The 75% Rule
Psalm 118:22. “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.”
If you break down the Bible, you will see references to this scripture mentioned multiple times (Jesus, Luke, Peter, and Paul all have writings on it.) Mark Moore said this about this scripture, “just because it’s unpopular, doesn’t mean it’s wrong.” This is all in reference to Jesus, he was rejected, unpopular, hated, but ultimately he became the cornerstone of what everything is built upon.
There is a powerful principle in that… It doesn’t matter what other people think, build everything in your life on Jesus. That leads to what we would call a successful life.
Then it clicked in my head. This goes a step forward and applies to every area.
Popular doesn’t equal performance. In fact, what is unpopular may seem wrong… but often it’s the best thing that you go with. It will lead to a better life, better faith, better marriage, better everything. As I have thought about it more… I believe my theory is this… Doing what is unpopular 75% of the time is going to be better for you than doing what is popular 75% of the time.
If you go with the “popular” actions of others, it may be detrimental. This goes back to observing the human condition. If what the masses are doing undermines the joy that people are experiencing, then don’t do it.
Flip it around…. And think back to that statement. Just because something is unpopular doesn't mean it’s wrong.
Let me give you some examples:
Following Jesus is unpopular.
Living a healthy lifestyle is unpopular.
Not gossiping is unpopular.
Living with integrity is unpopular.
Saving money is unpopular.
GIVING money is unpopular.
Serving is unpopular.
Focusing on your family is unpopular.
Saying Hello to your neighbor is unpopular.
Now you might be saying, hold on Clay. Everybody would be in support of all those things… Sure yeah, verbally. But what are people’s actions supporting in popularity?
Doing my own thing is popular.
Falling to my cravings is popular.
Talking about someone is popular.
Sneaking around is popular.
Spending is popular.
Greed is popular.
Not sacrificing time is popular.
Having your eyes glued to your work computer is popular.
Hiding from your neighbor is popular.
How much would your life change if you chose to do the unpopular? Chances are it’s the right thing to do.
Steven Pressfield said this in his book The War of Art, “Rule of thumb: The
more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.”
The reality is that the unpopular is what we should do. People don’t want to do it because it’s a challenge, but doing hard things leads to victory. That doesn't mean we can’t like popular things like musical artists or enjoy a social media platform or follow the crowd at any point. It just means we need to be aware of what is actually going to benefit us. Remember this is a 75% rule, 25% of the time the crowd is totally in the right.
Ironically though, I thought I had this major breakthrough, for me personally it was, but this is a biblical principle rooted in time. It’s not just Jesus and his ways that were unpopular. It’s also the path that we have to choose to walk down.
Matthew 7:13-14, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
Guess which one is unpopular and which is popular?
Choose the 75%