The other day, we were talking about connecting different topics in a new course at work. Someone mentioned how one idea would make for a nice segway into another. I read the line in our chat, and something felt off.

A few days later, I saw it again. “Cool segway!” I thought I remembered seeing that word spelled as “segue” before, but I wasn’t sure if “segway” was perhaps a more modern version of the same verb. So I checked—and it’s not. “Segway” is the same it’s always been: The trademarked name of a transportation device with two wheels. The one you can use to cruise around town while standing up straight.

For those of us talking about seamlessly transitioning from one idea to another, “segue” must always be the word of choice. Anything else is just wrong. Phew! Not that I’d mind too much, but it’s still nice to find out I’m not crazy from time to time.

Trust your gut when it hesitates. Just because you see many people engage in the same behavior does not make that behavior any better or more honorable. Popular, perhaps, but that’s about all you can say. Allow yourself to stand your ground, even when it’s only a square inch you’re defending. Even if no one knows about it but you.

Common is not the same as natural, and a wrong crowd doesn’t make a new right.

Nik

Niklas Göke writes for dreamers, doers, and unbroken optimists. A self-taught writer with more than a decade of experience, Nik has published over 2,000 articles. His work has attracted tens of millions of readers and been featured in places like Business Insider, CNBC, Lifehacker, and many others. Nik has self-published 2 books thus far, most recently 2-Minute Pep Talks. Outside of his day job and daily blog, Nik loves reading, video games, and pizza, which he eats plenty a slice of in Munich, Germany, where he resides.