Simon Cowell—the man who makes millions from opinions

Opinionated people make the world more interesting. My favorite blogs and shows are all run by people who know how to make a claim, get angry and talk funny. Typical, ordinary ideas are souped-up with emotions through opinions that make listening and reading more fun.

Last week, I expressed my opinions on spec work which apparently, pissed off some personalities in the design community. But those are my personal opinions and I really can’t change them. Or can I?

Bob Sutton pointed out a very important opinion(ironic, isn’t it?) on the difference between the wise and smart:

And the virtues of wise people—those who have the courage to act on their knowledge, but the humility to doubt what they know…strong opinions which are weakly held.

Opinions, as we know them, aren’t facts. Obviously, they’re not indisputable and they can be doubted, questioned and refined. Unlike facts that are sturdy and permanent, opinions are fragile creatures that you can break, restore and further improve. (Hint: There are different ways to approach spec and not scream and curse all over the place!)

Quoting creativity guru Edward de Bono, “If you never change your mind, why have one?”

Sadly though, I must end with a caveat. In order to express the thought about doubting and refining opinions, I’ve inevitably expressed several of my own breakable opinions, which you can of course, politely or violently disagree with.