How far do your thoughts travel?

September 25, 2007 11:41 AM

Edward DeBono once said, “The measure of a great thinker is how far his thoughts travel.”

I call this “Idea Reach.”

And if you’re a creative professional, thought leader or entrepreneur, know this:

The farther your ideas go, the more your business will grow.

Now, if you want to figure out how far YOUR thoughts travel, the first thing you’ve got to do is take stock. Consider these self-assessment questions:

1. How many subscribers do you have?
2. What different countries do your website hits come from?
3. When was the last time you got an email from a complete stranger across the world that read something you wrote?
4. When was the last time you did an interview on a radio station outside of your hometown?
5. When was the last time you were recognized in a city outside of your hometown?
6. When was the last time your work was published in a widely circulated print publication?
7. When was the last time you were pinged on a blog you never heard of until your Google Alerts told you?
8. When was the last time you got an instant message from someone in China?
9. How often are you receiving unsolicited leads or fan mail from customers outside of your typical industry?
10. When was the last time you met someone who said, “Yeah, I’ve heard of you before…”

These questions should give you a solid primer for your Idea Reach.

Still, there’s one more secret…

You must MONITOR how far your thoughts travel.

Here are two suggestions for doing so:

1. Use The Google. Do regular keyword searches on your name, company name, website, philosophies and product titles. Find out who’s talking about you. Also, sign up for Google Alerts immediately. If you don’t know what that is, just Google it.

2. Keep Record. Create a WOM journal that tracks every single time you were talked about online. You might also keep a separate journal chronicling emails, instant messages, phone calls and personal encounters that tell you how far your thoughts travel.

By combing these questions and measuring tools, you’ll develop a better understanding of your Idea Reach.

REMEMBER: anonymity is your greatest barrier to business success.

The farther your ideas go, the more your business will grow.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How far do your ideas travel?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Start your Idea Reach Journal Today. Email [email protected] with your best Idea Reach experience!

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Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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