Anything you read by Seth Godin is gold! Seth co-authored this book with Malcom Gladwell, making it even better! It really helped me realize the process for spreading ideas that win. It’s a great marketing book and whether you’re promoting a new product, a website, a youtube video, or what you think is the next big idea, this book will help you develop a process to help your product or idea go viral. Of course, the challenge is making a product or having an idea worthy of going viral.

If you’re into creating and pushing ideas and products. Pick this book up!

Buy it here:

Here are some highlights:

• SNEEZER Some people are more likely to tell their friends about a great new idea. These people are at the heart of the ideavirus. Identifying and courting sneezers is a key success factor for ideamerchants.
• If just 1% or even 15% of a group is excited about your idea, it’s not enough. You only win when you totally dominate and amaze the group you’ve targeted. That’s why focusing obsessively on a geographic or demographic or psychographic group is a common trait among successful idea merchants.
• If you don’t get permission to follow up, the entire $100 is wasted.
• If your idea doesn’t become a virus, it’s most likely because it didn’t deserve to become a virus.
• If it’s not compelling, it will never lead to an ideavirus.
• Is it worth it? Nobody spreads an ideavirus as a favor to you. They do it because it’s remarkable, thought-provoking, important, profitable, funny, horrible or beautiful.
• Targeting everyone is a sure path to failure.
• Choose your sneezers—don’t let them choose you. By focusing obsessively on who you’re choosing to sneeze on your behalf, you build the foundation for your virus.
• The challenge of the idea merchant is to turn the virus into an asset. And you turn the virus into an asset when you ask the user for permission to follow up directly!

• The more people know your virus, the more it is worth! Thus, if charging people for exposure to your virus is going to slow down its spread, give it away.

For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. Ephesians 2:10

Have you ever been last picked? It’s not the greatest feeling in the world. We all want to be a part of a winning team. We all want to succeed. We all want to be picked first in life. However, I find that all too often, we feel inadequate in life and believe that what we have to offer is worthless compared to what everyone around us brings to the table.

Seth Godin wrote a great post, “Reject the Tyranny of Being Picked: Pick Yourself“.  In it, he said, “No one is going to pick you. Pick yourself.”

While I was reading that post, I agreed with that statement. It’s true that in life, there may be no one who goes out of their way to pick you. You need to believe in yourself and what you can do if you’re going to be successful.

But as I was reading that quote by Seth, God spoke to my heart. He said, “I’ve picked you.”

That got me fired up! Ephesians 2:10 says that God already has paths planned for us, that if we’ll walk in them, we’ll live the good life, that he pre-arranged for us! God has already picked us. He picked us before we were even born (Romans 5:8). I like how Zig Ziglar says it, “God doesn’t take time to make a nobody.”

Once we know that God’s already picked us in life, we can start to pick ourselves. We can believe in what He has put in us. We can believe in what He sees in us.

Always remember that God has picked you.

So stop doubting yourself. Stop diminishing your dreams. Stop thinking everyone else has talent and you don’t. Stop thinking everyone else “on the team” is great, and you are mediocre. God picked you for His team. He believes in you.

Start to See Yourself as He Sees You and Go after what He’s put in your heart.

Thoughts?