Insight #76
“Come on, help me! Where do I change my default settings?” (Created with Microsoft Copilot). . .
I remember my childhood friends arguing the merits of a car simply because “My dad drives one!” That morphed into voting for a certain political party because “My dad votes for them.” That was in South Africa in the 1960s.
When I moved to the USA, I expected to find a more mature society. And I did. Mostly. But I also found surprising pockets of “My dad always says… My grandpa always did…” reasoning.
Then I realized two things. People are actually very similar, irrespective of what land mass supports them. And we all start life with a default setting.
So, tell me, what is your default setting?
Don’t look so offended. We all have default settings. What matters is whether you have changed yours.
Manufacturers create basic settings for their products so that we can use a device out of the box. These common settings are not necessarily the most effective. To get the most out of the device, you should modify these settings according to your needs or environment.
We inherit our default settings from our parents. During our formative years, caregivers and teachers fiddle with these settings. Later on, bosses manipulate these settings to make us more productive at work.
Eventually, you will reach a stage when your settings will be inappropriate for your current situation. As your life spins out of control, will you again allow others to fiddle with your settings?
Don’t! By now you know which settings are right for you. So don’t revert to your defaults.
But can we really change our default settings? Well, consider this. If we could not, then there would not be so many foreign cars in the USA. Surprise, surprise, your father’s car is no longer your automatic choice.
Here’s a default thinking worth keeping: Default settings get you going. They don’t get you soaring.
Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.
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