Last week, I was described as being a ‘Maverick’ by UK Health Radio, I was introduced onto the show as being a maverick and they tweeted the same about me once the show had gone live:
Much of my stance on the field of hypnotherapy was considered maverick by the show’s host (the very lovely Chris Williams, a real gent), my evidence based stance that is. On the show I spoke on themes that are very different to the previous guests that they had had on the show, I refuted much of the typical ‘received wisdom’ type of spiel that people usually rehash and spew out when explaining hypnosis, and spoke about how academics and researchers tend to oppose much of the typical stance of frontline hypnotherapists.
I tweeted back that I thought I was more ‘responsible’ or ‘sensible’ as a result of adhering to evidence based principles in my work, but I guess that would not have made for a sexy headline looking to attract listeners to their show.
I wanted to be sure that I understood what maverick meant too, so I looked it up and a typical definition is along the lines of this;
noun
1.an unorthodox or independent-minded person.
“he’s the maverick of the senate”
synonyms: individualist, nonconformist, free spirit, unorthodox person, unconventional person, original, trendsetter, bohemian, eccentric, outsider.
Therefore, I eased up about the fact that I was being labelled as a maverick because given the definition, it is probably true. It is not just my adherence to evidence base that makes me a maverick according to this definition, I think those that ever experience me present, teach or lecture also recognise that I am unlike my professional peers in a number of ways and it really got me thinking.
My previous two blog posts here have been related to the UK Hypnosis Convention that occurred last week. The more popular and successful hypnotherapists and hypnosis trainers all had this in common, that of being a maverick to a certain extent. They all were individualist and unconventional people that stand out, and let’s be honest, this does not just apply to the field of hypnotherapy (which some might consider to be a maverick field!) but to pretty much any field – just look at the wealthiest people, world innovators, stars of the arts, leaders in fields and all those way beyond those categories.
No matter how well our lives may be going, many of us seem to be at our wit’s end when it comes to attaining that next level of success, but I believe that there is a solution to this challenge. Whether we want to improve our relationships, personal development, emotional well-being, health or career ambitions, we so often find that we’re our own greatest enemies.
The real entrepreneurs are not just “doers”, they are the creative thinkers, barnstormers, innovators and relentlessly curious folk who have a vision of a better world, a better experience and have a realistic view of the acceleration of the future.
So, let’s take a look at what a Maverick is, how to be one and what their traits are in order that we can all apply the maverick mindset to what we do and excel as a result. Being maverick is not an inherent thing, like most of what I write about, it can be learned and developed. Don’t take it from me, take it from one of the world’s most auspicious mavericks;
“There’s no talent here, this is hard work. This is an obsession. Talent does not exist. We are all equals as human beings. You could be anyone if you put in the time. You will reach the top, and that’s that. I am not talented. I am obsessed.” – Conor McGregor
Intrinsic Motivation:
Mavericks have intrinsic motivation to think about ideas, the future and are insatiably curious and always thinking about their next invention, story, trend, idea, vision, project. They do not seek the reward, brainstorming is native to these people.
They are not success-driven, instead driven by internal motives of their own. Contributing to humanity, driving change in the world, and other meta values are a common theme.
Whatever you do, think about finding your purpose and letting it drive what you do. Read this article to help with that:
What Is Your Life Purpose? 5 Ways To Discover It Today.
They Produce; Prolifically:
A maverick takes the time to brainstorm 1000 ideas to a pain point or a trend, just to come up with one good idea. Their mind generates spontaneously, with an intensity. You can tell them apart by how much they produce in terms of ideation and will tend to be prolific.
Spend time being creative and finding ways to advance your creativity and spend time brainstorming. Then disseminate what you do and share your work with the world. When you look at mavericks, also look at their output – it is usually prolific and contains much that is ordinary as well as that which is incredible. Read these articles to help advance creativity:
Be More Creative and Enhance Your Creativity With Self-hypnosis.
Ways To Increase Your Creativity Today.
A maverick often neglects other parts of his/her life and molds their lifestyle according to their passion. It’s not to say they are necessarily “workaholic”, it’s simply what they love to do, what they feel they were born to do. It’s in their blood and permeates their ideation, motivation and even their leisure activities. They work with purpose and towards a vision that drives them.
Using words like ‘sacrifice’ or ‘neglect’ is probably misleading here, because a maverick is unlikely to consider them actual sacrifices and more like priorities or things they are focused on.
They Inspire and Engage the Imagination:
Whether their background is as a scientist, an academic, a journalist, an artist or an actual inventor; a maverick conjures possibilities, intangibles, are the epitome of the human imagination and much of it’s potential. They can be sometimes obsessed with providing solution to some of life’s biggest issues or problems.
In what ways can you start inspiring the imagination of those that you encounter each day?
They are Highly Observant:
A maverick has skills for reading, research, digital layers and even their ability to read people, situations and office politics may be well above average. The world is an original thinker’s oyster and they recognise that there is too much beauty in the world for us to recognise and too much truth in reality to know anything. The innovative thinker sometimes has a peculiar power of observation, even if they do not appear to be so.
Importantly, they are present, mindful, aware of what is going on around them and pay attention to the world.
Highly Associative:
The maverick sees connections between things most people do not, they make connections more frequently than others, in ways that some might consider intuitive or instinctive. Their wealth of ideas makes them more playful, less serious sometimes and even more on the edge between faction and fiction. Their brain self-rewards when they get close to an “innovative space,” like a meditation on creativity. Have a read of these, articles to introduce more joy and playfulness into your life:
How and Why You Need To Be More Playful and Childlike.
The Science of Laughter: Why Laughing is Really Good for Your Health.
They are Insatiably Curious:
A maverick is curious. Their perseverance in the pursuit of knowledge, self-improvement and learning more is peerless. As a result, these people are often highly project driven and can sometimes master subjects, topics or projects at hyper-speed, as if they bury themselves in their own quantum bubble and do in less time what others might take longer to accomplish. They want to learn more. You can spot these people by their hunger-like curiosity.
Get curious about more of your life and world.
They Learn from People:
A maverick has an innate ability to listen actively and attentively and often try to learn something from everyone they meet. They are typically not great fans of their own voices (though many are comfortable within themselves, of course), but truly know how to listen and recognise that each person brings another frame of reference to a problem, situation or goal that is potentially very valuable. Some mavericks make the best facilitators you may have noticed and a 1:1 with them can change your life. When you talk with them you feel space to retell your own self-narrative in a fresh invigorating way.
You can recognise these people through their combination of IQ and emotional intelligence and their genuine caring for the empowerment of others. While they can be obsessive, many originals have values that necessitate that they are highly collaborative, excel at finding the original contribution of others to joint issues.
Continue learning from everyone you meet wherever possible – hypnotherapists, for example, see lots of people each and every day and have a unique opportunity to learn from every client they work in particular!
Turbulent Ambition:
According to a Norwegian study back in 2013, maverick people often have a peculiar mix of ambition, need for status and emotional instability. What you might call, the artistic personality. They dream big but can be experts in failure due to their sometimes less than stellar emotional intelligence. Their own excessive self-doubt, fear, and peculiar relationship with failure may lead to them being more determined, creative and find variables to make their dreams a reality.
They key is they can transform the experience of failure into opportunity, they are alchemists of the eccentric misfits of their own ideas with a dogged reality that simply won’t budge. The come to recognize the sweet spots where their contributions can “fit” with environments, the right people, mentors, fraternity, timing, etc… Read this article for more on this:
How To Learn From Failure.
Cognitive Enthusiasm:
According to renowned psychologist Csikszentmihalyi, creative people can work long hours while projecting a peculiar focused enthusiasm, concentration, and naivety to the obstacles that stand in the way of the manifestation of their ideas.
We might call this cognitive gestation, which truly is a visionary quality of work. In that, they combine playfulness with resolution, flexibility with the relentless pursuit of their goals we’ve come to associate with entrepreneurs.
We are all endowed with the ability to achieve success in any facet of our lives; success is framed within the definition of the analytical tools and emotional disciplines necessary to champion your life forward. We need to act on these disciplines daily. Doing so will irrevocably change your world.
Perhaps consider how to be a bit more maverick in your personal and professional life in order to achieve more of what you want in life, I think you’ll be pleased you did.
Have some of themes here resonated with you? Then have a read of these pages:
1. Do you need help or support in a particular area of your life?
Coaching with Adam Eason Or Hypnotherapy with Adam Eason
2. Would you like a satisfying and meaningful career as a hypnotherapist helping others? Are you a hypnotherapist looking for stimulating and career enhancing continued professional development and advanced studies?
Adam Eason’s Anglo European training college.
3. Are you a hypnotherapist looking to fulfil your ambitions or advance your career?
Hypnotherapist Mentoring with Adam Eason.
Likewise, if you’d like to learn more about self-hypnosis, understand the evidence based principles of it from a scientific perspective and learn how to apply it to many areas of your life while having fun and in a safe environment and have the opportunity to test everything you learn, then come and join me for my one day seminar which does all that and more, have a read here: The Science of Self-Hypnosis Seminar.
