I am an idea person. Some of the ideas I have are a little off the wall.   When my brain is firing on all cylinders ideas come in a flood. The ideas role in for new blog posts, phrases for the book I am writing, marketing plans etc.

I think many of us have something deep inside we want to do. But, that idea or new direction is stuck in the mire created by our common sense. If I only do what common sense tells me to do, am I dooming myself to just being common? Does my reliance on common sense keep me doing common things with common results?

I keep a notebook where I write down a majority of my ideas so I can keep track of them. The problem is, many of them never actually get implemented. Why? Because common sense tells me not to even give it a shot. My common sense tells me not to veer out of the proverbial lane that I am in. So I decide to keep rolling forward without trying anything too uncommon.

The Common Sense of a Child

That was not always the case. Watch a child who truly wants something. Common sense does not get in his way. He sees what he wants, and he goes after it with determination and enthusiasm. That child may fail, but he learns something in the process.

We gain wisdom through our failures. Problems begin when the common sense of the parents, prevent a child’s failures. (Life threatening experiences excluded) The common sense of the parents supplants the opportunity for the child to gain wisdom.

Common Sense Versus Wisdom

Wisdom and common sense are not the same thing. Wisdom comes from learning from our mistakes, while common sense often plays the role of preventing all mistakes. The fear of failure makes me common and can project onto others as well.

Sometimes a parent needs to step in tell him not to do something because it is life or limb threatening. But how often are we telling children to not TRY because common sense says it is not going to work. When we do that, we now project our fears – common sense – onto our children.

Therefore, we tell our child to major in accounting when she truly wants to work in outdoor education. It’s common sense. Accounting is something all of us can use. By doing this, am I using my common sense to doom my children to a common life full of common results?

Where Does Common Sense Come From?

Common sense comes in from many different directions. It comes from well meaning family. It comes from friends or from the business section of our local newspaper. But most of the time, common sense comes from inside of us.

How often does our common sense push us outside of our comfort zone? Usually our common sense tells us to not take a risk or to avoid any discomfort. I wrote another blog you can read on comfort zones. Click on the title below to read it:

Three Decisions that Destroy Comfort Zones and Mediocrity

I found what was often hiding beneath the surface when I look at my common sense decisions was fear. Fear convinced me to do what common sense said I should do even if doing so kept me stuck doing common things with common results.

The Bottom Line:

Common sense rarely says, “Go ahead! Give it your best shot!” Most of the time, common sense is telling us what not to do. Common sense reminds us:

  • You can’t do that.
  • The timing isn’t right.
  • Maybe when the kids go to college.
  • This is the wrong time to start a business.
  • That customer has never used your product.
  • Doing this now does not make sense.
  • This idea is not practical for where I am in my life.
  • Who is going to pay to hear you speak? (mine)
  • Who (besides your family) is going to read a book that you write? (mine)

A few years ago, I left the corporate world where I made a large salary, had my healthcare covered, and a great retirement pension and 401K. That was not common sense at work!

Now I am speaking and writing a book on Leaders of Character. What I do today is uncommon.  I am doing things common sense told me to keep in my notebook of ideas.

I am thankful I had family and friends who said, “Go ahead! Give it your best shot!” Because common sense was telling me differently.

Question:

Where is common sense holding you back?