Seth Godin's campaign against the lizard brain

This month, I had the pleasure of hearing the amazing Seth Godin speak (if you don't know who Seth is, check out this listing of his books on Amazon; there are nearly 20 of them). Thanks to a VIP ticket, courtesy of Efren Toscano at TechZulu, I was given access to the insider's lounge where Seth greeted people before he took the stage. For music hounds, meeting Trent Reznor or Mick Jaggar is the be all end all; for entrepreneurs and marketers, that's what it's like to meet Seth.

Nearly 900 people were in attendance for the event, sponsored by Bryan Elliott of So Cal Action Sports Network and LinkedOC, and held at the gorgeous St. Regis Hotel and Spa in the upscale community of Dana Point, California. I felt like a giddy school girl as I made my way through the people in the VIP lounge and approached the man I've seen in countless videos and interviews. Clutched in my hand, a copy of his brand new book Linchpin. Seth and I chatted for a moment, then he signed my book and my friend took our photo together. Shortly afterward, Seth departed to the grand ballroom.

In usual fashion, his presentation was full of "a-ha" moments and lots of laughs. If you've ever seen Seth speak, you know he is great at keeping the audience entertained. But, here's the take away from the evening: Don't listen to the lizard brain.

No, that's not a typo. Seth calls that part of your brain that is afraid to take risks, that is too scared to think independently, that is more concerned with "fitting in" rather than "standing out", the lizard--the part that keeps the majority of people average. He went on to make the distinction of how when kids are in school, they so desperately want to be like everyone else. However, as an adult, you never excel, nor reach your full potential, if you don't dare to be different. So, silence the lizard brain within you and take that risk, embrace that challenge, do something different. Set yourself apart from the others!

I'm cracking open my copy of Linchpin today and expect that when I finish the last page of the book, that I, too, will be a little braver, a little bolder, and a lot less reptilian. Watch out world!