When you think of the word misfit, what images come to mind? The image is probably negative, because who in the world would want to be called a misfit? Right? In the book, The Misfit Economy by Alexa Clay and Kyra Maya Phillips, they present the stories of ‘misfits’ so that we can learn many lessons from them in the way they present and conduct themselves.
“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” Rob Siltanen
NOTE: This quote is often attributed to Steve Jobs
In a hurry? Looking for unusual, but workable ideas for your business?
Below, you’ll find my thoughts on what I found important in The Misfit Economy
by Alexa Clay and Kyra Maya Phillips. It’s worth noting that the book gets a 3.3 rating on Amazon. But I do not read books the way that the typical person reads a book. I’m always looking for ideas that I can immediately apply. Oftentimes, the things I consider important, are not necessarily the things that a typical person would pay attention to. If I spend $30 on a book, and I pick up one idea that I can use, I’m happy.
Initial Thoughts on The Misfit Economy by Alexa Clay and Kyra Maya Phillips
When I read the first page or so of The Misfit Economy by Alexa Clay and Kyra Maya Phillips, I was annoyed because I thought the authors were condoning those who hurt others. I learned about the Somali Pirates, and I wasn’t impressed. But the authors weren’t condoning wrong actions at all. That’s why it's so important not to jump to conclusions. It turns out that I enjoyed the book and got quite a lot out of it. The authors studied the people, who society deemed as pirates, hackers, gangsters, and informal entrepreneurs to glean lessons in creativity and success.
Although some of these misfits are on the wrong side of the fence, when it comes to gainful employment, they take their endeavors seriously. And they often approach things with a business perspective, and that’s why some of them have attained success. With this lens, Alexa Clay and Kyra Maya Phillips, approach their work, so the reader can learn lessons that they can immediately apply to work and life.
5 Big Ideas from The Misfit Economy
- Proactively create your own opportunities rather than waiting for opportunities to come to you.
- Bring skills and competencies from one area to another. Borrow from one area to bring a new perspective to the next.
- Use everything at your disposal to achieve your goals. Use all the tools you have access to.
- You need to understand the rules first before you break them or pioneer something.
- Create conditions for a new conversation to take place.
What is The Misfit Economy About?
In The Misfit Economy, the authors spent a considerable amount of time talking to and studying, those who society often deems as misfits.
Definition of a Misfit
“Person whose behavior or attitude sets them apart from others in an uncomfortably conspicuous way.”
The book was an eye-opening experience for me, and I learned quite a bit. I read The Misfit Economy by Alexa Clay and Kyra Maya Phillips in December 2015, when I started participating in the Read the World Extreme Reading Challenge. And now that I have re-read my notes, so that I can share my thoughts with you, I’m being reminded of things I can do. Surprisingly enough, or not so surprising, because I previously reviewed my notes, I automatically applied some of the information without even realizing it. And that’s a good thing.
Now that you know who a misfit is, a good place to start is to get an understanding of what motivates them. Why do they do the things they do?
What Motivates Misfits
- Recognition from peers
- Financial gain
- Creative expression
- Need to fix a problem
- Steady mastery of a craft or skill
- Urge to protect and defend community
- Thrill of getting away with something
When you think about it, looking at the above list, most of the items on the list will resonate with the typical person. Most of us want recognition for our work. We want to creatively solve problems. We want to earn a living, so that we can enjoy life, as well as help others, who are unable to help themselves.
There are five principles that you can use to harness your inner misfit to achieve great results in a variety of areas in your life.
5 Principles Unleashing the Inner Misfit
- Hustle
- Copy
- Hack
- Provoke
- Pivot
Elements of Hustling
These are the traits of someone who knows how to hustle. People who have scant resources, often know how to do the following things.
- Move fast
- Make something out of nothing.
- Trade one thing for another
- Proactively create your own opportunities rather than waiting for opportunities to come to you
- Resourceful
- Resilient
- Frugal
- Opportunity driven
- Doing a lot with a little
- Use whatever you have access to, to achieve your goals
- Bring skills and competencies from area to another
- Make useful and valuable connections
How to hustle: When you spot an idea, run with it. Find ways to use whatever life throws your way. It’s often been said that there is an accompanying opportunity with every adversity.
Elements of Copying
Copy doesn’t mean stealing other people’s work and not giving credit. It’s about building on the work of others. For example, Hermann von Helmholtz created a creativity model. Graham Wallas took that model and built on it. Then James Webb Young built on what Graham Wallas did. Copying is about standing on the shoulders of giants, so you can see further down the road.
Why copy?
- Build upon what’s already been built
- Improve on what exists
- Share information
- Can’t keep up without open exchange
An example of copying is a mash-up, which is combining elements from different places in a unique way. The Strategic Reading Challenge is another form of copying – it’s taking the idea of a reading challenge and combining it with the skills you need to learn for future jobs reported by the World Economic Forum – to come up with something innovative.
Join the Strategic Reading Challenge!
Elements of Hacking
- Get to know a system to take it apart.
- Understand the system to reinvent it.
- Take something apart to understand the weaknesses, then use the knowledge gained to build something stronger.
Why Hack?
- Problem-based work
- Culture of openness and transparency
- Reputational and peer based accountability
- Permission to act on new opportunity
How to hack: Look at a process, service, or even a product. Break it apart to understand how it works. If you removed elements, would it work better? If you added an element, would it work better?
Have you read?
Tips for Taking Good Notes, an Example (This is about the ideas in Gaming to Innovate in terms of breaking things apart to make them better)
Elements of Provoking
Provoke is to arouse, or stir up feelings, desires and reactions. Provacateurs teach us not to compromise our values, vision or purpose.
- Step out of reality to imagine something different.
- Poke and prod business as usual to get others to wake up to different possibilities.
- Create conditions for a new conversation to take place.
- Harness your own self-expression to take a stand and shake up the status quo.
- Provoke the public imagination.
- How do you redefine assumptions to ignore the status quo about the way that things have always been done?
- Don’t be afraid to ask why.
An example of provoke is the Strategic Reading Challenge. One of its objectives is to create conditions for a new conversation to take place about cultural awareness. Reading global literature allows us to become more open-minded about global cultures to develop intercultural understanding. It also allows us to look at gender and generational diversity.
How to provoke: Take responsibility for your learning and development. Co-learn with others. And become more autonomous and self-reliant. Another way to learn how to provoke is by reading science fiction. This helps you to step outside of reality to imagine something different. And always ask why? When you read thoughtfully, and ask the right questions, you pave the way for transformation to take place.
Homework:
Read Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson. If you enjoyed the essay, consider reading all his essays.
Read the novel, Game Changer
by Douglas E. Richard, which introduces you to the concept of Matrix Learning.
Have you read?
Matrix Learning: When Science Fiction Collides with Real Life
Elements of Pivoting
- Have the courage to pursue a new path even in the face of self-doubt.
- Transform self by stepping into the great unknown.
- Question what you think you know.
How to pivot: Can’t be business as usual. Have the courage to make a change even if you’re scared of the unknown. How can you pivot from something you enjoy doing? For instance, I love to read, and I love to update my skills. A pivot is the Strategic Reading Challenge which ups the level of my reading while I am learning new skills and reading more books that force me to question my beliefs.
Final Thoughts on The Misfit Economy by Alexa Clay and Kyra Maya Phillips
Reading The Misfit Economy
by Alexa Clay and Kyra Maya Phillips worked for me because it gave me a new set of lens to look at work and life. I loved learning about the five principles to unleash your inner misfit. In a time of great uncertainty, with unprecedented change taking place, there is room for us to practice the five principles. And these days, your success depends on your own resourcefulness.
The Misfit Economy
Game ChangerSelf-Reliance and Other Essays
If someone clicks on a link and buys something from Amazon, the company will pay me a small commission. First published December 2016
