I was catching up on my blogs (and boy howdy do I read a lot of blogs lately – but I’m learning a LOT from it) and came across not one, but two interesting, just-what-I-needed sort of messages.  Leave it to Seth Godin – this guy really is pretty amazing.

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First a couple days ago I came across this peach of an idea about the shortage of digital coaches.  I really think it could be something I could do and do well.  Hell, I’m always telling someone about SEOs and how useful blogging can be to build a clientele, the best email and other online resources that are available and blah, blah.  And it would be a great match for desire to help women starting out in business and whatnot.  Definitely something to consider…

Here are three things that are true:
1. Digital technology, especially computers and cell phones, can dramatically increase productivity.
2. More and more users of digital technology are small firms or individuals.
3. The vast majority of users of digital technology are totally lame in getting the most out of the investment of their time and money.

Here’s what I haven’t found: people who charge $100 an hour to hear what you do and how you do it and then show you how to do it better. People who organize data and put it in the right place. People who overhaul the way small groups use technology so they can use it dramatically better. More examples: Teach people to back up. Show them how to check their email on the road. Help them understand how to use online networking when it’s appropriate (and warn them when it’s not). Show a restaurant how to use OpenTable to keep the place full, or to use a blog (with an RSS feed) to easily communicate with loyal customers. Teach a company to keep tabs on itself with Technorati.

This is a growth area. The tools are finally in place to market yourself, and even better, the productivity increases you can produce for $500 or $1,000 are not just valuable, they’re actually priceless.

Then yesterday he had this gem of a message for me regarding bad judgement…

Try this on: “If I believed what you believe, I’d probably be acting exactly the same way you are right now.” (Better thought than said, probably).

You know what, that’s almost certainly true… if I believed what you said when you wrote that angry blog post*, I probably would have written the same thing.

Once we realize that it’s not a matter of judgment, but a matter of belief, everything changes.

* or whatever random rant can be inserted here