Yesterday, I piggybacked on text from one of my favorite bloggers—Daniel Pink—and today I’m going to do it again. This time I’m leaning on marketing guru Seth Godin, who identified the two simple steps for success in business. He writes,
Step one: Open all doors. Learn a little about a lot. Consider as many options as possible, then add more.
Step two: Relentlessly dismiss, prune and eliminate. Choose. Ship.
The problem most people run into is that they mix the steps and confuse them. During step one, they aren’t open enough, aren’t willing enough to consider the impossible. And then, in step two, fear of shipping kicks in and they stay open too long, hold on to too many options and hesitate.
Simple doesn’t always mean easy.
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Here’s my version, as it relates to education:
Step one: Open all doors. Learn a little about a lot. Consider as many options as possible, then add more.
Step two: Reflect on the topics and experiences that got you excited, the ones that gave you joy. Pursue those with passion. Turn your passion into achievement.
The problem most people run into is that they’re so busy doing what other people have told them is important that they close countless doors of possibility. During step two, they’re so afraid of committing to being fully themselves—to acknowledge their uniqueness—that fail to realize that blending in and playing it safe is exactly the wrong strategy.
Leading edge companies want you to be a change agent, not a robot who can only follow directions. Your future spouse wants you to be authentic and real, not a cardboard cutout of a boyfriend. And that man in the mirror will be happiest when he can let his inner geek out of the closet, proud to be an expert card house builder, yo-yo freak, or seeker of the English language’s longest palindrome.
If you need a little inspiration for being different, watch this video below.
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