We as a society, overvalue unimportant things and undervalue the ideas that make a real difference. Here are a few common beliefs that I think we often get wrong.

1.) Overrated: Busy

Underrated: Do One Thing At A Time; Being in motion is not the same thing as taking action. Living in this society, we have fallen into a trap of overwork. We all have mistaken that this activity as an indicator of living an important life. The thought that goes around our minds seems like, “If I’m doing all this work, I must be doing something important.”

2.) Overrated: Avoiding Criticism

Underrated: Unique Ideas; You can be judged in both ways. Either because you created something or got ignored because you left the greatness inside of you. We let our emotions and fears prevent is from sharing our amazing work with others.

3.) Overrated: Motivation

Underrated: Changing the Environment; We believe that motivation is the missing link that will enable us to make a new diet plan or learn something new like an language. Well, we are wrong. Motivation is fickle and it doesn’t last. Studies have shown that motivation has no impact on whether or not people exercised over an two week period. Motivation effects will vanish after a day unless you have a long-term goal. Most of your daily choices are simply a response to the environment and society around you.

4.) Overrated: Watching The News

Underrated: Reading Old Books; Any good book that is more than 10 years old is filled with life-changing ideas. Why? Because any lasting book must be filled with ideas that stand the test of time. On the other hand, the news is filled with fleeting information. We think paying attention to the media makes us informed. However, being informed is useless when most of the information will be unimportant tomorrow. The news is basically a television show and their goal it to make you keep watching. The news is not to deliver the most accurate version of reality.

5.) Overrated: Leadership

Underrated: Better Teammate; We all want to be recognized, acknowledged, and praised. It’s too bad all of those make for hollow leaders. Great teams requires great teammates. Being the better teammate is the best leader. No leaders ever became worse by thinking about their teammates more.