As I started my car, U2’s “Beautiful Day” poured through the speakers and I pulled into traffic with a new excitement as I considered the momentous task that was before me. I was going to write the world. I was going to write a book that would be used by businesses worldwide to help them in their marketing strategies and to create a new influx in commerce and abundance. I sloughed off the idea that I didn’t know a thing about marketing or commerce, not to mention abundance, and sang along with Bono as I cruised down the windswept streets.
I stopped at an intersection and the music ceded for a commercial break. A local car dealership harped about the many deals that it had to offer on fine, new vehicles. I considered for a moment what would happen when this company got a hold of the breakthrough ideas that I was destined to put forth in my new book. Auto sales would incline. More drivers would be on the road, adding to the already crowded streets and polluted air. I shook my head and chastised myself for being such a pessimist.
The next commercial came on tempting me with the savory tastes of two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickle, and onion on a sesame seed bun. Would it be possible that the fast food industry could use my book to find yet more ways to spread their message of clogged arteries, morbid obesity, minimum wage jobs, and environmental devastation?
My excitement was diminishing.
I hit one of the pre-set stations and a woman on NPR was discussing the war in Iraq and how the White House had lied to get us into it.
“They did it for the oil companies,” the woman roared. “By our getting into Iraq, we now control the flow of oil and American oil companies are making record profits because of it.” She stated how their greed for oil and higher profits caused them to lobby specific governmental entities to pursue the war, exchanging blood for crude.
I hit the off button and let silence embrace me as the light changed and I drove on.
The excitement I felt only moments ago in the park was quickly diminishing. With the way that business seemed to so often destroy so many things that we hold so dearly, was it really something I wanted to contribute to? Surely, there was someone more suitable than me to tackle this project. Shouldn’t someone who actually believed that positive fruit could be harvested be planting seeds for further industrial growth?
Industrial growth? The concept hit me as I thought about my history as an industrious businessman. Since graduating from college, after attending three different schools, I’ve held more jobs than most people do in three lifetimes. I had a book that no one was reading and a DVD that no one was watching. And I wasn’t letting anyone know much about either one. I sure didn’t feel like the poster boy for effective marketing.
Shouldn’t this book be written by someone who had some actual success in the field?
This is an excerpt from How to Survive an Estralarian Mind Meld. Come back weekly for the next part or order your copy in ebook or paperback today!
