The No.1 Reason Google Must be Your Last Option

In my schooling days, we did not have calculators, let alone computers. Google had not even been invented, until I got to College. There was no Quora, Facebook, Yelp, Trip Advisor, LinkedIn or any other tech-related ‘helper’.

The earliest I got to getting accelerated technology help was with Yahoo!, Chat rooms and Discussion Forums in Internet 1.0.

And then Google came! What a great helper. Today, Google has added so many features and products in their suite that very many hitherto problems and challenges are being solved so naturally, as if we are entitled to these solutions from the start of the world. For example, if you are travelling, you can know exactly how long it will take, you can trace exactly where you are in real-time; you can know the name of the next town, however remote in the world you might be!

The problem

I am afraid that we might be having a problem. Google is not helping in the natural process of making geniuses any more. Let me illustrate with this story. In 2009, I consulted with a large Telecom conglomerate to help them launch a revolutionary product for the very first time. I had worked on a similar project back in Kenya. Part of the preparation involved training. One day, I led a team of mine in training the “Marketing Executives” of that organization on the ins and outs of this new product. As much as I was excited about that training, the Marketing executives brushed me aside rudely, claiming that they did not need that training…that per chance if they encountered a problem in the market, all they would have to do is speed dial someone who knew to bail them out.

I looked rather sheepish and reported the incident later to their boss. But that, ladies and gentlemen, is the exact problem that we are having with people these days. Folks do not want to engage their brains even for a second. Google has become the almighty consultant in all subjects under the sun. In turn, our brains are lying dormant, unused, unchallenged, un-growing, stale, un-creative and downright dull!

The Brain And Genius

The brain is one malleable organ that grows with use. Contrary to popular belief (and even disproved by science), our brain cells do not waste away at 25. We are able to learn new things at ages past 50. Consider the following examples:

• At age 71 an agent turned down Jack Benny thinking he was washed up. Jack found another agent and fulfilled twelve million dollars more in bookings before he died at the age of 81.
• Moses was 80 when he received the Law.
• Aaron was 83 when he began to perform miracles and plagues in Egypt.
• Joshua was 85 when he led Israel into the Promised Land.
• Will Durant sold a series of television programs at the ripe young age of 91.
• Frank Lloyd Wright created the magnificent Guggenheim Museum at 89.
• Colonel Sanders was in his 60’s when he sold his first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise.
• Golda Meir was 71 when she became Prime Minister of Israel.
• George Bernard Shaw was 94 when one of his plays was first produced.
• Benjamin Franklin was a newspaper columnist at 16 and a framer of the United States Constitution when he was 81.

A University of Wisconsin study says that if we are physically well, and keep active as we get older, we can enjoy people, laugh at ourselves, and get as much out of life at 90 as we could when we were 40!

The Difference

But there is a difference here: It will be very interesting to see how millennials turn up when they reach their 60s and 70’s. This is the generation of people who are heavily reliant on “Google” and other technologies that have taken over the functioning of the brains.

In his book, How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day, Micheal J. Gelb gives very interesting insights on critical thinking, innovation, creativity and brain work. There are 7 things that he mentions that will help you cultivate your genius. Hint: Google is not one of them, and what Google does is part of what he recommends to do in that book.

A few weeks ago, I came across an interesting article about a Former Google Career Coach. She has written a powerful book titled, “Pivot:The only Move That Matters is the next one”. Jenny Blake has helped very many people to have better and fulfilling work lives. But listen to what she says about exercising your brain:

Most definitely, I felt thoroughly vindicated to have downloaded this work in my spirit and followed through with its writing.

The 7 ways of cultivating your genius are:

Question: Are there apps that can help you do the above stuff?

There are some Apps that can help you with numbers 5 and 6.

Such an App as Elevate is good.

There is on major app that I recommend its daily use: Your Brain. Or the Mind. Sadly, we are neglecting this great app and running to Google and other Apps, before we can engage it!

Clearly, if you are looking to develop your Genius, then Google should not be your first option! But make no mistake about it: Google is one of the greatest “helpers” technology has ever given us. There is not a single day that passes that I do not “Google” for something…but that is largely because the first App, my Mind, was already engaged.

Pleasant Surprises You Will Encounter

My challenge to you is so simple, but before I can challenge you, let me gleefully report what happened to me several times.

• Some years back, as I passionately wrote a series of articles about the subject of “Goals” on this blog, by sheer serendipity, I made the following statement: “God is a Goal Setter”. It sounded so original with me that I dedicated it as a Title to some of my articles (it could even be a book if I chew on that cud). Days later, I was listening to my mentor, Dr. Mike Murdock teach, and he just said in passing, “God is a Goal Setter!” It was verbatim, word for word with what I had written on my blog earlier. Needless to say, I was pleasantly shocked. We shall learn the lessons from that in a few moments.

• Very recently, as I was meditating about my life, the word “Instinct” was dropped in my spirit so strongly that I started putting thoughts together about it. I came up with 2 articles, only to find out that Bishop TD Jakes himself has videos, teachings and a whole book about that subject! It is like today if you Googled “Instinct”, the first page of results will be occupied by TD Jakes. What surprised me again was how my thoughts and his intersected, and at some instances, word for word! I did not go to his work before I wrote mine, so I can easily claim originality for more than 90% of what I wrote (God being my witness)

• Few days back, a mail from Micheal Hyatt hit my inbox. It was an article written by a contributor to his blog named John Lee Dumas, the creator of Entrepreneur on Fire What got my attention though was the title of the article: “Quick and Practical Steps you can Take to Feel Accomplished Everyday”! Why? Because just a day prior, I had penned an article on my blog titled, “One Daily Habit that Infuses The Much Needed Constant Self-Inspiration: How to Create an Aura of Invincibility In Your Daily Pursuits”. What do you think I did? I rushed there and devoured that article and found more than 3 nuggets of thoughts that intersected with my thinking!

• Myles Munroe passed away few years back, but just today I was watching one of his videos and he makes this statement: “What angers you indicates where your passion or purpose in life is” Again, I get excited because not only do I agree with him, but as a Purpose Coach, I use this as part of the strategies to unearth people’s passions. It is like it is something I always knew.

So as you can see, I have discovered without ‘Googling’ that there is so much in my original App, my mind! This is the one major reason as to why I would encourage you to use your mind/brain before you can rush to Google or technology:

It Grows you in the following ways:

1. Your brain and genius capacity: Keeping your mind engaged with activities such as planning, mind mapping, brain storming grows your brain muscle and improves your ‘genius’
2. Your confidence: You can be sure I am growing in confidence seeing that what was in my mind was also the same thing that was in the minds of TD Jakes, Myles Munore, Mick Murdock and John Lee Dumas. If I got their “stuff” from Google before accessing my mind, I would not be as confident in these subject matters.
3. Your creativity & Innovation: You learn to appreciate innovation and creativity when you see it. You learn to dig deep into your original creativity and ‘Genius’
4. Trust Your Genius: You get to trust intrinsically that you are a genius. And as you do this, your genius capacity starts growing and improving, a self-fulfilling prophecy whose cycle cannot be broken.

What do you think? Will Google enhance or stifle people’s genius?