Written by Neale on 11 December 2009
Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be a part of unanimity.
-Christopher Morley
Get it?
“Read, every day, something no one else is reading.”
Simply read and you have accomplished something. It is sad but true. Few people read anymore. Simply read. Try a book.
“Think, every day, something no one else is thinking.”
You’re weird. You’re a scientist. It should be easy to think something no one else in thinking. Right?
The problem is that your peers (your competition for jobs) are scientists too. You may be weird. You may think weird things. But so do they. (Well, the interesting ones do.) So you will have to think about something new; something different from what they are thinking.
“Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do.”
Do this and you risk everything. You risk being a fool. You risk being isolated. You risk the very person you were when you woke up this morning. It may be the best decision you ever make.
“It is bad for the mind to continually be a part of unanimity.”
Dare to be different.
Written by Neale on 05 December 2009
The artisans are skilled tradesmen. Historically, the artisans travelled far and wide to practice their respective trades in an attempt to earn a living. At some point, the artisans formed guilds or unions. By my estimation, not much has changed in the traditional trades (plumber, carpenter, baker, electrician, mason, etc.) in this respect. In short, small businesses or individual artisans provided the work needed to build a nation.
As large corporations continue to turn away from their current business models divesting risk to create what may be in effect a brokerage or even a virtual company, many opportunities are being created for the new artisanal businesses (organic chemistry consultant, molecular biology consultant, pharmaceutical marketing consultant, etc). There will be many opportunities available if you are in a position to accept the risk.
What opportunities do you see for yourself in the new economy?
Written by Neale on 29 November 2009
Myths of Greatness
One of the many myths about entrepreneurship is that of the flashy daredevil who risks everything to bend the world to his will.
In truth, the back story of the entrepreneurial champion is one of desperation rather than bravado. The “champion” is unemployable, without options, unwanted. It is not genius that wins the day. It is grit, perseverance, desperation, and luck.
We want the genius. We want the champion. We want the daredevil. We want the hero. Forget the truth, we want the great story. We want to be the genius/champion/daredevil/hero. Remember that when you win.
Success means that you can tell the story however you like. If you pay the price of success, you tell the story. You know the story we want to hear. Be the genius/champion/daredevil/hero. Practice your story and tell it well. But, I am getting ahead of myself.
If you find yourself with few choices. If you find yourself out of work for too long with few prospects. You are not alone but, you’ll feel like it. Many people are in the same situation and I suspect more will be joining the club soon.
It is time to make your own way in this world.
Getting Started
First, ignore all of the business books and the popular media. Ignore all of the myths and hype about the risk-takers and geniuses. Risk-takers and geniuses are the heroes of stories that sell books and magazines. The hero is often risk-averse with no other choice.
Marshall your resources, pick a direction, and move on!
