Two: the world will almost certainly pull you in the direction against your own genius. “Society, everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members,” he laments. Emerson makes it clear that in the face of societal pressure, we will be tempted to ignore our own genius and instead conform to the current norms and standards d

We do need to fight against external pressures at times. There is perhaps no better example than entrepreneurship. It’s common knowledge that an overwhelming majority of businesses fail. Even with the best, most profitable idea, the pressure to fold—from family, friends, critics, and investors—is often extraordinary. Every entrepreneur who has beco

Autonomy doesn’t mean reflexively resisting all external influences. That would be impossible, not to mention foolish. It means taking actions that “are both personally valued and well synthesized with the totality of one’s values and beliefs” regardless of who suggests those actions.

There is a reason why Emerson’s and Campbell’s writings have become so pervasive. There is much truth to their core message. Often the people around us do try to prevent us, whether deliberately or not, from expressing ourselves or from leading our lives in the way we desire. We do need to fight against external pressures at times. There is perhaps

the “three strikes” rule.

The hardest part of considering the opposite, as mentioned at the start of this chapter, is knowing when to do it. That’s because when we have a model of the world (and we all do), we don’t relate to it as our model of the world; we relate it to as reality. It’s like wearing a pair of contact lenses that change the way we see everything. At some po

Persuadable leaders understand they are limited by their own biases and therefore frequently seek out the opinions of others.

making the choice that matches your interests and values at the highest level of reflection, regardless of external influence and norms, is the true mark of self-determination.

2012 movie Lincoln