Are Trends Evil?

I have had a roller coaster relationship with “trends”.

At times I sought them out.
Other times I purposely avoided them.
And, even on occasion I started them.

Eventually, I got curious.

What are they really?
When do they begin?
Why are they always changing?

I found that a trend starts with one person or one idea.

A trend is a spark of truth.

This one truth is validated by someone who also feels it is true for them.

Then another person wants to express this truth too. Then another. And another.
Until at some point, there are so many truth followers that the truth might become buried.

That’s the point at which truth seeking followers run away.

That’s the point at which a new truth begins again.

This video is so brilliantly narrated by Derek Sivers on Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy.

Here are a few things I realized during my trend experimentations:

–> If you choose not to partake in a trend simply because you don’t want to be a follower, then you are still a follower, an anti-trend follower.

–> Either way, there is no shame in being a follower. It’s actually unavoidable. And, as Derek points out, “It was the first follower that transformed a lone nut into a leader. There is no movement without the first follower.”

–> And, finally trend-leader or trend-follower, above all, choose for YOU.

Let’s hear it from you in the comments, what do YOU think about trends?