A couple of months back, I read Hugh Macleod’s ‘Ignore Everybody and 39 Other Keys to Creativity’, and several things stood out. It’s a great little book and the biggest takeaway for me was,

Don’t try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether.”

The message is very telling because a lot of people try (or have tried) to wholly conform to the tastes and opinions of groups that they’re part of, either for approval or FOMO (fear of missing out). Now, this isn’t to say there’s no value in group interactions, because some of these exchanges allow us to truly understand complex subjects and find solutions to problems using different perspectives.

The big issue with blindly following herd is that, critical thinking and originality become restricted. When the pressure’s on to thoughtlessly follow groups and trends remember, “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” – George S. Patton Jr.