Ok. So, this post comes to you compliments of Chris Brogan’s newsletter this week. (Here’s where you can subscribe, which I recommend doing: http://www.chrisbrogan.com/newsletters/) I didn’t write a word of it. BUT – I thought it was really worth sharing. Here’s why -it is sooooo easy to get stuck in ruts – in our life and in our business. When it comes to marketing, it is important to have a clear, consistent message and a consistent way of delivering that message to the right people.

BUT – it is also extremely important that the delivery of that message and the way that message is communicated varies regularly. The exercise that Chris suggests in this post, will help you to add some creativity into your day to day life. And, of course, that will also translate over into your business. Which is always a good thing. So – read Chris’s post and try to do what he says.

Thanks, Chris.

Find Three Patterns and Break Them

We operate our lives largely by repetitive patterns. In the morning, we do the same handful of things. We go off to work and do the same things. We eat the same things. We say the same things when people talk with us. Let’s mess with that. The goal isn’t to improve anything. It’s SIMPLY to take any pattern-based  and swap it out with another one for a few days.

Find three patterns – ANY patterns – and write them down. Do you buy a Starbucks Latte every morning? Do you say “not bad” when people ask you “how’s it going?” Do you watch two hours of TV after dinner?

The day after you read this, take a piece of paper and a pen with you. Write down a pattern as you recognize it. Then, write down what you might do differently. If you do Starbucks, try McDonalds or Dunkin Donuts, or try diet Coke, or water. Remember, the goal isn’t to do anything “good” or “healthy.” Let’s just change the activity.

Try the verbal ones. Say something COMPLETELY different than you typically do when people greet you.

Now, do this for three or four days (more than two, please). Write me back a few words about what you noticed, if anything, from the experiment. Did you observe anything about yourself? Did your changes make you think differently about how you conduct yourself? What about the verbal ones? Report back and let’s talk about it.