Contrary, Curious or Bored?

A few of you might have noticed a little post I pushed out yesterday titled Do Not Read!.  To a large extent I was exploring the curiosity we have when we notice a new blog post is published.  I was also perhaps mischievously seeing what would happen…

Would people read a post clearly marked “do not read”?  Of course!

Would people reflect on the curiosity that led them to read the post?  Maybe…

Would people share their curiosity? Not really.

Would people walk away realising that they’d wasted their time and it wasn’t a post that they wanted to read? Possibly!

So far, 20 or so people have read the post in nearly 24 hours with some lovely support on Twitter & LinkedIn.  I wasn’t quite sure what would happen but it’s enough of a sample size for me to reflect a little and share some thoughts.

People are Contrary

Like it or not, some people won’t do as you ask them.  In fact, they may even relish doing exactly the opposite of what they are told! Sometimes it’s fun, useful & friendly – see the comment from @DougShaw1. Other times their silence can be seen as a form of contrariness! We end up deliberately taking a position that we think makes us different and the potential for collaboration suffers…

People are Curious

Like it or not, some people are very curious. In fact, they may even relish being curious when there’s no obvious purpose or gain, or even when they have something better to be doing! Sometimes it’s fun, useful & friendly – the conversation on Twitter last night related to this post showed some of this. Other times though we don’t know what we’re looking for or why we’re spending time being curious. We end up wasting time or poking our noses in places they don’t need to be…

People get Bored

Like it or not, people get bored. In fact, they’ll do anything to avoid doing what ever it is they need or should really be doing. We all have days like that and sometimes a distraction can be useful. Other times though we keep distracting ourselves with something more interesting. We don’t do what we need to do promptly and to the best of our abilities and so to some extent fail…

My learning?

Funnily, a slightly mischievous post has surfaced some key things for me…

  • Create a difference. Embrace your curiosity. Recognise when you’re bored.
  • Understand your behaviour and why you are doing what you are doing. Have fun!
  • Don’t ever let collaboration suffer.
  • Don’t waste time poking your nose where it doesn’t need to be.
  • Don’t let your performance suffer because you’re bored. You’re better than that.  Get on or get out.

Perhaps as a final reflection, when blogging don’t be afraid to go with your “gut” and have some fun.  Something good always comes of it!


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