Comments on: Thinking Outside ‘Outside the Box’ http://www.ryanholiday.net/thinking-outside-outside-the-box/ Meditations on strategy and life Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:06:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: chris http://www.ryanholiday.net/thinking-outside-outside-the-box/#comment-9448 chris Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:21:33 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/thinking-outside-outside-the-box/#comment-9448 "Centralized will never beat decentralized" Surely the quality of execution of the stratgey is the deciding factor. A poorly executed decentralised insurrgency will never beat a brilliant centralised counter insurrgency. “Centralized will never beat decentralized”

Surely the quality of execution of the stratgey is the deciding factor. A poorly executed decentralised insurrgency will never beat a brilliant centralised counter insurrgency.

]]> By: Ryan Holiday http://www.ryanholiday.net/thinking-outside-outside-the-box/#comment-9447 Ryan Holiday Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:31:00 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/thinking-outside-outside-the-box/#comment-9447 I don't want to say that it's easy, but it is. Every week we have a staff meeting for Rudius and we toss around more ideas like that than we have time to do or work on. I don’t want to say that it’s easy, but it is. Every week we have a staff meeting for Rudius and we toss around more ideas like that than we have time to do or work on.

]]> By: Newshoes http://www.ryanholiday.net/thinking-outside-outside-the-box/#comment-9446 Newshoes Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:44:44 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/thinking-outside-outside-the-box/#comment-9446 Funny that you post this now, or perhaps more accurately: funny that I believe that I understand your point a bit more now. Through an analogy related to personal experience, that is. At the moment I'm studying product-life-cycles, and the need for something new to make money with as the demand for a product goes into decline and dies. And as you said: the potential just seems a lot better when you come up with something completely new instead of an "innovation" of the prior product. But thinking outside of the box seems to have become so rare... Funny that you post this now, or perhaps more accurately: funny that I believe that I understand your point a bit more now.

Through an analogy related to personal experience, that is.

At the moment I’m studying product-life-cycles, and the need for something new to make money with as the demand for a product goes into decline and dies.

And as you said: the potential just seems a lot better when you come up with something completely new instead of an “innovation” of the prior product.

But thinking outside of the box seems to have become so rare…

]]> By: Ryan Holiday http://www.ryanholiday.net/thinking-outside-outside-the-box/#comment-9445 Ryan Holiday Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:00:44 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/thinking-outside-outside-the-box/#comment-9445 It's not so much about clicking as it is practice. Robert's books are filled with examples of people thinking outside the box, especially in the red margins. The biggest part is being around people who challenge your thinking. That's what Tucker is really good at--he forces you to raise your game and then gives you the freedom to fuck around (on his dime) until you sharpen. It’s not so much about clicking as it is practice. Robert’s books are filled with examples of people thinking outside the box, especially in the red margins. The biggest part is being around people who challenge your thinking. That’s what Tucker is really good at–he forces you to raise your game and then gives you the freedom to fuck around (on his dime) until you sharpen.

]]> By: Ilan Bouchard http://www.ryanholiday.net/thinking-outside-outside-the-box/#comment-9444 Ilan Bouchard Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:05:08 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/thinking-outside-outside-the-box/#comment-9444 Ryan: This will seem to be an overly simple question, but it's not: How do you think "outside 'outside the box'"? The problem I have is that even after elevating my thought process considerably (though I am nowhere close to where I want to be), I am still thinking in terms of "the box." I'm not talking about entrenched strategy, here. I mean, how do you develop that higher level of thinking? I know despite any progress I've made over the years that I'm still lacking originality, in its essence. Does something just click, at some point? Is it a gradual shift, with gray areas in between? It's still beyond me. Ryan:

This will seem to be an overly simple question, but it’s not: How do you think “outside ‘outside the box’”? The problem I have is that even after elevating my thought process considerably (though I am nowhere close to where I want to be), I am still thinking in terms of “the box.”

I’m not talking about entrenched strategy, here. I mean, how do you develop that higher level of thinking? I know despite any progress I’ve made over the years that I’m still lacking originality, in its essence. Does something just click, at some point? Is it a gradual shift, with gray areas in between?

It’s still beyond me.

]]> By: amphibian http://www.ryanholiday.net/thinking-outside-outside-the-box/#comment-9443 amphibian Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:30:28 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/thinking-outside-outside-the-box/#comment-9443 Ted, it's easy to deal with being bigger, faster, stronger or smarter than those your age: just go find new peers. Usually they'll be older and more experienced, which forces you to raise your game still farther. The drive for self-improvement doesn't let me spend much time thinking things like "I am awesome compared to this dude my age." Also, we only see what Ryan puts up here and thus miss out on his (increasingly rare) lazy or flippant moments. Just like Max isn't Caligula all the time, Ryan isn't Marcus Aurelius 24/7. Back to the post: It wouldn't be feasible to get a terrorist Hamsterdam going, would it? Ted, it’s easy to deal with being bigger, faster, stronger or smarter than those your age: just go find new peers. Usually they’ll be older and more experienced, which forces you to raise your game still farther.

The drive for self-improvement doesn’t let me spend much time thinking things like “I am awesome compared to this dude my age.”

Also, we only see what Ryan puts up here and thus miss out on his (increasingly rare) lazy or flippant moments. Just like Max isn’t Caligula all the time, Ryan isn’t Marcus Aurelius 24/7.

Back to the post: It wouldn’t be feasible to get a terrorist Hamsterdam going, would it?

]]> By: Ted http://www.ryanholiday.net/thinking-outside-outside-the-box/#comment-9442 Ted Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:41:43 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/thinking-outside-outside-the-box/#comment-9442 This isn't in direct response to the content of this post, but a general question about you. How do you deal with being so much stronger than your peers? How have you dealt with having goals that are so much different than those of the people you grew up with or met in college? I realize that you are focusing on showing your intellectual development and how you are applying it to the world, but insight into how a real person deals with developing this fast would be very interesting. This is especially true since I think most of your readers, like me, are young guys interested in doing our best in our own ways. How do you keep a sense of humor? How, if ever, do you just waste time? It's funny how I, and I'd venture most people my age, can't even fathom how being focused and serious is possible. This isn’t in direct response to the content of this post, but a general question about you. How do you deal with being so much stronger than your peers? How have you dealt with having goals that are so much different than those of the people you grew up with or met in college? I realize that you are focusing on showing your intellectual development and how you are applying it to the world, but insight into how a real person deals with developing this fast would be very interesting. This is especially true since I think most of your readers, like me, are young guys interested in doing our best in our own ways. How do you keep a sense of humor? How, if ever, do you just waste time? It’s funny how I, and I’d venture most people my age, can’t even fathom how being focused and serious is possible.

]]>