How fast does information go? Can information go faster than the speed of light? Photo ©Duke University
John Locke, in his An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, defines idea as “that term which, I think, serves best to stand for whatsoever is the object of the understanding when a man thinks, I have used it to express whatever is meant by phantasm, notion, species, or whatever it is which the mind can be employed about in thinking; and I could not avoid frequently using it.”
Recently, Miles Kohrman offered some ideas to succeed, there is no one size fits all formula but here are a few.
Get up insanely early, it sounds scary, we know, but consider what would happen if instead of watching reruns of bad movies at night, you went to bed at a reasonable hour, thus allowing yourself to wake up early and be SUPER productive? Waking up before anybody else allows you to work out the logistics of the day to come, track your time, and (most importantly) unplug for a few hours.
Learn how to tell stories, you want to be successful in life, but you don’t have a job, or you’re looking for a new one. The first step to nail that dream job ? Learn how to tell a great story–starting with your interview.
Big companies know storytelling is the secret weapon to “branding.” Why? Because people don’t fall in love with data dumps and PowerPoint slides–they are moved by emotions.
And for those looking to be in charge, the best–and most memorable–way to make an impact and stick in people’s minds is to ditch the small talk, and learn how to unspool meaningful narratives.
What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:9
Consider the claims that Avatar borrowed many of its plot twists from other movies.
- Dances with Wolves – Military officer goes native
- Pocahontas – While going native our hero falls for native woman who is betrothed.
- Fern Gully – peace-loving forest folk with special powers, whose magic trees are threatened by humans who want to chop them down
Igor Stravinsky. Photo courtesy George Grantham Bain Collection
“Stravinsky was about to start a new ballet. But instead of starting completely from scratch, he pulled out some of his favorite manuscripts, got out a red pen, and started correcting some of these manuscripts as though it was his own. And he borrowed baselines and melodies from the famous works, but he composed his own rhythms and harmonies under that work. And when the ballet came out, the critics were outraged.
They said, “How dare you do this to the Classics?! Leave the Classics alone!”
And you know Stravinsky’s reply? You respect but I LOVE”
His TEDxKC talk (below) is worth listening, he shares Steve Jobs, Picasso, David Bowie, T.S. Elliot and Tom Philips on stealing ideas, transformation and flattery. Take a nugget from everyone and everything you do, transform it .
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