Selling the Dream

Personal success requires courage to attempt something great. And that means boldness which is, at times, confused with arrogance.

But there's a difference between arrogance and confidence. It has to do with one's attitude and motivation. In Selling the Dream (HarperCollins, 1991) Guy Kawasaki explains the difference by exploring the concept of "evangelism."

Evangelism is the process of convincing people to believe in your product or idea as much as you do. It means selling your dream by using fervor, zeal, guts, and cunning. (page 3)

Although I'm inclined to retain a theological definition of the term ("spreading the good news") I can understand Kawasaki's point. He wants to contrast this view with traditional sales. And the main difference is the motivation: To change the world!

To the luckiest of people, a time comes when they join or launch a cause that forever changes their lives and the lives of others. Losing yourself in a cause is delicious and intoxicating. The best word to describe the sensation is "crusade." (page 5)

This is a key to personal success - finding a cause that's big enough for us to jump into and is also big enough to invite others to jump into. What's your crusade?

UPDATE: You can now follow Guy Kawasaki on Twitter!