Theory 2 Action Podcast
Theory 2 Action Podcast
MM#423--How Successful People Think, pt. 2
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Have you ever stayed silent when something didn't seem right, just to avoid rocking the boat? Our latest Mojo Minute explores this universal tendency through a captivating story about a high school physics class, a covered telescope, and thirty-nine students who claimed to see planets that couldn't possibly be visible.
This short but powerful episode unpacks a lesson from John Maxwell's "How Successful People Think" that perfectly illustrates how social conformity can blind us to obvious truths. When a physics teacher set up a telescope for students to observe planets, student after student pretended to see celestial bodies despite the lens cap remaining on the telescope! Only the second-to-last student had the courage to speak up about seeing nothing but darkness. This simple act of honesty revealed what now seems obvious - nobody could have seen anything at all.
The courage to question, to seek clarity, and to speak up when something doesn't add up isn't about being difficult or contrarian. It's about approaching life with genuine curiosity and a sincere desire to understand. We explore how asking questions with the right tone and attitude can transform our relationships, deepen our understanding, and ultimately lead to a more flourishing life. When we break free from the pressure to go along with popular consensus and instead pursue authentic understanding, we often discover truths that have been hiding in plain sight.
Key Points from the Episode:
We explore how courage in questioning conventional wisdom leads to a flourishing life through a powerful story about a telescope demonstration gone wrong.
• Professor Benno Mueller Hill's high school physics class telescope story where 39 students pretended to see planets despite the lens cap being on
• How we often "go along to get along" instead of speaking up when something doesn't seem right
• The importance of asking clarifying questions with genuine curiosity rather than to win arguments
• Why questions asked with the right tone and sincere attitude can lead to better understanding
• Commitment to asking good questions as a path to creating a flourishing life
Other resources:
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Welcome to the Theory to Action podcast, where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time, to help you take action immediately and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life. Now here's your host, david Kaiser.
Speaker 2:Hello, I am David and welcome back to another Mojo Minute. As is our custom, let's begin with our first pull quote. Benno Mueller Hill, a professor at the University of Cologne's A professor at the University of Cologne's genetics department, tells how one morning in high school he stood last in a line of 40 students in the schoolyard. His physics teacher had set up a telescope so that his students could view a planet and its moons. The first student stepped up to the telescope. He looked through it, but when the teacher asked if he could see anything, the boy said no, his nearsightedness hampered his view. The teacher showed him how to adjust the focus and finally the boy said he could see the planets and the moons. One by one, the students stepped up to the telescope and they saw what they were supposed to see. Finally, the second to last student looked into the telescope and announced that he could not see anything. You idiot, shouted the teacher. You have to adjust the lenses. The student tried, but he finally said I still can't see anything. It's all black. The teacher, disgusted, looked through the telescope himself and then looked up with a strange expression the lens cap still covered the telescope. None of the students had been able to see anything.
Speaker 2:And that great quote and story comes to us from the same book that we mined our nuggets of wisdom from last time, how Successful People Think, by John Maxwell. How often do we go along to get along with what the world is seeing just because they say it is so, with what the world is seeing just because they say it is so? How often do we ask the questions to clarify, to understand better, to figure out where people are coming from? I would suggest too often we lack the courage to even speak up, like this second-to-last student did. I can't still see anything. It's all black, is what he said.
Speaker 2:So in today's super quick Mojo Minute, let us resolve to live a flourishing life, that we will ask questions, the questions that are needed, the questions to understand, the questions to clarify. Questions to understand the questions to clarify, not to be pesky but not to assume and to pull apart better, to understand a person's direction of thought, not to be snarky, not to win the argument, but with a tone that is welcoming, with a sincere desire to know the real answer of their thoughts and, again, their direction of thinking. If we ask good questions with a sincere and genuine attitude, just like the student. Perhaps too many people before us have gone along to get along without offering any questions. If we ask the good questions again with that sincere, genuine heart and attitude, then then, my friends, we will be on the road to a flourishing life. As always, keep fighting the good fight.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoyed this Theory to Action podcast. Be sure to check out our show page at teammojoacademycom, where we have everything we discussed in this podcast, as well as other great resources. Until next time, keep getting your mojo on, thank you.