The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin.
This is the sixth book for my weekly Wednesday book review.
Seth Godin is a favorite author for many of us. His claim to fame are his many books on marketing and his blog that he’s been daily writing to for over 12 years!
The Icarus Deception is a book for anyone with a dream and desire to do something to meaningful. The book gives alternative ways to view the world. Based on the impact of the internet and what it has allowed any of us to do, Seth encourages people to stand up, stand out, be vulnerable and make a meaningful connection to people.
His central theme is stating that in previous generations, the safest place to be was allowing another to take care of you. You needed to fit in a predetermined place — shun the idea of bringing attention to yourself or standing out. But now things have changed; the safest place for you to be is being different, creative, daring, unique and vulnerable.
Here’s a great quote from the publisher’s description:
Everyone knows that Icarus’s father made him wings and told him not to fly too close to the sun; he ignored the warning and plunged to his doom. The lesson: Play it safe. Listen to the experts. It was the perfect propaganda for the industrial economy. What boss wouldn’t want employees to believe that obedience and conformity are the keys to success?
But we tend to forget that Icarus was also warned not to fly too low, because seawater would ruin the lift in his wings. Flying too low is even more dangerous than flying too high, because it feels deceptively safe.
The safety zone has moved. Conformity no longer leads to comfort. But the good news is that creativity is scarce and more valuable than ever. So is choosing to do something unpredictable and brave: Make art. Being an artist isn’t a genetic disposition or a specific talent. It’s an attitude we can all adopt. It’s a hunger to seize new ground, make connections, and work without a map. If you do those things you’re an artist, no matter what it says on your business card.
Godin shows us how it’s possible and convinces us why it’s essential.
I first read the book a year ago but had to re-listen to it last week to write this review. It was great hearing it again…
If you’re open to a bit of butt-kicking this book will do it. It doesn’t allow you to be comfortable doing nothing.
One of my favorite sections is where he brings up Steven Pressfield’s book The War of Art. He states how he disagrees with Pressfield’s war or fight with the resistance.
In the War of Art, Steven Pressfield describes “the resistance” as the part of our brain or reality that fights with us when we try to do something artistic or meaningful. He says it can manifest as procrastination, addiction, fear or a number of others.
Seth acknowledges the reality of the resistance, but he says, we can’t fight it, but we must embrace it. He says the manifestation of resistance is an indication that we’re doing the right thing. If there’s no resistance, we’re not taking chances, we’re not on the edge — we’re playing it safe and won’t really make a difference.
Anyway, those are my main takeaways.
If this sounds like something you’d like to read, please click below to order it.
To buy, go here: The Icarus Deception
Arvell Craig