Brains on Fire

I just finished reading Brains on Fire: Igniting Powerful, Sustainable, Word of Mouth Movements by Robbin Phillips, Greg Cordell, Geno Church, and Spike Jones and there were some great quotes that made me stop and think about our connections, communications and relationships to others.

Cool book jacket too!

...movements begin with the first conversation, that small group of deeply passionate and deeply dedicated people who believe. And plan. And pour blood, sweat, and tears into going out, finding kindred spirits, looking them in the eye, and talking with them about how they would shape this thing. They ask questions about engagement and participation, plant seeds, and ignite excitement. And the great thing about this laborious process is that it gets people talking with their friends in their own language about what they're helping to start (p. 26)

Quality trumps quantity, and as vice president of brand marketing at Fiskars, Jay Gillespie, told us, "For me, it's not about the numbers. It's about growing even deeper relationships." In other words, he'd rather concentrate on building meaningful connections with the members who are already part of the movement. And as that happens, more people will naturally be attracted to it (pgs. 62-63)

Moving from evangelism to ownership requires one big thing: sacrifice. True ownership calls for loyalty and the willingness of someone-a customer, an employee, a friend-to make an investment or personal sacrifice and accept shared responsibility for an organization's continued triumph. Whether it's taking the time to put up flyers or write a letter, spending the money to create their own swag, or any number of other activities, it's the real investment of personal time and resources in support of something the believe in (p. 89)

This reminded me of a writing by the late Aikido Master, George Leonard, in his book
The Way of Aikido: Life Lessons from an American Sensei

When the samurai Kikushi was ordained a bodhisattva [one devoted to lifelong service], his master told him, "You must concentrate upon and consecrate yourself wholly to each day, as though a fire were raging in your hair."

What is your passion, purpose or goal? How do you share your passions and goals with others?