Unleash your superpowers

You’re bloody lucky. Given the enormous vastness of the universe, you could have ended up as any number of nature’s creations – a rock, a sloth, a yellow tailed marmoset. Or even Paris Hilton. Instead, you’ve ended up as the highest order of life on the planet.

One of your superpowers is the ability to communicate brilliantly. As humans, we’re deeply social animals. All the personally rewarding – and financially successful – parts of our lives revolve around our interactions with people. Even if you’re a genius, you still need others to help your genius come to life and transmit it to the world.

Use that superpower wisely (remember: with great power comes great responsibility) and exciting adventures – and profit – will follow.

Last year, I performed 24 comedy shows at the Edinburgh Festival. One of them was attended by a bloke who runs a cutting-edge marketing company called Beyond Analysis. Weeks later, he called up and invited me to give a presentation to his team about innovation and how to unleash creativity.

While I was waiting in the reception of the company, I chose to strike up a conversation with a smart lady sitting nearby. [It’s worth noting that this is one of the key pivotal points in the chain of events. It’s always good to talk to – and make connections with – your fellow humans. Every single person has something valuable to offer; and every interaction with someone new has the ability to enhance your business empire or personal life.]

The lady mentioned that she worked for a famous DIY retail chain, so I decided to seize the moment and tell her about my idea for a range of innovative door knobs (yes, I’m tirelessly trying to push the boundaries of modern-living – where’s my knighthood?).

A few days later, she gave me the details of the buyer in charge of "door furniture" (as it’s called in the trade). Soon after, I visited the DIY firm’s offices to pitch my idea – and promptly got a rejection.

But while I was there, the buyer asked me to submit designs for a completely separate range of door furniture (and we’re close to getting the thumbs-up on those), plus I was also invited to run a range of creativity sessions for their senior team.

Thus, a stand-up comedy show led to a new range of door furniture and series of corporate speeches. And who knows where these developments will lead next!? [Insert your own "knob gag" here.]

So, today, here’s a suggestion. Create an exciting (and very likely, lucrative) experiment for yourself by tapping into your superpowers.

First, talk to someone you’ve never met before. It can be someone who catches your eye, someone who looks fascinating or someone you wouldn’t normally talk to. You can even tell them I told you to do it, so they won’t think you’re a total oddball.

Second, try something you’ve never done before – whether it’s something large, (a whole new business strategy), something less big (a novel way of praising your staff) or even something small (reading a magazine you’d never read before – finally, the excuse you’ve been waiting for to purchase Rubber Fetish Monthly).

The most important thing of all is that you take action! You never know just where it might lead. Shed Simove is an author, comedian, corporate speaker and modern-day entrepreneurial genius. See more of his amazing adventures and products on www.IdeasMan.co.uk, follow Shed on Twitter and find out more about his inspirational presentations here.

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