Card #88 – ”Use Your Shield”

Card #88 – ”Use Your Shield” from the Creative Whack Pack

Available on the iOS App Store and as a physical deck of cards

“The only person who likes change is a wet baby,” observes educator Roy Blitzer.

Two basic rules of life are:

1) Change is inevitable; and,

2) Everybody resists change.

New ideas can be threatening, and they often provoke a negative reaction.

For example, when the composer Stravinsky first presented his Rite of Spring ballet with its unusual harmonies and primitive rhythms, he was met with a rioting audience.

When the mathematician Johannes Kepler correctly solved the orbital problem of the planets by using ellipses rather than circles, he was denounced.

Many people will want to take a shot at your idea. You’ll hear comments like:


“It’s too radical.”

“It’s contrary to policy.”

“It’s impractical.”

“We don’t have time.”

“We couldn’t market it.”


Maybe they’re right.

Maybe your idea is half-baked. Indeed, one of the best things you can receive is good criticism. However, often times people will shoot down ideas either because they feel threatened by them, or because they are too lazy to look for their merits.

Be prepared for such a reaction and don’t let it prevent you from acting on your idea. As German statesman Konrad Adenauer put it, “A thick skin is a gift from God.”

— What negative reaction do you expect?

— How can you deflect it?

— How strong is your shield?

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