The Ministry of Common Sense is (almost) here : Jan 2021
By Martin Lindstrom: Marketing consultant and author of Brandwashed– June 20, 2012
According to an old Chinese proverb, we’re given three chances to succeed in life. If we use them wisely, we get another three. If not, I’m afraid that’s it. There will be no more.
It’s True: What’s Past Is Prologue
Way back in 1994, on a plane home from giving a talk in Montreal, Canada, the person sitting beside me began chatting about a country I’d never visited–Australia. It was somewhat strange in light of the fact that only just earlier in the day a middle-aged Australian man had approached me, asking if I could give his advertising agency advice on how to crack this new thing called the “world wide web.” Bear in mind that this was 1994, the year Netscape was invented, the very year the Internet as we know it today was born. It was one of those inexplicable synchronicities: two different people from a faraway country approaching me in the same afternoon.
I hadn’t been back in Denmark much longer than a few days when I received a call from the Australian adman. He said he happened to be in Copenhagen and would like to stop by my office for a chat, if that was okay with me. When he arrived he explained that the concept of the world wide web was still preoccupying him. “Martin,” he said, “how do you reckon we should handle this Internet thing at the agency?”
I found the serendipity of the situation hard to resist. I gave it a moment, took out a pen and scribbled a few lines on a napkin: “I hereby employ Martin Lindstrom to oversee all WWW activity for my agency. Signed, Glenn Williams.” I passed the napkin Glenn’s way. He took one look at it and said, “What a splendid idea!” And to my surprise, he signed it. The deal was done, and within a few weeks I was on a flight bound for Australia. My mission was to start up the online arm of BBDO in Asia and Australia.
Identifying Opportunities
As I emptied my desk ready for my new venture down under, a colleague asked, “How do all these interesting opportunities come your way? What do you do?” I didn’t know what to answer then, but I do now. Not only have I always had an eye open to adventure and opportunity, but I have always had a tendency to seize them the moment they occur. Herein lies the problem for many. Too few of us see the opportunities that are presented to us. Even fewer of us dare to meet them head on and run with them.
The interesting thing that I’ve learned over the years is, true to that old Chinese proverb, the more opportunities we act on, the more we get. And that’s not all–the behavioral researcher and writer Paco Underhill, a good friend, recently asked me about the last time I applied myself to learning something completely new. I was surprised to realize 15 years had passed since I’d left college. It seems that we all too quickly fall into the comfort of our routines, and these, in turn, allow us to settle into comfort zones where very little that is new enters our personal sphere.
Not unlike some of the most innovative industries of our time that have got into a groove and rested on their laurels, we too get comfortable. Very few of us dedicate time and resources to evolve and educate ourselves. Even fewer set the bar higher to challenge ourselves beyond our area of comfort, and as another popular affirmation instructs: Life only begins at the end of the comfort zone.
How To Act Now–And Learn New Stuff
I fundamentally believe we should have at least three different bank accounts (if we can afford them). The first account is to pay the bills, put food on the table and a roof over our head. The second should be used for personal branding. In other words, to invest in your image and create a presence in your environment. This could be a website, a blog, or a personal vision and how you want to own it. The final account should be dedicated to the sole purpose of evolving, educating and expanding your knowledge, insights and talent.
The more we’re preoccupied in our daily routines, the less time we spend learning new stuff. Even if it involves just taking the time to learn the finer details of the computer software you use every day. But that would only be a start. I’m really imagining bigger and better than that.
I guess writing books for me is kind of my personal R&D budget. Quite some time ago, it dawned on me that I haven’t even begun investigating some of the crazy theories that swirl around my brain. Today, my R&D budget is all about that: conducting experiments and embarking on projects that may very well be plain crazy. Ideas, for example, like investigating health warnings on cigarette packs. How effective are they, or do they have the opposite effect of what’s intended, encouraging us to smoke more? After a $7 million study, I discovered that these warnings do indeed encourage more smoking. Another study revealed that the most powerful sound known to humans is the sound of a baby laughing.
Honestly, none of these hypotheses had much to do with my core business, and yet what I learned has become an essential part of what I do today. When I noticed how smokers looked at health warnings on cigarette packs before lighting up, I took a chance and decided to investigate this counter-intuitive notion. Had I not explored my simple observation further, my book Buyology wouldn’t exist.
The Future Is Unwritten
As we get older, we become more fearful of change. We are anxious about losing everything we’ve worked for. And yet the paradox of this is that we often lose it all when we do nothing. However, if we grab those (sometimes madcap) opportunities that come our way, the rewards are immense. Why don’t you try it? The worst that can happen is you’ll be given another three opportunities. Not a bad payoff, if you ask me.
[Image: Olly via Shutterstock]
