1 Tweet Quoting Aristotle

Featured image courtesy of Lawrence OP licensed via Creative Commons.

Muses have been on my mind quite a bit recently as I'm battling a bit of writer's block.  I've been seeking inspiration, that bright lightbulb above my head, that bit of Marketing Platitude that I and only I alone can deliver.  The stakes have been high and I've almost buckled under the pressure...  

Truly, I've been feeling like one of the characters in Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron complete with weights and other things that make us slow, dull or listless...  I've felt that genius and creative thinking is the lot of others and not mine...  until I came across a tweet this afternoon.

Back to life, back to reality.

@MamaBritt: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." -Aristotle #quote

So, that's what I saw today and I promptly retweeted it because it spoke to me.  And the reason why it spoke to me is because of an article I read this very morning about innovation myths and realities.  Have a look - those HBR folks publish some great stuff - but after you've read today's missive from moi.

It turns out that we all have the capacity for magic within us.  It turns out that with a bit of elbow grease that we are all inventors, R&D scientists, product managers, market researchers, trend forecasters or what have you.  Our capacity for whatever magic we manifest is... wait for it...  based in process, how much we are committed to that very process and how much passion we have for it.

Repetition isn't a bad thing.

We've all heard that practice makes perfect.  Yes, it does.  Anything exquisite be it Innovation, Marketing, Sales, Product Development, Operations or Customer Service doesn't happen randomly.  It happens because we've worked at it enough to get it right and because we care to work at it enough to get it right.

So it turns out that there is no such thing as Marketing Platitude that I can deliver so much as there are a series of activities I can passionately pursue and repetitive behaviors I can demonstrate to get to that piece of nirvana I've been hoping for.  And, perhaps I'm not really a character in Harrison Bergeron after all... unless I'm the one putting the weights on me.

Need an example if repetition delivering excellence?  This post about Intelligentsia.  Their focus and drive in delivering an excellent cup of coffee each time has fundamentals in process and protecting that process like a jealous lover.

Be a jealous lover.

Yeah, I think we should all be jealous lovers of process, repetition, focus and a clear view of your end goals.  Without this passion, we'll all end up characters in Harrison Bergeron.  What say you?  Share below and, if you'd like, please share with others.

Parissa Behnia
Idea Chef

678Partners@gmail.com
678Partners.com
LinkedIn
Twitter

Miss Piggy, Apple And Muses

Many of you know that there is another Muppets movie headed our way...  You've seen some of the movie trailer spoofs, certainly.  And, if you're like me, you're wondering if you should tell your friends you want to see it and wondering how many times you can see it without losing your street cred.

Like a good actress, Miss Piggy has been a part of the PR machine (read this) in advance of the premiere which includes a feature in InStyle Magazine.  Here's an interview of Miss Piggy from InStyle's Facebook page below.  Hilarious and full of her trademark sass and jambon de vivre...  I mean, joie de vivre.

Memory Lane

Now, I didn't share all of this with you so that we can end the week in a fit of giggles (though that's admirable).  Remember this Sesame Street post from a few months back?  My love of Sesame Street, and The Muppets, is constant because they always find ways to say they acknowledge me as a longstanding fan.  Or, more significantly, they're successful at getting me to feel that they are acknowledging me though I know they are addressing everyone.

I'm still a customer no matter my, ahem, age because they treat me as if how I feel about them still matters to them.  Both Sesame Street and The Muppets are successful because they always want us around.  They deliver things to us as adults to reinforce the connection we had with both as children.  It's frankly the reason why Marc Jacobs, Brian Atwood and others are willing to create outfits for Miss Piggy.  It's an affinity beyond the business transaction.  They don't discard us so we don't discard them.

Muses and Musing

Why the special relationship?  It's because we are their constant yet everchanging muses.  As society and we have changed, so have the ways they engage with us.  What's the most remarkable thing about this ever evolving and ever constant love affair between Sesame Street, The Muppets and their customers?  It's that Jim Henson passed away in 1990.  Yup, it's been that long.

And so, it gets me thinking about another creative genius that's been on our minds of late and the impact his passing has on the company he built.  I've seen many suggest that Apple can't succeed without Steve Jobs, among other predictions of its demise.  I can appreciate why people would put forth the argument...  but I think the predictions of its demise are a bit drastic.

I go back to that Miss Piggy video, other Muppets tidbits and of course lovable characters like Elmo, Grover and Big Bird that still thrive without Jim Henson's touch.  They thrive because those who carry Jim Henson's legacy understand the concept of customer as muse.

Steve Jobs succeeded because we were his muses.  He was always inspired by how we live, what we do, the ways we engage and he created things that were complementary to how we were evolving...  not unlike how Sesame Street and The Muppets relate to us as we get older and older.  The trick for our friends at Apple, I believe, is to see that the magic didn't reside in Steve Jobs so much as it resided in his muses.

Sappy?  Maybe.  But, it's my two cents.  Please share your thoughts below and, if you've enjoyed this post, please share with friends.  I'm thankful.

Parissa Behnia
Idea Chef

678Partners@gmail.com
678Partners.com
LinkedIn
Twitter