During the course of a conversation this last week I realize that something an Oxford professor said to me years ago applies not only to academic writing, but also to business.

Synthesis is an act of creation.

Abby Kerr has been writing recently about unintentional mimicry. Several posts have been devoted to the topic. The conversation is fascinating and I suggest you check it out.

This last week I was involved in a discussion regarding the experience of using mimicry as a learning tool. But by the time you’re building out your own business, the last thing you want to be doing is imitating someone else. What value does that bring to the market? Similarly, in academia the expectation is that you contribute something new to the academic community. Full-on mimicry = plagiarism.

So what do you do, as a thinker, a businessperson, an integrous being, when you catch yourself not just sounding like, but producing the same thing as another, regurgitating content that you have recently devoured, or infringing on intellectual property rights? Or what if you discover someone else is already doing your “big idea”?

It’s time to dig deeper and figure out what it is that you, brilliant and unique, have to offer.

Sometimes digging deeper might lead you to choose a new path. Other times, it might mean absolutely owning the unique nature of what you’re offering, even if there are similarities to others in the market. Just be explicit and honest about what sets you apart. Maybe it’s the method. Maybe it’s the location. Maybe it’s behind-the-scenes access. Maybe you’re covering similar topics, but you’re also making clear connections to other areas that no one has ever done before. (See where this is going?)

Back to Oxford… I was studying Boethius (an early 6th century philosopher). I read translations of primary texts (my Latin was awful!) and read secondary texts to better understand his work. In the end, however, as I discussed my essay face to face with a professor whose intellect made me sweat, what helped me pass was that apparently I had taken a variety of sources, had understood them, and had then combined ideas in a new way, had offered a different slant on the subject matter. My professor then went on — leaving behind the specific content of my essay — to extol the virtues of synthesis and praise the great “act of creation” that is taking separate elements and combining them in fresh ways, thus creating something new and (hopefully) of lasting value to the community. He was worked into quite a glorious frenzy and it made the moment stick.

We each have our own thought patterns, personalities, and stories that shape our perception and experience of the world.

I grew up bouncing back and forth between two worlds:

The repeating seasonal cycle of my move between these two worlds gives me a specific set of experiences and memories, assigned meanings and cultural understandings, that shape my view and understanding of the world. And these are only a small part of all that has shaped me.

You grew up with your own stories, your own set of experiences. And I can guarantee that even the people you shared those experiences with have a slightly (or drastically) different version of events. Even if the stories sound almost the same, if you dig down just a little, there’s something that differentiates each of us.

What does this have to do with business?

For those of us in the building stages, whether we are just starting out or we are expanding, beware of mimicry. There is no need for mimicry and it doesn’t add value. You can, however, draw on the things that you love, the content that inspires you, in the process of synthesis. You can create something new. You can start out with Idea A from Source X and look at how it interacts with Idea B from Source Y and you might just find that by putting these two ideas together, an interesting new thing (idea, product, writing project, etc.) emerges when filtered through your unique lens.

Hint: The most interesting results often come from using disparate elements rather than elements that are highly similar to begin with.

Think of the The Tao of Pooh. Benjamin Hoff saw the similarity between A.A. Milne’s stories about Winnie the Pooh and the ancient principles of Taoism. He was able to talk about Taoism in a new way and reached an audience with a fresh perspective on ancient principles and teachings. Hoff wasn’t the only one talking about Taoism, but his approach was unique. He explained Taoism through Winnie the Pooh and vice versa.

Look for the points of connection. See where new ideas are pushing through the cracks. Listen for that little voice of insight that tells you you’re onto something fresh. Follow a hunch. Take what you’ve learned, and instead of “doing what everyone else is doing,” take the time to find what is uniquely you. What have you already synthesized? What connections are you ready to make to bring value to the community?

We don’t create in a vacuum. That is why my synthesis-promoting professor loved academia, the community of thinkers, and why he pushed me harder than anyone (except Ann Kaloski, a kick-ass professor at the University of York) to put my own thoughts out there, to STOP HIDING behind other people’s ideas and analysis.

We each have something valuable to bring to the table. Do it with integrity. Create from your unique place of purpose and understanding. You can help me see the world in a new way.

(Special thanks to Illana Burk and Pema Teeter for helping to draw this out.)

Related posts:

Lamberton and Pink: Two Dans and Life Skills
Transforming fear into your greatest strength.

This week I sat down and read — in one sitting, which is so rare! — Do the Work by Steven Pressfield, an awesome piece of writing that you should definitely check out asap!

Marie Forleo calls it “The #1 Book On The Planet for Entrepreneurs and Creators” and if you read it you’ll see why.

Today, I want to share with you an idea I had after reading the book.

Pressfield directly addresses Resistance as a key component to any creative endeavor. Instead of talking about it in terms of external pressures and obstacles, Pressfield clearly states that Resistance comes from within.

It is much like a force of nature, and it’s objectives aren’t personal. However, it is something that lives inside us, something we cannot escape by changing locations, jobs, friends, or even outfits. This is a battle we must face internally.

Resistance is your teacher.

“Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.” ~ Pressfield

Conversely, Resistance has great things to teach us about our true desires, our purpose, and where we are meant to be headed. If we listen to our resistance, watch it as if it were a compass, we will know exactly where we are really meant to be. Where do I feel the most resistance? Then THAT is the area where my attention is most urgently needed at this moment.

We get so uncomfortable with fear, resistance, obstacles, and are afraid to say anything negative for fear of “attracting more negative.” But we have to be honest. We have to acknowledge and own reality. Sometimes I feel resistance to a next step. And when I break down the resistance into its component parts, invariably I find that it is actually fear. Whether it’s ego or self-doubt, financial concerns, self-esteem issues, believing I don’t have enough time… whatever the resistance, at its core it is always fear.

So I can be the warrior and slay the dragon, which is the common language of dealing with resistance. (“KILL THE BEAST!”) But today I propose a much more feminine idea. Rather than conquering resistance, slaying the dragon as it were, I suggest that we transform it. See it for the dragon that it is. And use it.

Kill it or transform it?

Resistance can be called the dragon. Let’s say it IS a dragon, an actual winged, fire-breathing, scary-as-hell dragon. And I am facing the dragon. Do I use my weapons and attack? Do the war dance with the dragon? Blood and guts everywhere one way or another.

What if I took a different approach?

I recognize that this dragon is showing me exactly where my soul is truly inclined. The dragon is being a most excellent teacher. So how do I get past it? How do I, as the knight in this particular metaphor, learn about my path and avoid being destroyed by the dragon? Don’t forget, this is one scary motherf*cking dragon we’re talking about!

I want to piss my pants and run the other way. But I’ve made a promise to myself to see this through, to be true to my core nature as a creative being. The dragon is showing me exactly where I need to go to do bigger and better things. (You know the door to pass through or passageway you need to go down is always right behind the dragon! You have to get past the dragon to save the princess…) Still, I am really really REALLY feeling FEAR in this moment.

The Feminine Option

Fear. It’s ugly. It’s mean. It’s predatory. And I can try to fight it, or I can…

love it into something else.

Here’s the Lose Weight Exercise:

Close your eyes and visualize the dragon.

Now let it slowly begin to shrink. Smaller, smaller, smaller.

Let the dragon get small enough to fit right into your heart. That’s right. I mean it. Put the dragon inside your heart.

Can you do it? Can you feel the dragon in your heart? When you look down, do you see it looking up at you?

Fill the dragon with love. Give it so much love it might burst, so happy and content it hardly knows what to do with itself. It might even roll over on its back, exposing its tummy to be rubbed. That content.

Don’t forget, though. This is still a badass dragon. You have a dragon inside of you that can help you fight any battle you must fight. You have limitless power inside of you.

Resistance can be transformed into your greatest strength. YOU have the power. Always.

Now thank the dragon. Thank yourself.

Related posts:

Lamberton and Pink: Two Dans and Life Skills
How to Rock Today! Tips for Stardom.
Get real and give us what we want.

What do Dan Lamberton and Dan Pink have in common?

Aside from the obvious, they both grabbed my attention this week by discussing how we can interact with our world in positive, productive ways.

Professor of English, Dan Lamberton

I really love an obtuse phrase from “Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts,” a book about teaching history by Stanford University’s Sam Wineburg. He says what defines a considerate human is a mind that “cultivates puzzlement.” That is, the humanities teach us not to avoid difficulty, but to pause, habitually, over “received” and easy wisdom and say, “What more can be learned and expressed about this?” Rather than accept the first answer, we need to stir ourselves to restlessness, to stay puzzled.

It sounds to me like we are meant to be creatively engaged with the world, curious, following paths of interest to further our development through experience and questioning, both emotional and intellectual. Beyond that, we need to be able to tell the story.

Today I saw a short clip from Dan Pink on YouTube on choosing a college major. I read a blog post now and then from danpink.com. But today I actually took the time to watch a couple video clips. It happened to remind me of what I’d read yesterday from the interview with Dan Lamberton.

The common thread? More important than a particular degree, individuals need to follow their natural interests, study a topic that “ignites passion.” Students should develop high content and high touch. How are high content and high touch defined? Watch the clip for the explanation in his own words. Dan Pink addresses what will give individuals the skills to survive in the new economy. Be able to think creatively, to synthesize, and to be happy doing it. Also, be emotionally engaged in the world. Have empathy and understand the flow of the human experience.
Dan Pink: Choosing a Major

These may seem like loosely joined ideas to some. However, the message that hit home for me was finding purpose, following areas of natural interest, and never settling for the easy (but usually dissatisfying) answers. My advice to students–and we are all students in some sense, aren’t we?– Be true to yourself. Don’t get hung up on what you think others expect of you. Follow your true passion with creativity, drive, and the relentless pursuit of happiness. Do what you wholeheartedly believe in and you will find yourself exactly where you are meant to be in this rapidly changing “new economy.”

Related posts:

Synthesis in life and business
Life is colorful
Be Present to your Now

My grandfather was a good man. Smart. Successful. Loving. He moved to Dillingham, Alaska in the 1950s to run the small hospital. From there he started his own medical practice which he ran until he retired after his 80th birthday. Everyone knew him as Doc Libby. So what was he right about?

I read a blog post today about the most common mistakes made by entrepeneurs. Nitromarketing.com has just started the post series. Today was about avoiding future spending and remembering taxes.

Future spending is defined as spending based on what you expect to make in the Future rather than present reality. “But I have to focus on my goals!” you say. And I don’t disagree, but I think it is such a common mistake for people in all areas of life, not just entrepeneurs, to spend based on what we want to make, what we hope to make, rather than our actual financial status. For those who believe in the law of attraction and positive thinking, I want to point out that no one said to throw caution to the wind and do whatever you feel like with no action focused on reaching your goals. Just because I want to live the life of financial abundance does not mean I can sit back on the sofa and buy whatever I want and fairly expect that the universe will pay for it. I have to take action to reach my goals. My grandpa always said to practice. Practice takes focus. Focus strengthens energy. And with practice I become better… at whatever I am practicing.

Grandpa also warned me about taxes. I know he helped out his own children when they miscalculated what they’d have to pay early in their adult lives. His advice to me was the same as to them. Don’t wait until the end of the year. Steadily put money aside for taxes so that at tax time you don’t have to stress about how you’re going to pay them. He said to expect the unexpected. That applies to taxes as well as future spending. Things change. That is a guarantee. And at our commercial fishing camp, working on a Honda three-wheeler with my grandpa, I realized he might know a thing or two about it. We hadn’t expected to need a new sparkplug and fuel line, but here we were, fixing the machine instead of mending nets and racking pull lines. But it was all okay. Grandpa had made sure he had enough time for those “unexpected” tasks, like teaching me about mechanics, future spending, and taxes.

For the full post from Nitromarketing.com, visit: The 13 Top Financial Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make