“The Power of Leadership”
More from Gene Simmons’ Sex, Money, and Kiss…
It’s fascinating what you can learn if you just keep your eyes and ears open. Originality is highly overrated. I don’t have an original bone in my body. All I do is take stuff that everybody knows and put it together. When a chef says, “This is my original creation,” he’s lying. There’s nothing new under the sun. He has just made up a new combination of ingredients. That is what I do. The truth is, what often works is simply what works, and whether it’s original or not has very little to do with it. Many original ideas simply aren’t pragmatic. Pragmatic means “leads to money.” Lest I remind you too often, money is what this book is all about, it’s what life is all about, and it’s what you should be all about!
You can be original and poor. I’d rather be unoriginal and rich. How about you? Take originality as opposed to being pragmatic. Originality is just somebody looking for a pat on the back. I don’t want a pat; I want your cash in my pocket. Pragmatism is potentially a harvest of cash. I don’t want to be on the Lewis and Clark expedition and trail blaze. I want to be the guy who comes afterwards, after they’ve been bitten by mosquitoes, and comfortably follow the trail they’ve made. I just want to do it better and cheaper and reap the rewards. I’m aware of and recognize the value of original thinkers and trailblazers. But unless I trademark and corner the market, do I want to be the Wright Brothers then or American Airlines now?
“I don’t know anything about music, but in my line you don’t have to.” – Elvis Presley
Have a great day!
Shawn
Russ M. Miller, LLIF – Chairman & CEO
Performance Institute (Human Capital Development)
Global CEO Academy (Management Training)
Sunny Hong Zhang – Managing Partner – China
Shawn M. Miller – Managing Partner – USA
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If money-seeking is the sole purpose in life, the points seem to work and are still limited to the present. But there is so much more in life….. While originality for the sake of “originality” is not welcomed, it is originality that helps move the world forward. Also, we should not simply judge the value of originality by how much money they can bring to you. Think about all the great works in human history, and those that were not valued at their times but are highly sought after today. In our daily life, probably only one out of a thousand original ideas can bring immediate cash to you, but aiming at immediate return will kill the spirit. A long-term perspective is needed.