The Mind of Vatke
Thoughts, Musings and Advice by Andre Vatke

“The most original of authors are not so because they advance what is new, but more because they know how to say something, as if it had never been said before.”

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832) German poet, dramatist

There were over 250,000 new books published in 2007. Even as the majority of books sold only a few copies, the industry as a whole enjoyed net sales of close to $25 billion in 2006. And there are more books being published each year. Makes you wonder what’s actually left to talk about?

If you look deep enough you will find that there is little truly original thought in the world. Rarely outside the world of science does an author present something that has not been presented before or is not available in some other form from some other source. It’s the bread crumb trail of influence.

And it’s OK - in when done correctly.

Musicians, artists, writers alike find inspiration from many sources. Being inspired is different from plagiarism.

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Plagiarism is lazy and about as unoriginal as it gets. The Internet has certainly made plagiarism a rampant issue. I have found my own articles and those of associates like Jeff Zalewski and Steve Sakal copied verbatim in various online venues under someone else’s name.

Sure, I’m irritated by this and when appropriate we take legal action to protect ourselves. But there is something that plagiarizers can’t steal. And every original author knows what it is – the ability to connect our observations with our own voice.

So to the originals, material is never ending. And in what is actually easy for us, the plagiarizers continue to covet and steal and relabel - always a step behind and a day late to the program.

Want to find success in your career or your business? Don’t worry about coming up with original ideas. Worry about coming up with original ways to communicate them.