Seth’s New American Dream

“The new American Dream…the one markets around the world are embracing as fast as they can, is this:  Be remarkable.  Be generous.  Create art.  Make judgment calls.  Connect people and ideas…and we have no choice but to reward you.”

–     Seth Godin, in his indispensable 2010 book, Linchpin

Look, I’ve posted on it before, so sorry to be repetitive, for you long-timers.  That said, ever since I first met him about 14 years ago, Seth Godin has made.  Me.  Better.  And he will, you, too, if you’ll “get to know him.”

An absolute master of common sense and market application thereof, Seth sees the same things that most of us see, he just either has better filters or fewer filters or he knows how to use his filters more better.  (“More better” is a technical term.)

So, five years later, the advice above, which has played out so accurately, still stands.

Be remarkable.  Get remarked upon.  Do something that gets mentioned at the dinner table tonight.

Be generous.  Give time.  Give love.  Give ideas.  Give an open ear.  Give money.  Give hugs.  Give smiles.

Create art.  Every day that we do, accomplish or say something that gets played over again in the mind of someone we care about is a day that we’ve created art.  And when we apply this principle to commerce, zeroes get added, to the left of the decimal.

Make judgment calls!  This is where a difference gets made.  Those filters?  They’re trying to water down or minimize our judgment.  Judgment comes from wisdom.  Judgment speaks fluent instinct.  Judgment separates the difference makers from the rest.

Connect people and ideas.  Forward this link.  Disagree with this post.  Engage in a discussion about whether you think I, or Seth, are full of ______, or if we’re on to something.  Follow someone you’ve heard about on Twitter.  Buy and read a book, and promise to send three notes to people about it once you’ve finished.  I could go on and on, and thankfully, I won’t.

But Linchpins, Difference Makers — we all ought to internalize this not-so-new-but-still-so-true American Dream — the world still has no choice but to reward us.