From: 5,000 feet due west of the South Skunk River
Friday, 6:30 a.m.
“My way of learning is to heave a wild and unpredictable monkey-wrench into the machinery.”
— Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon
So, the other day I read this article about why you should wash your face every night. No, I don’t wear makeup, but I did learn a thing or two you can use…
(Actually, this is a frequent discussion my wife has with our daughter. I was just looking for something I could actually bring to the table next time.)
Whatever. The thing that caught my eye was our skin collects all the pollution and oxidants from the air all day long. And if we don’t wash it off each night it can lead to premature aging. (You can bet I washed MY face that night…)
Now, for the kicker that might surprise you: This actually got me thinking about YOU. And how these emails I’m sending could do the same for your mind.
HOW’S THAT, YOU ASK…?
You see, the late, great copywriter, Gary Halbert, had this theory he called the “carbonized shit theory.” His theory was our head has a limited capacity and we’re fed so much BS our whole lives, the BS gets compacted in there until it becomes carbonized.
For most of us, it gets so bad when we get older, nothing can get in or out. No light, no ideas, nothing!
Any new, worthy advice just bounces right off the carbonized sludge.
(Gary’s description of the theory is much more visual and eloquent. You should look it up sometime…)
Anyway, my hope is these daily emails are helping you by breaking through and flushing out some of the head trash. The outdated, ineffective marketing that’s built up and limits your growth.
YOU’RE NOT ALONE.
I’m constantly looking for ways to shake up my own thinking. To learn something new and to challenge my assumptions. It’s what keeps us moving forward.
The funny thing is it’s often not something new we’re hearing that wakes us up. We’ve heard it before, but maybe not in the same way. Or it might be the timing. You have to be open to that new idea before you decide to accept it.
And that’s what it is. Your decision. You can read all the books in the world. I can write to you until I’m… blue… in my,,, fingers? (Yeah, that metaphor doesn’t work…)
If you don’t decide to be open to the advice and information being handed to you, you won’t change.
MY CHALLENGE TO YOU: BE OPEN TO NEW IDEAS!
Challenge the “but-this-is-the-way-we’ve-always-done-it” mindset. Stop matching what your competition is doing. Go beyond. Be better. Get attention.
If I haven’t said it lately. Thank you for being a subscriber and reader. By reading these daily emails, it shows you are interested in learning more. In taking a different look at your marketing.
Make it a great marketing day!
Neil Sutton