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The world is filled with willing people; some willing to work, the rest willing to let them.
-- Robert Frost
 

 

Friday, October 25, 1996

Castles of the Mind

Almost all of today’s new fortunes
are based not on hard assets but on
ideas and organizing principles.
               -- Forbes Magazine, October 14, 1996

There is no doubt that ideas and information are increasingly responsible for driving the world economic engine.

Creating wealth is all about providing as much value as possible to as many people as possible. Until recently, that meant mainly digging things out of the ground, putting things together in factories, growing and processing food and fiber, moving all this stuff around, and supervising all those people who were doing this work. Now, as we have developed highly automated systems for doing the digging, the assembling, the growing and the moving, a far more powerful way of creating wealth has emerged.

Information technology can vastly increase the value of almost any productive activity. No longer is the community pediatrician limited to serving just those children within driving distance. Now she can distill her expertise onto a CD-ROM, or connect by video to remote clinics, or publish an electronic newsletter for her professional peers, and extend her influence globally. No longer is the backyard barbeque chef limited to providing value just for those in his neighborhood. Now he can publish his fajita recipe on the Internet, host a cable-TV cooking show, or provide consultation to restaurants worldwide via e-mail.

We live in an incredible time. Your expertise, your knowledge, your passion, your principles can be translated into real and meaningful value. This can enrich the lives of people worldwide, and your own life as well. No matter what your job title is, success in today’s world is based on ideas, passion, expertise, knowledge, and concepts.

— Ralph Marston

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Copyright ©1996 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Other than personal sharing, please do not re-distribute without permission.