You’ve been Blogged!

Methinks I’m getting carried away with blogging.

Recently, in an email to a friend, I found myself replying in 100% BLOG-MODE. Somewhere innocently in the email was the question, “Is being visionary a good thing?” Like Pavlov’s blogging dog, I attacked the question with literary force and riffed back with a quick, logical, and well-reasoned answer.

It was a darn good blog. Problem was … it wasn’t supposed to be a blog, it was supposed to be a casual email conversation.

Unfortunately, my friend was bludgeoned by a blog. She was blogeoned! Fortunately, she suffered no serious injuries after being blogeoned except for a few minor scrapes and bruises.

(BLOGEONED ... take that Brand Examiner Paul … you term-coining idiom savant you!)

For the curious, below is my email reply turned blog on “Is being visionary a good thing?”

Being visionary is a double-edged sword. Sometimes you can be so visionary that others can't relate, understand, or even care. The Segway Human Transporter is a great example. Everyone will agree that the Segway is inventive and visionary. But this visionary "scooter" is so visionary that people can't relate to it, understand it, or even care about it. On the other hand, a simple visionary device like the iPod is an invention people can relate to, understand, and care about.

Whole Foods Market was/is visionary in the natural/organic foods arena. For many years, people outside of the core wellness audience couldn't relate, understand, or care about Whole Foods vision of changing the way the world eats by selling only natural and organic goods. But that has changed as more and more people can relate to, understand, and care about living a more authentic, tastier, and healthier life.

Now, Whole Foods is about to embark on another VISIONARY goal ... Animal Compassionate standards that go WAY BEYOND their currently high standards for how they require farmers and ranchers to raise their pigs, cattle, chickens, etc for human consumption. Fast Company's profile of WFM in their July issue touched upon this visionary animal compassionate goal. The double-edge sword for WFM is ... this visionary goal will come at a cost to consumers. The beef, chicken, pork sold under these animal compassionate standards will be HIGHER in retail cost. Will customers relate, understand, and care enough about this visionary goal to pay a higher price for their protein?

Many times people are too comfortable with their own box to think outside of it. That is the double-edge sword of being visionary.

Comments

[Paul (from Brand Autopsy)]

Methinks?

[Akshay Buddiga]

Paul, methinks is a legitimate word.

I first came across methinks in my 1,600 page second grade spelling bee workbook. I’m unclear as to the etymology of the word but that is irrelevant to the conversation.

Give johnmoore a break. This is a blog after all and if one has supreme command of the English language, like johnmoore has, he can color outside the lines from time to time.

You, on the other hand … you need help. I’m through with my second grade spelling bee workbook. Give me your address and I’ll mail it to you.

[Paul (from Brand Autopsy)]

"methinks" I've been "blogeoned" by an eighth-grader ... MOM!!!!!

[Ryan Marle]

It's been said that any idea has it's time, and visionary ideas are even more so because they focus on a greater future. The only way being a visionary can be a bad thing is when the extraordinary minds are reeled in, influenced and destroyed by the mediocre minds. Integrity, determination and passion have always led to breakthrough some before it's time, some just in time. The question is more, how easy do you give up.