I’ve been reading a book called “Made To Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath, which I highly recommend – it’s on my Linked In Reading List.
The premise of the book is that some ideas ‘stick’ and are remembered whereas others are quickly and easily forgotten.
That’s why success is like a carrot…
You know what a carrot looks like and you also know that if you have a WHOLE carrot, chances are you’ve sliced one up into like disk-shaped pieces…
That’s what success is, just like a carrot, you need to know how to slice up your understanding of what it is you’re trying to succeed at (the whole carrot). The more slices you can make (more distinctions you understand) the better the chances of succeeding and achieving the goal/outcome/result (the whole carrot!)
Of course the carrot has a motivational aspect as well – the stick versus the carrot…
I prefer to go for the carrot than avoid the stick!
That’s my thought for the day – I’ve used this concept in my product Squash Lessons For Marketing in a fun way. Highlighting 29 lessons from the court with parallels in business.
I mention this, not to sell you the product, but to highlight that you should aim to do the same as you seek to go for the carrot – whatever that may be for you…
Onward and upward!
Marc
P.S.
In their book, Chip and Dan use case studies to make their points ‘stick’. You should get yourself a copy of the book because if something doesn’t stick, it gets lost – often forever.
The other aspect of getting stuff to stick is for YOU to remember important STUFF. I discuss that on my Get The Best Grades Blog, but it’s important here because a lot of people learn stuff, but for some reason it doesn’t stick.
From my Get The best Grades Blog, you know it’s what you don’t know you know that is truly exponential and the more stuff sticks, the more exponential you become BECAUSE what you don’t know you know becomes what you know you know and the process starts all over again, 1 percent improvement at a time!
Hi Marc and Readers of this Blog,
I also would like to share an incredible little book with you called the Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff. I know this book has been around around for a while now having been first published in 1983. I was aware of it but had not read it until just recently when I discovered it at my parents house earlier this year.
“Tao” is pronounced “Dao” and its most celebrated exponent is of course Lao Tse who wrote the famous Tao te Ching (Dao deh Jeeng).
In brief the “Tao” means THE WAY, and when studied one learns that the Tao philosophy of life is in total harmony with the exponential mindset as taught by Dr. Marc Dussault. The 1% improvement a day approach in order to reap maximum benefits and outcomes using exponential growth strategies is entirely consistent with and a reflection of the Tao and what is called “Wu Wei”. As it pointed out in The Tao of Pooh “Cleverness, as usual, takes all the credit it possibly can. But it is not the clever mind that is responsible when things work out. It’s the Mind that sees what is in front of it, and follows the nature of things. When you work with Wu Wei, you put the round peg in the round hole. No stress, no struggle. Wu Wei doesn’t try. It doesn’t think about it. It just does it. And when it does, it doesn’t appear to do much of anything. But Things Get Done.”
Doesn’t that sound a bit like Dr. Marc Dussault? I am starting to suspect that Marc is a Taoist Master whether he knows it or not.
The profound wisdom contained in this little book called the Tao of Pooh is all derived from Hoff’s interpretation of Milne’s famous “Winnie-the-Pooh”. I am preparing a little interpretation myself of Hoff’s book to show that it contains all the seeds of the exponential mindset and I will submit this to Marc for possible publication on one of his blogs in early 2009.
The book also contains all the essential kernels of wisdom to apply to effective dispute resolution and I am applying this to how I work as a Mediator.
The Taoist knows how to have fun and enjoyment in every moment and extract the juice out of Life. I am certainly finding this is so working on this little project.
Wishing you all a peaceful and loving Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Chris,
Thanks for this – I look forward to your blog submission in 2009… It’s not that far away!
Marc
Hi Marc & Chris,
Thank you for the great insights. It means that if we work in harmony/balance, everything will be so much easier and doing one thing of improvement everyday will become automatic and it will become like a nature for us to do it, and the benefits will be massive and exponential in the long term.
Rainier of http://www.wellnessmalpractice.com