Peter Norton Part VIII: The Take Home Points
Obviously, there's much to be learned from Peter Norton's approach. But we were particularly drawn to three more general ideas:
1. Don't waste time trying to conform to social norms or agonizing about quirks in your character. "Quirks" can be quite as much strengths as weaknesses; it all depends upon how contented you are with them and how skillful you are at applying them. Put up with mainstream ways as long as you have to, then use your desire for independence as an extra spur to putting your idea into action, so you can then live the way you want.
2. Don't agonize over supposed flaws in your background, training or opportunities. What the heck kind of training is two years taching recruits to bandage bullet wounds, followed by five years in a Buddhist monastery, for a guy who wants to build a software empire? It's perfect training if he has the imaginationto put it to the right use.
3. Enjoy the process. You can make life as miserable as you want to, but why bother? Books are written on surviving the stress of being in business for yourself. Peter Norton's office is decorated with highly playful, colorful modern art, and he often greets visitors with customized, computer-generated placards, and answers his correspondence on oversize postcards with full-color pictures of himself playing with his children.
In short, if you have the capacity for creativity--and nearly every human does--delight in it. The rest will follow in time.
Excerpted from
The Great American Idea Book: How to Make Money from Your Ideas for Movies, Music, Books, Inventions, Businesses and Almost Anything Else!
Authors: Bob Coleman & Deborah Neville
Publisher: WW Norton
Copyright: 1993,1995
All Rights Reserved
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