I wanted to mention a new free eBook that’s out if you’ve got some Christmas downtime and want some big-picture reading to do. It’s another book by Seth Godin – and I know he’s one of those people that you either love or hate, but you’re going to want to take a look at this book. Seth put it together and coordinated the whole thing, but it’s actually a collection of thoughts of several very well known people. Each person got one page, and that’s about all the direction they got. So it’s one of those books that is a jumble of thoughts which somehow come together perfectly.
You can download the book here (PDF).
What’s It About?
Well, I think this comment on page two of the book sums it nicely:
Things to think about (and do) this year
Since it’s December, think of it as things to think about (and do) in 2010. We’ve already talked about things to think about for 2010:
- things to add to your 2010 technology plan
- 2010 is the year of search and travel
- trending topics for next year from World Travel Market
My Favourite Parts
Here are some snippets and excepts from the book that I just loved.
“Sing in your own voice…the choice of media is irrelevant.” – Hugh MacLeod
“There are tens of thousands of businesses making many millions a year in pro!ts that still haven’t ever heard of twitter, blogs or facebook. Are they all wrong?….I don’t have all the answers to these questions but I find myself thinking about them more and more.” - Howard Mann
“Darwin wrote about the finches of the Galapagos Islands, observing that the shape of each population’s beakes matched the form of the particular flowers that provided their food. Think of businesses…. The shapes of companies will evolve as the world changes around them….You have a lot to unlearn, and no short-term incentive to do it. But better not ignore the competitor with the strange looking beak.” - Chris Meyer
“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” – John Wood
“Everything I know about business I learned from poker….Just because you win a hand doesn’t mean you’re good and you don’t have more learning to do. You might have just gotten lucky.” - Tony Hsieh
“If you don’t make it personal, and if you don’t make it count, what’s the point?” – Mitch Joel
“So, how do you tell a good dumb idea from a bad dumb one? Good dumb ideas create polarization. Some people will get it immediately and shower it with praise and affection. Others will say it’s ignorant and impossible and run for the hills. The fiercer the polarization, the smarter your dumb idea.” – Dave Balter
To Learn More
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