When we were younger, many of us wanted to set the trend, now I'm just happy if I can recognize it.
I borrowed the expression "The Trend is Your Friend" from James Dines, the publisher of a financial newsletter known as the Dinesletter. It is one of, if not the oldest financial newsletter, dating back to 1960. That alone is one validation, and the other one is that I have done very well from its recommendations. I should add for safety that I am not a financial expert, so take my comments for what they are and invest at your own risk.
One of Mr Dines premises is that when all others are losing their nerve in the market, just follow the underlying trend and it will protect and support you.
If the market for a particular commodity is trending upward, then you should not be swayed by those that are selling selling short as a result of fear-based news that does not substantially impact the value of the commodity that supports the equity you are investing in, unless of course management has made some serious errors, which is another matter. The intrinsic value of a commodity is within the trend, not in the erratic behavior of human beings who may make decisions that are not entirely rational.
This insight fits well with my topic of social media marketing, which is becoming increasingly more humanized, and therefore subject to a number of human influences that are impossible to predict in the short term. That is why I will be addressing how to understand and capitalize on that apparent unpredictability in my book.
Getting to the point, today I completed 4600 words, just shy of another Chapter, which is Chapter 2 of my anticipated 12 Chapter book on social media marketing. As a result of this, I'm invoking the law of "the trend" to affirm I will be able to sustain this level of performance and complete the first draft in approximately 11 more days.
My tip for today's accomplishment comes from my wife Leslie, who suggested I need more balance in my life. "You are always working," she says. Having announced my goal of completing this project to the blogoshere in an exceedingly tight timeframe, I have to admit I may have been operating under a slightly fear-based mentality. So, today I allowed time to break up my writing with clients calls, social calls, and even a drive with the top down to enjoy the fresh, autumn air on this balmy Chicago day. It worked! I'm right on track.
The commodity in my situation is not the gold, or silver, or rare earth metals that Mr Dines is currently recommending, but something very intangible – ideas. I have to mine those ideas. I know they are there, yet, as with those precious metals, they are also buried beneath a bunch of rubble. The key is knowing they are there and available to me if I allow them to come to the surface through a sustained, yet, balanced effort. Keep digging Jeff, the trend is your friend.
Photo Credit: Kadeeae
Alright, coincidence is scary. I was asked the other day how I manage to have some blog posts be noticed by the consumers, and how they ranked well in the SERPs. I explained that I looked at various trends, and I wrote about them. Not as simple as that, but the matter did boil down to looking at trends. If you look at the Smart Grid which is being discussed on many blogs, you would think that it popped out of nowhere. However it had been a trend among green oriented professionals, and now it is coming to the public attention for a few reasons. Look at your industry, and yous will find that something is happening that will eventually become big news to to others. Write about it now, and you come out on top (for awhile at least
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Frank – This is scary, because your comments are right in line with what I was writing in my book.
The general idea is the seeds of trends are here today, but you have to find them now before they really blossom if you want to get a drink at the trough before it gets too crowded. I call this “finding the next middle.”
Thanks for the heads up on Smart Grid. I’ll check it out. Where is the heavy discussion?
Jeff
Jeff,
Congratulations on your rapid progress! I am so impressed with how much you have achieved so far – and the fact that you still find time to write a daily blog!
I’m in Chicago now to teach a program and I think your balmy, convertible-top weather has moved on…
regards,
Gilda
P.S. I’m glad you found my visualization “nudge” last week helpful.
Gilda – You know what they say around here – if you don’t like the weather, stick around! You definitely missed the good stuff.
Today was not so productive in words, but more in staying on task and staying the course for getting the shape of this book.
What can I say, I love blogging. For some reason it isn’t work to me. I’m hopefully this book will eventually take on a similar role.
Jeff
Jeff, I started tracking Smart Grid discussions in blogs and newspapers about a year ago through my Google Alerts. I started writing about them a little before that. People seem to forget that the concept has been around much longer, and that Smart Grid technologies already were around in the eighties. I noticed that various blogs and papers have been taking a pro or con view recently. This past week, I heard my local news bring up the topic.