Think and grow rich - is this still true?
When I was a wee lad I read the great book 'Think and Grow Rich' by Napoleon Hill. Written in 1937 it uses his own life as an example of the power of positive thinking and how a 'can do' attitude can produce lasting success.
His son Blair was born without external ears or ear canals, and doctors predicted he would be a deaf-mute for life. But Hill wouldn't let that stop him and from infancy, Hill whispered bedtime stories directly into Blair's skull bone, attempting to transmit sound via bone conduction while planting seeds of absolute self-reliance. It's a heart felt story and contains many golden tips on the power of thinking.
So with many people outsourcing thinking to AI can we still be rich?
More recently I read a report by one of my favourite thought leaders, Professor G, the legendary and erudite Scott Galloway, who revealed that the standard of general intelligence and critical thinking in schools and the workplace is dropping at an alarming rate. See graph pilfered but credited below.
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The full blog has so many scary statistics that correlate with the launch and mass adoption of technology. We can blame social media, phones and the internet for making us brain lazy, but if you thought the downturn was bad, wait until you see the impacts of AI. Essentially Chat GPT killed the radio star. Check out the impact on critical thinking in the below survey.
Seriously please subscribe, it's awesome information - https://www.profgmedia.com
My own experience of teaching marketing at university for the past 15 years corroborates this trend and had a dramatic impact on my desire to do this role. Each semester, in my last two years being a sessional lecturer of the RMIT undergraduate class 'social media marketing' was worse than the last. It's worrying as the decline was steep and fast.
I estimate that 95% of the assignments submitted before I quit was written by AI and the 5% were not good and probably should have been. I was failing 50% of students and they were allowed to use AI, that wasn't the reason for the poor mark. The issue was they didn't have any logic and reasoning in their assignments. I couldn't follow the story of how the research and theory created the strategy and actions they suggested. It didn't make common sense.
This brings me to the crux of my point - common sense isn't so common anymore.
When we outsource our thinking to AI, internet, Reddit suggestions, Instagram copy cats, other leaders etc we lose the ability to know who we are and what we want to do. Self direction is lost and we feel we can't cope alone. There is no resourcefulness or resilience because we need an external force to provide direction and surety. Others are in control, not ourselves and I foresee more mental health issues if we head down this path. But it doesn't have to be this way.
Conversely, if you are one of the few that can think critically. You will be the master of AI and technology, rather than it's slave and stand out from your peers. Therein leading to promotions and pay rises, I do this in my companies. Plus your less likely to be retrenched as you will be useful in the new economy.
So my advice, dear readers, is to stop relying on digital crutches and start working out your thinking muscle every day. Don't use your GPS every drive. Write a blog yourself. Come up with answers first, then double check with the internet. Rely on your memory, not your phone. It's difficult, I know - but do you want to be rich? Most people do, so mentally apply $1 dollars per thought, it adds up over time. Perhaps this will help you do the necessary reps.
When Napoleon wrote his famous book, he couldn't have foreseen the technological revolution approaching, but his method of thinking and growing rich still appeals as much as it did over 80 years ago. Let's start a thinking revolution and triumph over the adversity of distraction and laziness. If you have read this far, you are most of the way there.
- Andrew
