture for its customers, instead providing flat-packed materials and instructions? This seemingly counter-intuitive move was fundamental to the rise of a global furniture giant recognized for its unique business model.

As one insightful Roman emperor mused, the goal isn't necessarily to align with the majority, but to consciously avoid falling into unthinking conformity. Doing what everyone else does rarely leads to differentiation or significant progress. When it comes to finding highly effective, game-changing solutions, the majority approach is often, perhaps surprisingly, not the most fruitful path.

Cultivating the Mindset of an Original Thinker

Understanding this is one thing, but how do we actively cultivate the ability to think beyond established frameworks? How do we nurture originality? Insights from organizational psychology offer valuable perspectives on those who not only dream up new ideas but actively bring them into reality – the nonconformists, the innovators.

One researcher shared a personal story of regretting his decision not to invest early in a startup founded by former students. He initially dismissed them, thinking they weren't moving fast enough or seemed too uncertain about their venture. That company later became a globally recognized innovator, valued enormously. This experience taught him valuable lessons about the nature of original thinking.

• The Surprising Upside of Delay: His first reason for doubt was the founders' apparent slowness. We often view procrastination as the enemy of productivity, and indeed it can be. However, it can paradoxically be an ally to creativity. As one acclaimed screenwriter put it, "You call it procrastination, I call it thinking." Many great creative minds throughout history were known procrastinators. Leonardo da Vinci famously worked on the Mona Lisa on and off for 16 years, often grappling with self-doubt. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was reportedly rewriting his "I Have a Dream" speech late into the night before its delivery, and even improvised key parts on stage. The lesson? Originality isn't always about being the absolute first. It's often about being different and ultimately better, and sometimes that requires allowing ideas time to incubate and evolve.
• Harnessing the Energy of Doubt: The second reason the researcher hesitated was the founders' open admission of doubts and uncertainties. But further study revealed a crucial distinction: there are different kinds of doubt. Doubting yourself can be paralyzing, leading to inaction. However, doubting the idea itself can be incredibly productive. This type of doubt fuels curiosity, motivates experimentation, encourages testing and refinement, and pushes us to question assumptions. It’s this constructive questioning, this willingness to say "Is this really the best way?" that is often the engine driving originality.
• Action Despite Fear: The True Mark of Courage: Original thinkers are not fearless. They experience anxiety and are often acutely aware of the possibility of failure. What distinguishes them is not the absence of fear, but that their fear of not trying outweighs their fear of failing. They understand that the deepest regrets often stem from inaction – the chances not taken, the ideas left unexplored. Many assume people are harshly judged for bad ideas, but history suggests otherwise. We celebrate Thomas Edison for the light bulb, largely forgetting his many failed inventions, including a commercially disastrous talking doll that terrified children and adults alike. The key takeaway is to embrace the attempt, even amidst fear. Looking across various fields, the greatest innovators often have the longest lists of failures precisely because they tried the most.

Embracing the Path Less Traveled

Those who achieve exceptional results aren't fundamentally different creatures from the rest of us. They feel fear, they experience doubt, they sometimes procrastinate, and they certainly generate their share of flawed ideas. However, they engage with these very human tendencies differently. They allow themselves time to think, they question their own ideas constructively, and they find the courage to act despite their fears. It is often through navigating these challenges, not by avoiding them, that they unlock their most groundbreaking successes.

Perhaps the first step towards joining that innovative few is simply to question the autopilot. To look at the 'standard way' and ask, "What if?" To embrace the discomfort of the unknown and dare to explore answers that have changed, even if the questions seem the same.

References:

• Grant, A. (2016). Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World. Viking.

  This book directly supports the discussion on "original thinkers." It explores the traits and strategies of individuals who challenge the status quo and bring novel ideas to fruition. Specifically, it delves into the surprising benefits of procrastination for creativity (see Chapter 4, "Fools Rush In"), the productive role of doubting ideas rather than oneself, and the importance of acting despite fear, highlighting that fear of inaction is a powerful motivator for originals (see Chapter 1, "Creative Destruction" and discussions on risk aversion). Grant's research provides empirical backing for the idea that successful innovators aren't necessarily fearless or always first, but are persistent and willing to question assumptions.

• Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

  This foundational work in behavioral economics and psychology provides extensive evidence for the concept of "autopilot thinking." Kahneman introduces the two systems of thought: System 1 (fast, intuitive, automatic, the "autopilot") and System 2 (slow, deliberate, effortful). The book details how System 1 dominates much of our daily decision-making (supporting the "95% on autopilot" idea conceptually) due to its energy efficiency, but is prone to biases and errors, leading to suboptimal outcomes in complex situations. Part 1, "Two Systems," particularly Chapters 1-9, elaborates on the characteristics and interplay of these systems, explaining the cognitive mechanisms behind relying on heuristics and resisting deep thought.