In one of my previous organizations, the annual appraisal/potential assessment form had an unusual section. It wanted to know if the person being assessed was an ‘independent thinker’. It was unusual because businesses don’t usually allow for much independent thinking!

To my mind, an independent thinker is someone who has their own ideas about what they experience and learn and apply these ideas to their lives in their own unique way, without being influenced by others.

The problem is that no one ever teaches you how to think for yourself. On the contrary, the entire world is designed to discourage and disincentivize us from thinking independently. Our education system encourages rote learning, we have stopped reading as a habit and our work lives follow a regimented process.

Independent thinking is not supposed to be glamorous or exciting. It is boring and requires diligence and courage to disagree with the status quo and the courage to be different.

Independent thinkers strive for ideas which are not common, they challenge their minds to expand in new directions and continue to raise questions without getting to the correct answers.

They work in silence without an audience and do not need people to clap for them.

Most of all, their lives do not follow patterns; the standard school to college to university to a great job to social clubs to wealth and golf retirement and a bucket list which mostly relates to the lives they have lived, before going six feet under!

Independent thinkers realize that they are a world unto themselves, and they are complex and unique. This means they will not allow the world, other people, social and cultural norms or social media etc. to control them. They prefer having freedom over their thoughts, feelings and actions, above being part of the herd.

It was the 19th century American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson who said, “to be yourself in the world, which is constantly trying to make you something else, is the greatest accomplishment”.

Worth thinking about 🤔