Bookshelves, Not Books

If I asked you to name the most published book in the world, chances are you’d pick the Bible, a Harry Potter doorstep, or maybe one of Dan Brown’s turgid A-B-C symbology thrillers.
But you’d be wrong.
In fact, the IKEA catalogue is the most published book, which boasted an astonishing print run of 196 million copies in 2008.
But it’s worth remembering that IKEA didn't set out to conquer the publishing world, it was just a happy accident that they stumbled into.
In the grand scheme of things it’s an entirely irrelevant by-product of their actual successes.
If IKEA had gone to market intending to become the world’s biggest publisher, they probably wouldn’t have achieved this landmark accomplishment.
The key is to focus on being the best you can be at the thing that you do.
Spend time honing your craft and make that your sole objective.
Anything else is a bonus.

Charmed, I’m Sure...

Here’s one for the Trivial Pursuit players.
Did you know that the word polite comes from the jewellery trade?
It’s only once gem stones have been cut and polished to perfection that they can be described as ‘polite’.
I found this interesting because, it puts the onus of ‘politeness’ on the transmitter, rather than the recipient.
Of course, politeness is a social lubricant, but it’s also a chance to smooth off the edges and be the best you can be.
To be polite is to demonstrate your capabilities and competencies in the best possible light.
When someone’s appraising you, you want to be sure that they see all the shine and not flaws.
To paraphrase an old saying, politeness costs nothing (but it’s worth a fortune).