My good friend, Hugh MacLeod was not ignoring me by being kind enough to let me get an advance copy of his new book called Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity. You can pre-order it both in paperback and for the Kindle.
It is a short, fast read, which is great. What’s even better is the fact you will return to this book over and over again, picking it up and reading a chapter or two just to get yourself back into it when some jerk generally screws with your day. Hugh’s advice and commentary should be required reading for everybody doing a start-up, coming up with a earth changing idea or dreaming of the day they punch out of that Dilbert-like cubicle.
Along with 80 of his cartoons, Hugh gives you some seriously unvarnished straight up advice in 40 bite-sized chapters:
- Good ideas have lonely childhoods.
- Selling out is harder than it looks.
- Don’t try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether.
- Beware of turning hobbies into jobs.
Of course:
- Ignore everybody.
“The more original your idea is, the less good advice other people will be able to give you….You don’t know if you idea is any good the moment it’s created. Neither does anyone else. The most you can hope for is a strong gut felling that is it.”
And my personal favorite:
- The idea doesn’t have to be big. It just has to be yours.
“The sovereignty you have over your idea will inspire far more people than the actual content ever will.”
This book probably should be a must read for everybody who wanders into a VC office but, for sure, you should get it.
Well done, Hugh!
I'm a big fan of Hugh, his cartoons are insightful and hilarious.
:-)
Wendy Kroy
Posted by: Wendy Kroy | June 05, 2009 at 09:10
Thank you for some very useful info. I will be sure to read more here!
Posted by: Forex news | June 19, 2009 at 13:06