First of all if you haven’t ready anything by Seth Godin you cold very easily start with his blog which contains daily bits of genius information. You could also start by reading any of his dozen books that he’s written. They are easy to read (not a bad thing) simplistically genius and thought provoking at their core.

If you ready anything that he writes and don’t have a thought about it...well maybe he’s not for you. But if you do read what he writes and it strikes a chord (as it does with me) than you should continue reading. His writing is a mix of business/marketing/motivation/change/leadership advice. I think the heart of what he writes is about making you successful and allowing you to think in a new way and expand your vision of what you think is possible.

His most recent book entitled Linchpin is my favorite, his best and I believe his most important. He is more critical of the status quo than at any other point in his writing. He is more motivational than at any other point in his writing. There is more urgency than at any other point in his writing.

Today our economy is very different than it was only a year ago and drastically different than it was 10 or 50 years ago. The methods that we used to make us successful in years past don’t work anymore. If this last year has taught us anything it is that not even the “safe jobs” are safe. Anyone can lose their job, anyone can get fired but anyone can find their true talents and utilize them. And in fact your only choice is to find your talents, discover what you’re passionate about and be original. That is how the successful people of the future are going to act. You need to find that passion within yourself, let it out and then share it with everyone who will listen. There are now millions of people out there without a job and probably little chance of getting that same job. Those people need to do something different.

He argues that to be successful and happy in this new world we MUST stand out, we must be unique and we must share our talents and gifts...our art...with everyone. We can’t be successful anymore with a “factory worker” mentality. It is time for people to stand up, to have original thoughts, to be provocative and to become indispensable. I certainly can’t discuss the whole book here, although I would like to, but what I can say is that you NEED to read it.

Here’s who I think should read it...

I think every kid in high school and college should read it.
I think anyone who is unhappy with their current job should read it.
I think anyone who wants to be great should read it.
I think anyone who has an original idea should read it.
I think anyone who wants to stand out should read it.
I think anyone who wants to be successful should read it.
I think anyone who has heard that voice in the back of their head saying “stop, it’s too scary” should read it.
I think anyone who has overcome fear and anxiety should read it.
I think we all should read it.
I think YOU should read it.

Thank you Seth Godin for standing out and standing up for all of us. For giving us the tools to be different and to be great.

-Andrew Schaefer