Where do ideas come from? Usually, they just pop up, seemingly from nowhere. You might suddenly see them. Or hear them. Sometimes you have to go digging to find them, but not usually.

But that’s how ideas show up. The question remains, where do they originate?

We all have lots of “noise” in our heads these days—messages, images, articles, sounds, songs, Tweets, posts, updates, pitches, “conversations.” Every once in awhile a few of those noise particles ricochet off the walls inside our heads and shoot back an echo – some new, but somehow familiar, mashed-up reflection of everything that’s flying around in there.

The noise is good. Keep it. It’s what echoes are made of. Just remember to turn it off every now and then so you can hear what bounces back.

If you already know who Seth Godin is, and listen to him, then read on only if you’re curious. If not, read on because you really will benefit – and then as soon as possible, read even more: Permission Marketing, Tribes, Purple Cow, The Dip, Linchpin, and/or any and all of Seth’s books.

The question here isn’t WHO Seth Godin is, but rather, why so many people stop and listen whenever he opens his mouth. The reason? They’re on a journey. And Seth Godin knows a thing or two about the land in which they travel

Seth Godin is a modern-day tour guide, and a particularly good one. He points out the worthwhile sites. He tells us what is worth paying attention to, and what is not. He reminds us why we are on this particular trip to begin with, how we got here, and where we are headed.

And most of all, he inspires us to take advantage of the revolution that is going on all around us.

People listen to Seth because he says what they already know – but are all-too-often too lazy to do anything about.

Embrace this journey, or just go along for the ride. Your choice.

If you’re having to work too hard to push an idea through – in fact, if you have to “push” at all – it could be a sign that the idea isn’t really all that valuable, or that it’s just “half baked.”

Good ideas – really really good ones – often create their own momentum. Consider the iPad. Despite a lot of initial skepticism and negativity, it was ultimately able to top the iPhone in early sales. Granted, it had the Apple marketing machine behind it. But the sheer power of the idea itself was ultimately what propelled it to success.

Don’t settle for “novel,” “interesting” or even “pretty good.” Those descriptors suggest potential. Keep at it until you have yourself a game changer!