Lecture Notes: Recognizing Originals

Introduction

• Aneesh Chopra shares a personal story about missing an investment opportunity in Warby Parker.
• Warby Parker disrupted the eyeglass industry by selling online and is now valued at over a billion dollars.
• The lecture focuses on understanding originals—nonconformists who drive creativity and change.

Key Takeaways on Originals

• Originals are not what one might expect; they stand out and take action on new ideas.

1. Speed of Execution

• Procrastination vs. Pre-crastination
  • Chopra identifies himself as a pre-crastinator, feeling anxious before deadlines.
  • Research shows moderate procrastinators tend to be more creative than both chronic procrastinators and pre-crastinators.
• Study Findings:
  • Moderate procrastinators produce ideas rated as more creative (16% higher) than others.
  • Procrastination allows for idea incubation and divergent thinking.

2. The Power of Procrastination

• Famous originals like Leonardo da Vinci and Martin Luther King Jr. benefited from procrastination.
  • Da Vinci took years to complete the Mona Lisa, leading to significant insights during the process.
  • MLK rewrote his iconic speech right before delivering it, allowing for improvisation and originality.

3. First Mover Advantage Myth

• The myth of first-mover advantage is challenged; improvers often succeed more than first movers.
• Example:
  • Facebook and Google improved upon existing ideas instead of being first.

4. Doubts and Courage

• Originals experience self-doubt and idea doubt but manage them differently:
  • Self-doubt: Paralyzing and leads to inaction.
  • Idea doubt: Energizing, spurs experimentation and refinement.

5. Choosing the Right Tools

• The internet browser you use can reflect your approach to initiative and resourcefulness.
  • Firefox and Chrome users are more proactive than those using default browsers.

6. VOUJADÉE

• VOUJADÉE: Seeing familiar things with fresh eyes due to questioning defaults.
  • Example: Jennifer Lee's reinvention of Frozen's villain led to massive success.

Overcoming Fear and Embracing Failure

• Originals fear failure but fear not trying even more.
• Many people silence their ideas due to fear of judgment.
• Failing forward is essential; more attempts lead to greater chances of success.

Conclusion

• Originals are not overly different from others; they manage fear, doubt, and failure creatively.
• Key points to enhance originality:
  • Start quickly but finish slowly to enhance creativity.
  • Embrace idea doubt and the fear of inaction.
  • Generate numerous ideas to find a few good ones.
• Being original is challenging but essential for improving the world.