The status quo is so overrated.
When everybody else is going left, I go right. When the sign says up, I go down. Purposely.
My life is a cookbook in going against the grain.
I’m a happy single parent (and not looking for a better half)… I have lots of tattoos (for a girl)… and to the utter amazement (and awe) of most people around me, I freely travel the world with a young child in tow.
This philosophy carries over in my business life too.
For example, when a particular marketing technique (like safelists) is totally out of style, I embrace the hell out of it and see what happens.
Sure it’s a calculated risk. Sometimes I discover the wrong way really is the wrong way.
But then again, there was a time when everybody thought the world was flat…
This unique outlook - I’m discovering more and more each day - is a definite asset to my writing career.
A Quick Look at Contraian Writership
You ever heard of the book Die Broke?
Written in 1998, it was a NY Times bestseller. And it’s an immpecable example of Contrarian Writership.
Many people are taught to work a 9-5… use credit cards… retire at 62… give our kids an inheritance.
Die Broke says ditch the 9-5, get rid of your consumer debt, DON’T retire, and live your entire life happily ever after until “the end.”
Can you imagine NOT retiring?
Most people can’t because of an ingrained Pavlovian response to the infamous work life equation: Hard work + 40 years = Retirement
And yet, enough ‘wrong way’ thinkers resonated with the don’t retire idea enough to make Die Broke a bestseller.
So your task for today is to think of how can you add a contrarian point of view to your regular writing.
Prove a point that others say is unprovable. Do something that is supposidly un-doable. And then write about it.
Shake up the establishment and grow rich,
Alexis Dawes
October 11th, 2006 at 11:18 am
Alexis, you rock. You need your own cable tv show entitled “The Revolution Begins With You” With all the make a million in minutes crap and I’ll kiss your ass if you kiss my ass promotions that floods my inbox daily your posts are like a breath of fresh air. Another great book I have had by my side since 1983 is “How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World” by Harry Browne. Think outside the box types will love it. You should start a new Blog Folder entitled My Favorite Think Outside The Box Books. The type books that short circuit most peoples minds.
L
October 11th, 2006 at 2:09 pm
L, you rock too. Thank you for your kind comments.
Funny thing, I took a class some 6 years ago that taught me how to do a cable tv show. I was the producer. My 5 minute show ran on the local cable channel for a long time. It was a lot of freakin’ work though! Maybe I’ll do a podcast when I finish getting all this ‘extreme makeover’ dental work done.
I’m hopping on over to Amazon to order the Harry Browne book right now. Any other similar type book suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
And keep the comments coming.
Alexis