Don’t you need a little inspiration sometimes?

You’d notice a purple cow gazing in a pasture and probably remark about it, wouldn’t you? Seth Godin is a prolific blogger and author of 24 books, including one of my favorites, Purple Cow. Godin argues that businesses need to do something remarkable to stand out in today’s crowded marketplace.

Did you know you’re a purple cow? You are. God made you uniquely you. The planet doesn’t have another you.

Godin has so much great advice for entrepreneurs, but he also has gold nuggets that are usable on a personal level. Let’s discuss a few.

My Favorite Seth Godin Quotes

1 — “Good enough’ stopped being good enough a long time ago. So why not be great?”

Great requires more effort, commitment, and sacrifice. “Good” is good enough when making PB&J sandwiches for lunch, cleaning the house, and weeding the garden, but being elite in your profession has its perks.

2 — “If you can’t state your position in eight words, you don’t have a position.”

This comment is probably directed toward marketers, but it’s equally valid for people. Doesn’t it get on your nerves when people beat around the bush?

3 — “You can raise the bar or you can wait for others to raise it, but it’s getting raised regardless.”

Pursue excellence in everything important to you; don’t worry about a bar.

4 — “Be personal. Be relevant. Be specific.”

This is the only way to be helpful. And if you’re talking face-to-face with someone, look them in the eyes, smile, and nod.

5 — “If failure is not an option, then neither is success.”

Don’t let discouragement and despair slow you down. A few failures are often the prerequisite for success.

6 — “In our desire to please everyone, it’s very easy to end up being invisible or mediocre.”

Even Jesus didn’t try to please everyone, especially the religious leaders. To everyone else, He spoke in parables, knowing that some people wouldn’t understand Him.

7 — “Successful people are the ones who are breaking the rules.”

Do you remember the Mac v. PC commercials in the late 2000s? Critics said it was mean-spirited. Maybe, but the ads were funny and lifted Apple sales by 39% in 2006.

8— “If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.”

Unless it’s jumping out of an airplane at 30,000 feet without a parachute, which is silly. But don’t you think every successful innovator was scared when they launched? Of course, they were.

9 — “If you want to dig a big hole, you need to stay in one place.”

Give your dream a chance. Focus, launch, learn, reiterate, relaunch.

10 — “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.”

Amen.

11 — “The best the timid can hope for is to be unnoticed. Criticism comes to those who stand out.”

It’s better to fail and face criticism than to waste time on the couch watching Breaking Bad reruns with those who judge you. Ignore the negative comments on Twitter.

12 — “The challenge, it turns out, isn’t in perfecting your ability to know when to start and when to stand by. The challenge is getting into the habit of starting.”

Starting releases ripples into the universe, changing your environment like the Butterfly Effect. Doing nothing yields nothing.

13 — “Dig your well before you’re thirsty.”

Get skills before you become dispensable.

14 — “Soon is not as good as now.”

The world is waiting on your great idea. Have you looked around? We need it.

15 — “The cost of being wrong is less than the cost of doing nothing.”

Doing nothing yields nothing. No lessons were learned. No fears were overcome. No confidence was gained. You learn something new every time you have the faith to launch. My book isn’t on Amazon’s top ten thousand list, but the process of writing, editing, and publishing it has taught me far more than I would have learned just spectating from the sidelines.

Iterate to greatness.

Wrapping It Up

I hope these 15 Seth Godin quotes motivated you to pursue excellence, be specific and relevant, break some rules, and take action. If so, you can unleash your full potential and achieve success. The world is waiting. Embrace the purple cow mentality and strive for greatness in all aspects of your life.

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