Monday, December 17, 2012

Good Ideas

For my class about professional business practices for illustrators, I was required to read this book, Linchpin by Seth Godin. I so regret not getting it on CD earlier! There are some particular details I didn't entirely agree with, but its overall message is one of hope and has such a can-do attitude. Here's a short review on it I did for my class, if you care to hear my opinion:



            What an insightful book. It sometimes felt sort of similar to having the sheets ripped off of your bed on a cold morning, or being un-blindfolded to see a really bright day, or even like ripping off a Band-aid. It was startling at first, and a bit unpleasant, but it’s ultimately a good thing. There were a lot of things Seth Godin talks about that I had never thought of before, like the “lizard brain” or the “resistance,” and I thought they were interesting and important to talk about.
            Honestly, there were some points in the book that I felt he was a little bit off. Like when he talked about perfection and our tendency to strive towards “defect-free”. I got the impression that he was saying we don’t need to even try to head in the direction of “perfect,” that it’s pointless and wrong. But that may have only been fleeting, because the other things he says about that are spot on with how I feel. As a perfectionist, I constantly have to remind myself of my Grandma’s phrase, “They’re not going to shoot you in the morning,” and my favorite Mythbusters quote, “Failure is always an option.” It is such a nice thing to give up trying to have a perfect result and instead focus on being perfectly diligent in my attempts. Wasn’t it Einstein or someone famous who said that failure only comes when we stop trying? And I agree. We need to strive to do things perfectly, but it’s more in the trying than in the result.
            I also loved what Godin said about the power of gifts. Everybody needs to hear that part specifically! Especially being LDS and being taught again and again about service, this idea really resonated with me. It’s so fascinating to me that Godin recognized that it’s the people who sincerely give first that become successful later on. And I really liked that he also said that we’ve got to be willing to share our talents instead of being afraid of rejection, which is probably most of the reason I very rarely give my art as gifts.
            In all, Seth Godin had wonderful things to say, even if I didn’t completely agree with every detail. I loved his positive outlook on life, on the hidden genius in everyone, and on the future and how we can become a successful part of it. It gives me such high hopes.



So there you have it!
I hope I keep posting stuff here even though I no longer have a class requiring it. I think I will. I've been surprised at how much I like it. :) Thanks to you, Reader, for making it fun.

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