I just devoured Seth Godin’s The Dip, which I chanced upon in Barnes aand Noble the other day. It’s a great little lunch break read, with one really big idea that has me seeing things in a new way in this new year. The essential idea is: get comfortable being a quitter. But quit strategically, when you realize you’re in a situation that isn’t worth the work to complete. And quit the distracting pursuits that take you away from the really big pursuits that are your passion and offer the best success potential.

It’s not rocket science, but it’s still a powerful idea. And after a few months of upheaval and the opportunity now to sit back and make a fresh plan for 2008, it’s just what I needed to read to get me in the right mindset to plan for success. I give it my highest recommendation!

Heads up, Creativos. Sharpie has just launched a new Web site, mysharpie.com, which enables you to customize fine point Sharpie pens! The pens are available in a eight different colors, and there are 10 different fonts and about 20 different pieces of clip art to choose from.

Okay, only six of the fonts are really fun and the clip art is kinda lame, but it’s still a cool idea. And they’re not too expensive, about $12 for six pens. Plus shipping, of course.

If you’ve got the pitch but no cash, apply for financial assistance through The Nation Institute Investigative Fund.

The New York Times article Don’t Throw Out Your Broken iPod, Fit It via the Web speaks about a topic that, sadly, many of can relate to: what to do when that iPod or computer breaks down… just days after the warranty has expired.

Yes, it’s true. But the first step to success is admitting the problem, right?
Luckily, I found this snazzy link to some pretty cool business cards to get my creative juices flowing.

If linguistics interests you, join the live webcast produced by the New York Public Library. The following is from the website.

“There You Go Again: Orwell Comes to America invites historians, linguists, cognitive experts, journalists, government officials, and political consultants to assess the current state of public discourse — and journalism’s response to it — one year before a hotly contested presidential election. The panels explore the past, present, and future of deceptive political speech, and assess what can be done to bring more realism and honesty into the conduct of America’s public affairs.”

I recently came across a reference to Guerilla Marketing, by Jay Conrad Levinson, now in its fourth edition. First published in 1984, this book contains many time-tested, cost-effective marketing strategies that still apply today, more than 20 years after it was first published.

I have recently discovered the wild, wonderful world of Mac Dashboard Widgets. Yes, Ive been faithfully using the defaults (I especially like Flight Tracker & Translation), but a new world has opened up to me after browsing the Apple Dashboard Widgets page. Now, I can calculate image and page sizes (Designers Toolbox), not to mention see when my favorite band is playing (OnTour). What was life like without them? (Warning: it’s addictive…)

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to download a Widget to learn guitar chords…

*For non-Mac users: Widgets are mini applications used on the Dashboard, which is part of the Mac OS X

Check out this hourly rate calculator from FreelanceSwitch.com. Nifty!

If you’re a tried-and-true PR pro or more into guerilla PR, Joan Stewart’s The Publicity Hound offers a wealth of free resources. I’ve signed up for her daily e-newsletter and press release writing tips, giving me at least one idea to use in my business.