• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Adam Kirk Smith

- A. Smith Blog - Leadership in Life

  • About Adam
  • The Bravest You
  • Blog
    • Leadership
      • Creativity
    • Communication
    • Relationships
    • Focus
  • Podcasts & Video
    • Podcast: Live Life with Purpose
    • Podcast: Ideas with Adam Smith
    • asmithvideo
  • Coaching & Consulting
  • Speaking

Glenn Brooke | February 24, 2017 | Leave a Comment

Goofy Things We Used to Believe

My mother didn’t like milk as a child. Her dad (my grandfather) would say, “Donna, drink your milk. Puts hair on your chest.” She thought this was great and would drink her milk. She used the same approach on my little sister. 

This same man once told me about food colors. “See all those colors on your plate? Do you see those same colors in your poop and pee? No? That’s because those colors don’t come out. When you start to fill up you get old and wrinkly like me, and when you’re completely full of colors you die.”

I believed that until I was about 10 years old. I wasn’t very good at understanding jokes.

We used to believe illness was caused by bad “humours” in the blood (so we bled people), that butter was good for burns, that heroin was good for skin conditions, and a whole host of shockingly untrue things about medical treatments.

What about “management” and “leadership” mantras? Any goofiness there?

We used to believe that only men could be effective leaders. Common convention for thousands of years was that people from some families were inherently smarter and more gifted to rule than others.

We used to believe that workers must absolutely be told what to do and how to do it. Good ideas only came from the senior leaders. We almost always believed that it was the worker’s fault rather than the leader’s poor decision-making.

We used to believe that people were “set” after about 8-12 years old and couldn’t change. We used to believe that the past forever dictated their future options.

Review your beliefs and make sure you aren’t clinging to any goofy ideas. 

Related Articles:

  • Motive Matters
  • Add Value
  • Books I’m Listening To…

Filed Under: Leadership

Glenn Brooke

Glenn considers leadership a craft which requires dedicated pursuit. The apprentice model (instruction + practice + associating with other craftsmen) is the time-tested way to foster the next generation of leaders. Real leaders never stop working on their craft; there are only new levels of mastery ahead. Learn more at leadershipcraft.com.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About

Hi, my name is Adam Smith and welcome to asmithblog.com. I am the author of the new book, The Bravest You. Because of my work as an entrepreneur, consultant, writer, and speaker, I have been named a top industry influencer by American Genius. I live with my wife, Jasmine, and three children in Shenandoah, IA.

[Read More…]

The Bravest You by Adam Kirk Smith

Podcast: Ideas

Ideas with Adam Smith Logo

Podcast: Live Life with Purpose

Life With Purpose Podcast Icon

Youtube: ASmithVideo

asmithvideo icon

Latest Posts

  • Add Value
  • Books I’m Listening To…
  • Motive Matters
  • Books and Other Stuff
  • Close Listening & Other Customer Service Strategies

Adam Smith · Leadership in Life · asmithblog.com © 2023 · Adam Kirk Smith's blog on leadership, relationships, communication, creativity, and focus.