Being unreasonable

Seth Godin has a new book out called "The Dip.".  I love this post he just put up on his new site to promote the book:

"We did everything within reason and we still lost."

Your competition beats you when they do things that are unreasonable. In large markets, the unreasonable competitor always establishes the new benchmark, always ends up as best in the world, always redefines what 'within reason' means.

I guess the only choice is to be unreasonable."

It's hard to fathom sometimes just how hard you have to push yourself to get beyond what everyone else is doing.  Even when you do, there is always someone else right behind you waiting for you to take a break.  When you pause, they slide on by to the new ground you had in your sights.

Seth is right.  You have to be unreasonable.  You have to break the rules.  I don't mean things that are illegal or unethical.  But I do mean doing things that might get you out of your comfort zone.  Innovations and new benchmarks don't happen inside our comfort zones.

What rules are you ready to break tomorrow?