September 21, 2009 69 Comments

No Locks No Gates

locks and a gate The most powerful changes of my last few years came from one realization: there are no locks, no gates. In doing all that I’ve accomplished, it’s come from the repeated situation of doing something I wanted to try, making lots of mistakes, fixing the mistakes, and suddenly being at the core of something really useful. I started blogging in 1998 when it was called journaling. I started PodCamp with Christopher S. Penn because we wanted a different kind of event where we explored the disruption of new media. I started New Marketing Labs because I wanted to create a different kind of new marketing agency.

I never once asked for permission. I never once worried that someone else had done it or that someone had done it differently. Most times, it never dawned on me to think about those things.

No one told Richard Branson he couldn’t reinvent air travel, or space travel, or record stores, or dozens of other business categories. No one ever told Jeff Pulver he couldn’t rethink how we communicate via voice. And when people do choose to tell you that something can’t be done, or that you’ll never succeed, don’t listen. Everything worth doing seems impossible. To other people. To you? It’s what comes next.

Rethink everything. Do it all the time. Tom Peters taught me that (with Re-Imagine!).

If you don’t reimagine, if you don’t reinvent, if you don’t start something because you know it’ll work, where will you be? When will you do it?

There are no locks, no gates. Now what?

Photo credit, Darwin Bell

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  • remarkablogger

    Just the ones in our minds.

    Damn the torpedoes and all that.

  • http://www.salesrescueteam.com Sales Rescue Team

    Absolutely, Chris. Terrific and powerful reminder. There are no locks, no gates. Amen.
    That's the making of a real entrepreneur, a real inventor, a paradigm-breaking business mind. You can't be told no. You can't be locked out. You just climb over the fence or buy a fence cutter. Thanks for the reminder.

  • http://twitter.com/johnflurry John Bergquist

    Chris, This idea of no gates, of making your own game, gives so much freedom. There are so many people that have been told “get back in line” or “don't rock the boat”. I have really enjoyed how you and Julien Smith have illustrated how each person has the power to make a difference in their own setting, to make their own game. Thanks for writing it. I am glad you are re-imagining.

  • http://detroit.fwix.com Jamie Favreau

    You are right. Great things don't happen because someone stopped half way. Even though times are tough for some people it is imagination which will move us to the next level especially in MI. Perseverance is essential today and just because someone thinks the finish line is in one place… then you push through this.

    Much like my job search… NO means not right now… but you can change everything. It is all about perspective.

  • http://www.katugasm2.co.uk nigellegg

    Good thoughts to start the week on a positive note. Thanks Chris!

  • http://www.seldomseenkid.co.uk geetarchurchy

    Without the locks and gates it means we can try to be innovative and fail, and still develop the conversations and ideas we're having without fear. To me, fear is the greatest barrier there is to that innovation and growing of ideas, without fear, anything is possible.

  • boulderservices

    If you think you can. You can.

  • http://www.genomicon.com/ Nick Taylor

    Yea, but if you're the kind of guy who likes to look up cutlery on wikipedia, you'll see on the 'fork' page a picture of a spork.

    It's from the patent office. Someone's patented the spork. That's a lock. That's a gate. You're not allowed to make your own sporks.

    Whether anyone told Richard Branson he couldn't reinvent music stores is unknown… what is known is that the music industry has thrown up locks and gates at a huge number of web entrepreneurs since – and this isn't just the P2P people – go ask the people mp3.com or Somafm or youtube or lastfm or any others.

    It seems like every second country in the world today is flirting/fighting with draconian “3 strikes” laws, and net-neutrality is a constant battleground.

    The truth is not that “there are no locks, no gates”, the truth is that there is currently a HUGE war going on to prevent locks and gates becoming so prevalent and restrictive that the entire web turns into a cross between AOL and a sort of bundled cable-subscription.

    Good luck with your sporks btw.

  • edhart

    I like this a lot. Many years ago, I was asked in a job interview what I disliked about work. Almost without hesitation, I replied “sacred cows”. What intrigued me most about the question was having to explain what my answer meant.

    If I had a £ for every time someone replied to my question “Why do you do it that way”, with “Because I always have”, I'd be a very rich man.

    On the plus side, I got the job.

  • pijushkantimukherjee

    You are an out and out Achiever.

    You inspire many like me.

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  • annewalshcoach

    Ah, to quote the Jesuits. Better to ask forgiveness than permission! I love the analogy that Martha Beck uses about prison bars. We are usually the ones holding them up in front of us. Thank you!

  • Michael Bailey

    It may or may not be true. It's not a global setting, and will vary with each individual. Even if it is true, be prepared to hash it out for at least 4 years or longer while everyone else accepts the fact that they don't have any locks or gates in their present system and decides to go with your product or service.

    In the end, keep your day job, if you still have one. Whatever you do, don't rack up a bunch of debt while you purse your passion. You'll end up more than broke while everyone else just keeps doing their own thing.

  • partywedo

    I am reminded of a statement from a recently published book concerning people who fearlessly jump over gates: “Trust agents know this. They live in this space. They look for the games inside the games, and they find ways to win.”

    Why wait for permission to try something new. Just do it, and see what happens next.

  • timdempsey

    Great way to greet a Monday. As a peripatetic dilettante, I love the message in today's post.

  • Theresa

    Absolutely perfect for Monday morning as I gear up to return to work after being homebound with my ill 8-year-old for three days…and after getting to meet you and Julien at the Austin AMA luncheon last week!

  • http://alexliminc.com/before-you-purchase-a-domain-name-availability/ Alex Lim

    Inspiring thoughts Chris!

    It's not typically being impulsive and aggressive but it is about taking initial smart steps to start with. It's a great attribute to see new things out of the old ones. Re-imagining and reinventing are good task to get your brain cells stretched towards unfolded ideas. Indeed, making your self unstoppable could bring you to somewhere.

    I always get myself inspired during hard times, I guess these are rare situations in life where you should not get locked in.

  • http://thoughtbythought.net Tre

    phenomenal. i say this a lot to myself. and reinventing can happen one step at a time.
    what's helped me: nurturing my own heart along the way when those you hope / think are natural sources of love and support oppose your endeavors. thank you for the constant way you articulate thoughts/knowings that i have nudges about that you give words and meaning to. you da best mahn ;)

  • http://www.genomicon.com/ Nick Taylor

    Jesus Chris,

    I wrote a single… well, a minor… thing from the cheap-seats, and I seem to have signed up to every single comment that ever gets sent your way, turned into an email, turned into a song, sayin Wee love you Chriss, wee love yooouu.

    Well, dude, so do I… but I like to entertain the notion that I'm the only one, even though I think you're wrong and I disagree with you. So um…

    ok, Never mind. I'll live with it.

    Nick

  • http://twitter.com/GeneDeLibero Gene De Libero

    Do the impossible. It's what makes you different (valuable) and hopefully, gives you a thrill (if not, better start doing something else!). Good post, Chris.

  • http://www.karnevans.com/ karn evans

    Hey Chris,

    Your absolutely right there are absolutely no rules. That is the most exiting part.
    Thanks for the post.

    Karn

  • http://twitter.com/canderson3 Christopher Anderson

    I agree, I don't think we should let anything hold us back. And if someone tells me not to do something, it makes me want to do it even more.

  • http://www.damondnollan.com Damond Nollan

    I like your use of success stories. It gives us an idea who you follow and what you look for in others. Thanks for sharing.

  • http://www.tooprettyforthis.com Christina

    I read your title wrong originally, and thought it said, “No Locks On Gates.” I have to admit, I like the visual because I think it illustrates why so many people *don't* do what you do and suggest. There might be a gate… but it will swing open if you push it. But too many people don't try, because the appearance of a gate is enough to stop them.

    And that's really sad.

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  • http://carlweaver.com/ Carl Weaver

    Very good reminder, Chris. I am embarking on something – a business development – that may not work, but I can 100% guarantee that it won't work if I don't give it a shot.

  • http://suzemuse.wordpress.com suzemuse

    A valid point, Nick – it's true – you can't copy a spork and call it your own. But what if you decided to improve upon the concept? To create something totally new that solved the same problem in a better way? People do that all the time. That's unlocking the gate. That's changing the game.

    Some have said there's no such thing as an original idea. I tend to believe that. There are however, lots of ways to invent new solutions to old problems. Branson does that by taking old models and breaking them apart and building them back up to something better.

    There are only locks and gates if one chooses to believe there are. For the rest of us, there are only possibilities.

  • http://wharton-marketing.com/ Christi Wharton

    Great reminder. Our world has been vastly improved by people who were not afraid to create and make mistakes. Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Benjamin Franklin – these are the kind of people we remember because they pushed ahead with their ideas and learned from their mistakes and made a difference.

  • http://wwwjackbenimble.blogspot.com/ The JackB

    There might not be a lock on the gate, but your idea still has to have merit to it. I am a believer in innovation, exploration and experimentation, but that doesn't always pay the bills.

    Sometimes the hardest part is finding the financial freedom to try and spread your wings.

  • Elizabeth_H

    Many times the locks and gates come from our own selves. We stop ourselves because we might not know exactly how to do something or have a fear of failing. If you let those gates and locks you've created keep you from even trying, you'll never accomplish anything because you didn't even try. However, like you mentioned, if we jump in we will get somewhere–of course we'll make mistakes but those can be fixed.

  • http://onestopebookshop.blinkweb.com nthomas00

    This post was very inspiring, and I think you're right about the fact that anything worth doing sometimes may seem impossible.

    -Nikki-

  • dbreakenridge

    Hi Chris, this post really hit home for me. I remember when I received my first book contract with Prentice Hall back in 1999, someone very close to me at the time said, “You can't write a book….because you've never done it before.” Obviously I didn't listen and was able to figure it out. To this day, I still have no locks and no gates :) Great advice!

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    So glad you didn't listen. I love your writing, and wouldn't want to be deprived of it.

  • http://www.plumjournals.com/ Karen Mead

    I loved this and it came at the perfect time. I posted it to my Facebook wall

  • dbreakenridge

    Thank you so much!

  • drwright

    You have to have a free mind to think outside the box and not accept no for an answer.

    Dr. Letitia Wright
    The Wright Place TV Show
    http://wrightplacetv.com
    http://www.twitter.com/drwright1

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  • wojtekh

    there is old proverb that says “The bars of the cage do not hold tiger a prisoner, it the space between bars” – may people are so so afraid by the possibilities , that they never progress beyond an idea. Thy simply like the “cage”, it there, predictable and stable – even if it prevents the real happiness and freedom.
    Wojtek

  • http://tinyurl.com/c3atn4 Ryan Biddulph

    Chris,

    Thought literally causes all. Too many let others do their thinking for them, and believe that things can't be done. Others let failure-prone, habitual thinking (I can't do it) dominate their mind. The visionaries, the leaders, keep their own counsel. It's what's in their mind that counts.

    RB

  • http://twitter.com/RiverwoodWriter Elizabeth Cottrell

    Yet again, your post clears the cobwebs and allows the fresh air to blow through. Where were you and your guidance when I was younger? Never mind… the student must be ready now, so here you are. Thank you!

  • luucty
  • http://www.ribeezie.com Ricardo Bueno

    When somebody tells me I can't do something, it fuels me to want to accomplish that goal/task even more! I don't know how, it just does. It fuels my passion to want to succeed ya know? (I think you know what I mean).

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  • http://jasonkeath.com jakrose

    “Rethink everything. Do it all the time.” Love it Chris. I have slowly but surely found this lesson as a keystone to living. For me it comes down to looking for something you want and when you don't find it, be confident enough to make it happen on your own.

  • http://twitter.com/williamarruda WilliamArruda

    I'm glad you mention Richard Branson in this post. His wild success is connected to his self-awareness and living his personal brand. He chose not to fit in with the corporate norm; instead, he uses his value of risk-taking and passion for adventure to build a huge and exciting company. Taking people to outer-space makes total sense for Richard Branson – it is in line with his personal brand.

    Best.
    William
    http://www.williamarruda.com

  • http://www.passwater.com/ George Passwater

    Wonderful! I believe we can't let fear drive us to bad decisions. If you fear failure, doing something already done or listening to negative comments you will never achieve greatness. It is so true and you should never let anyone or anything deter you from going after what you believe in.

  • http://twitter.com/CluelessCrafter Lydia Barry Kutko

    It truly is persistence and a hell of a lot of humility that gets us somewhere. If I do anything right, it's that I never quit and whatever I do I approach with genuine interest.

    I could have given up during the recession when my work on the Martha Stewart show dried up, but I didn't. Instead, I felt refreshed and eager to strike out on my own!

    What now? Life and laughter!

  • morganmoran

    I love this Chris. Thanks.

    I just recently left my corporate job to start my own consulting company. Everyone is telling me that this is a huge mistake in this economy and that the stability and security of an 8-5 job is the smart thing to do.

    I just know in my heart that I want to connect with people on a different level than what seems possible sitting in a cube and punching a clock. True authenticity for me means getting out and engaging people in real relationships through which we all become empowered.

    To most people that sounds like a bunch of touchy-feely nonsense. And, maybe it is, but I will never know unless I try.

    Thanks again. I am going to swing by Barnes and Noble after lunch to grab your book.

  • scottcarpenter

    No locks no gates!
    They can get in but even better I can get out.
    Both scary and exhilarating!!

  • alexander13

    Chris,

    This is very true. There really is nothing new under the sun. As long as man has been around most everything has already been done or thought of before. But you can always reinvent and improve upon things which are already out there.

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