Observing Life

On a recent episode of The Adam Carolla Show, host Adam Carolla asked guest Neil  deGrasse Tyson what really elevated his status to the point where he is today. Tyson shared that his notoriety really began to take off when he began sharing what he deemed to be simple observations in every day life. The specific example he used was the fact that you can buy guns at a Walmart but cannot by a profanity-laced music album. It was observations like these shared on Twitter that sparked wars between other Twitter users and thus caused him to become famous for making such observations.

Tyson isn't the only person to note this, too. In almost every interview I've watched with Seth Godin, he responds that his prime occupation in life is observing things and making notes about them. And if my memory serves me correctly, Jerry Seinfeld has attributed a lot of his comedy from observing minute and peculiar life events.

So apparently, there's something important about this observation business.

A slight confession: I've naturally always been aware of this, but it's only recently that I've heard more and more from other public figures how important this is. I hate to write about things that only relate to me, so I'm glad to find I'm not alone!

I genuinely can't recall how this came to be, for myself. I suppose it's because I've relentlessly pursued truth in my life, especially in terms of faith. Never wanting to settle for the "easy answer", I have always pushed myself to keep asking more questions, and more questions require more observations.

Anyway, I really think there is something to this observation business, especially for business. There are several ways in which we can observe things, including...

- The behavioral tendencies of our coworkers
- How well a product or service performs compared to competitors
- Data analytics
- Process timings and value
- Pretty much everything, really!

So what's the first step to observation? You might not be surprised at the answer. It's the same one I've given across other posts multiple times.

Admit to yourself that you cannot possibly know everything, nor can anybody else possibly know everything.

If we begin with that mindset, then that open our minds to new possibilities. New possibilities lead to better outcomes. And better outcomes are something we all strive for, right?

Keep your eyes and ears open all the time. Watch for subtle nuances. The way somebody moves. The inflection in somebody's voice. You may garner a whole new understanding of something that had never occurred to you before.