The problem with taking offense is that it's really hard to figure out what to do with it after you're done using it. Better to just leave it on the table and walk away. Umbrage untaken quietly disappears.
Seth GodinRead
Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.
Interpretation
Building unique skills or resources is crucial for standing out in any field.
This quote emphasizes the importance of creating and developing one’s own unique expertise or resources that cannot be easily replicated by others. In a competitive landscape, relying on what can be easily copied makes one lose value, resembling a middleman who does not provide distinctive advantages. True success comes from cultivating qualities and assets that truly set one apart, thereby leading to deeper impact and recognition.
In practice
During a business seminar on standing out in the market, one might quote Seth Godin to stress the need for unique skills.
The problem with taking offense is that it's really hard to figure out what to do with it after you're done using it. Better to just leave it on the table and walk away. Umbrage untaken quietly disappears.
Not adding value is the same as taking it away.
Excellence isn’t about meeting the spec, it’s about setting the spec. It defines what the consumer sees as quality right this minute, and tomorrow, if you’re good, you’ll reset that expectation again
Living with doubt ... is almost always more profitable than living with certainty. _x000D_ People don't like doubt, so they pay money and give up opportunities to avoid it. _x000D_ Entrepreneurshi p is largely about living with doubt. If you need reassurance, you're giving up quite a bit to get it. On the other hand, if you can get in the habit of seeking out uncertainty, you'll have developed a great instinct.
The danger of the Web is that you can go from idea to public announcement in under ten minutes.
Art isn't only a painting. Art is anything that is creative, passionate and personal. Art is the unique work of a human being created to touch another. Art is created to have an impact, to change someone else.
You only hit a straight ball by accident. The ball is going to move right or left every time you hit it, so you had better make it go one way or the other.
Energy and patience in business are two indispensable elements of success.
Stop looking for the 'right' career, and start looking for a job. Any job. Forget about what you like. Focus on what's available. Get yourself hired. Show up early. Stay late. Volunteer for the scut work. Become indispensable. You can always quit later, and be no worse off than you are today.
I don't want to end my career and then start something. I like to do something while my career is still hot and I've always enjoyed designing.
When I was 15, I left school to start a magazine, and it became a success because I wouldn't take no for an answer. I remember banging on James Baldwin's door to ask for an interview when he came to England. Then I got Jean-Paul Sartre's home phone number and asked him to contribute. If I'd been 30, he might have said no, but I was a 15-year-old with passion and he was charmed. Making money was always just a side product of having a good time and creating things nobody'd seen before.
I still work hard to know my business. I'm continuously looking for ways to improve all my companies, and I'm always selling. Always.
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