Ignoring advice

“It is just this ability to stand alone, and not feel guilty or harassed about it, of which the average person is incapable.”

– Henry Miller, “Wisdom of the Heart“

In photography and knowledge work, such as academic research, as well as in  martial arts, feedback from others (mentors and teachers, friends and family, peers, training partners, models, audience) can be tremendously useful and can save enormous amounts of trial and error, which ultimately translates to time. However, if the goal is excellence, the actions must, at some point diverge from the those of the majority of other people. This not being different for the sake of being different, although there is some value in that too, especially for artists. Instead, it is a function of confidence that is earned through humble practice.

I come across this concept of balance between receiving advice and ignoring it all the time, often through my work on the editorial board of a scientific journal. Recently, the same idea came up in an interview that I listened to during random fragments of time last week. Dr. Peter Diamandis, who has been named one of “the world’s 50 greatest leaders” by Fortune Magazine and who wrote several influential books, including “Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World,” commented on the common traits of the illustrious modern entrepreneurs that he had an opportunity to work with, such as Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos and Larry Page. He pointed out, that despite their very different backgrounds and personalities, these people have a common tendency to “think on their own.” They built their successes by being themselves rather than emulating someone else.

I am wondering if this self-confidence is a inherent trait or a product of environment and practice. In other words, can nurture help nature in developing this ability to think and act truly independently of the opinion of the majority? If the answer is positive, as I suspect it is, an even more interesting question would be whether the majority (or indeed, everyone) has the ability or should practice this skill. Wouldn’t it re-define what “majority” is, if everyone becomes an exception?