Over the years I have often found myself coming back to this quote and applying it to my professional as well as personal life. I began work as a technical writer and newsletter editor, keeping pace with changes in the aerospace industry. I moved from aerospace into radio and television broadcasting, and for two years produced TV specials and promoted my network’s fall program line-up.

My corporate industrial and consumer experiences were issues management and brand driven. For 15 years I introduced and re-introduced products, launched line extensions, created service offerings, and managed crises for my Fortune 500 employers, helping to increase their sales and improve their profits.

In 1985, having gained considerable insight from my corporate experience, I opened my own firm, leveraging what I had learned and chasing Peter Robinson’s belief that “what is central to business is the joy of creating.”

Through all my years in marketing and communications, I’ve concluded that success is very much a function of being noted or notorious – not average, never idle. I also accept the notion there are precious few new ideas. Breakthroughs today often come when proven ideas are re-packaged, re-presented, and re-applied in fresh, creative ways. Victory in today’s marketplace is achieved by placing success upon success, and using occasional setbacks as a way to learn and grow.

Above all, I’ve learned to take the path less traveled. Simply following in someone else’s footsteps because it is easy does not appeal to me. While often more difficult, I find blazing a trail to be the most rewarding way to go. I continue to embrace change because change implies growth. I enjoy the challenges and rewards this kind of pioneering provides.