In search of a jealous chipmunk (reprinted from Seth’s Blog)
This is a reprint from Seth Godin’s blog post from April 18, 2010. He talks about the effectiveness of marketing that preys on people’s rational (or irrational) fears. Which is so much like the fear of public speaking. Many of us have it; we can control it, or become overpowered by it. But I especially loved what he had to say about it in the last paragraph:
“If your fear keeps you alive, embrace it. The rest of the time, the best strategy for success is figuring out how to ignore it, befriend it or use it as a compass to find what matters.”
Amen to that.
Here’s the full post from Seth’s blog:
IN SEARCH OF A JEALOUS CHIPMUNK
You won’t find one, so don’t waste your time.
Chipmunks, wolves and other wild animals rarely get jealous. The number one emotion among wild animals isn’t vanity or happiness: it’s fear. 
Fear is everywhere in the animal kingdom, because fear is a great way to stay alive. Fear is hard-wired into successful species… it doesn’t need to be taught.
You guessed it, we’re wild animals too, a lot of the time. Marketing that preys on fear (buy duct tape!) has the shortest path to follow to success, because the public can’t wait to get scared. An entire portion of our brain (the same brain the lizard has) is dedicated to fear. And it can’t wait to spring into action.
If your fear keeps you alive, embrace it. The rest of the time, the best strategy for success is figuring out how to ignore it, befriend it or use it as a compass to find what matters.
