At #InBound13 Seth Godin spoke about new ideas being born on the edges of a standard curve. Marti Konstant reflected on this in her brilliant post earlier this week. She shared many great thoughts from Seth’s keynote. One, in particular, that stood out to me was this:
New ideas are born on the edges of a standard curve. The edges of the curve attract people who care about what’s next. This goes against everything we are taught about targeting the mass market.
I was able to watch the keynote too and have been thinking about it ever since. Here’s some of what has been going through my mind.
The people and businesses who embrace and cultivate creativity, that celebrate uniqueness and find ways to dance with new ideas & product creation ~ right at the edge of the curve are way farther ahead than any of us can even begin to imagine. The truth is that they have a huge competitive advantage over those hanging on to the shifting middle ground.
Let’s face it, getting to the edge is scary work – no question. It takes guts – lots of them. Certainly more than a few people will wonder about your sanity at some point in time. Without question, you’ll be leading (if not hacking down the path.) But, if that’s where you do your best work, if it’s where you thrive – then why wouldn’t you go there? Why wouldn’t you dance with the other amazing minds that call the edges of the curve home? People like AJ & Melissa Leon and Tess Vigeland.
The simple fact is that there has never been a better time than right now to be the person you truly are. There has never been a better moment in history to find and align with the people and businesses who understand, love and respect you. There has never been a better time to move to the edges ~ ever.
Legoman Likes to Play at the Edges Too
Some people know that I travel with a Legoman to various conference and events. My son Adam often misses me when I’m away and because of this, Legoman has become a regular attendee with me at various events all around the world now. I never leave home without him. He has become a way to bridge the gap to back home through tweets. As I’ve travelled with Legoman, I’ve discovered something else too. He really likes to play with the people who dance at the edges of new ideas and creativity. People who are leading and doing meaningful work. People making a difference because of who they are. Creatives, authors, artists and entrepreneurs. People like Nick Kellet, Ric Dragon and Andy Crestodina – to name a few. Here you see him spending time with them at SOBCon in Chicago earlier this year (can you guess which foot belongs to who?)
Having a new and very personal connection to ASD, I’ve come to contemplate much more about what it means to think differently, to create from within and to take risks. You know, Temple Grandin was so on the mark when she said “The world needs all kinds of minds.” This is essential – especially now.
I spend a lot of time working, playing and learning from others who understand how important all of this is. SOBCon, World Domination Summit, Pursuit of Everything, MisfitConf & Good Life Project all feed my business development and life goals when it comes to honouring freedom, individuality and dancing with new ideas while simultaneously calling the sharpest of edges home.
Seth is very right ~ the people at the edges do care about what’s next. They are the thinkers & creators. They are the one’s who commit to be different. They take risks and celebrate brilliance. They change the world for the better.
“Here’s To The Crazy Ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the
square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have
no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the
human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world – are the ones who DO!”
I used to read this every morning when I sat down at my computer… Maybe I should start that back up…
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Love that quote too!
It’s an excellent read first thing each morning. A great way to remind yourself that anything is possible and yes YOU can (and will) change the world.