Observing the Non-Obvious: How to Spot Trends Around You with Rohit Bhargava

Rohit Bhargava is on a mission to help everyone in the world become a non-obvious thinker. In this episode, he talks with us about how intentionality is the key to seeing the non-obvious and how he uses The Haystack Method to gather insights from the world. He also shared how he has become a speed-understander and the benefits that go with it. In 2011, Rohit embarked on the annual task of documenting the digital trends of the year, which after a decade, culminated in his book on megatrends in 2021 #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of seven books including “Non-Obvious Megatrends: How to See What Others Miss and Predict the Future” https://amzn.to/3mpkJgn. Rohit discusses with us how he analyses trends, not just on the superficial level, but digging deeper into the “why” question. Our conversation with Rohit is full of compelling insights about the human condition, unique analysis of the world around us, and actionable tips on how to train yourself to observe with intention. You’ll also get a quick education in contemporary Latin music and some head-scratching about why He-Man ever became a superhero in the first place. Two of Rohit’s books are currently being republished into new editions;  The Non-Obvious Guide to Virtual Meetings and Remote Work (Non-Obvious Guides) https://amzn.to/2OoxdbB    The Non-Obvious Guide to Marketing & Branding (Without a Big Budget) (Non-Obvious Guides) https://amzn.to/3moIllg   If you’re a regular Behavioral Grooves listener, please consider supporting us through Patreon. Thank you! https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves © 2021 Behavioral Grooves Links Rohit Bhargava: https://www.rohitbhargava.com/  Isaac Asimov: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov   Ali Pittampalli “Persuadable”: https://www.alpitt.com/  Henry Coutinho-Mason “The Future Normal”: https://henrycoutinho-mason.com/  Maysoon Zayid: https://maysoon.com/  Telemundo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemundo  Dan Simons Invisible Gorilla video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGQmdoK_ZfY  Tom Cruise “Cocktail”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YbjzztYbUo  He-Man: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He-Man  Telemachus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemachus  Meave Leakey: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meave_Leakey  Dan Hill - Episode 151: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/dan-hill-phd-on-the-facial-coding-of-trump-hendrix-prince-gretzky-and-the-beatles/  Hedgefox: https://www.russellsage.org/sites/default/files/Vohs_intro_0.pdf  Books The Non-Obvious Guide to Virtual Meetings and Remote Work (Non-Obvious Guides): https://amzn.to/2OoxdbB   The Non-Obvious Guide to Marketing & Branding (Without a Big Budget) (Non-Obvious Guides): https://amzn.to/3moIllg  Non Obvious Megatrends: How to See What Others Miss and Predict the Future (Non-Obvious Trends Series): https://amzn.to/3mpkJgn   Musical Links Neil Peart (Rush): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Peart  Fanny Lu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A1grimas_C%C3%A1lidas  Maná “Rayando del Sol”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY3O_Fbfjjs  Carlos Vives “Cumbiana”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baUk9YcCxBQ  Carlos Vives & Shakira “”La Bibcicleta”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UV0QGLmYys  Juaness “Es Por Ti | One World: Together” At Home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pgvjxtHBOg Coffitivity: https://soundcloud.com/coffitivity  Topics 6:37 Trends vs Fads 11:10 Haystack Method 13:18 Trends 19:15 Brave Enough to Change Your Mind 28:00 Non Obvious Brand 30:28 Spare Time 35:30 Rohit’s Inspiration 40:45 The Yellow Balloon Light Bulb 45:04 Naming 47:14 He-Man Quotes (6:37) ...trend is something that implicates behavior, which is very topical for us. And whereas a fad is just usually a thing or a platform, but doesn't always correlate to behavior. (7:55) ...a speed understander is someone who thinks about what to pay attention to as an end is intentional about what they choose not to pay attention to. (10:55) ...if you spend enough time gathering interesting, fascinating stories, instead of obsessing about why they're interesting or fascinating in the moment, then later on, you can start to spot the patterns that you would never have otherwise seen. (16:37) ...being observant is not a skill you're born with, or not born with. Being observant is a choice. (19:45)...being persuadable requires You to rethink those things, those assumptions, those points of view that you have. And I think the only way that anyone can do that is by not letting themselves be defined by the stands that they have taken. Because the more you see a stand that you've taken, or a belief or something that you've put out in the world as core to your identity, the less likely you are to change. (20:07) ...the more you see a stand that you've taken, or a belief or something that you've put out in the world as core to your identity, the less likely you are to change