Inspiration doesn't have to be revolutionary.

As I head to Las Vegas for CES and The Brand Innovators Summit, I am prepared to be inspired. Whether connecting with friends and new connections in the marketing community, seeing impressive architecture, fine dining, entertainment and of course, all the latest and greatest tech innovations in one place - there will be no shortage of sensory, thought-provoking inspiration this week.

However, life for most of us, most of the time, is ordinary and is made of a multitude of thoughts, perceptions, and occurrences. Yes, there will be times when something happens that is transformative or instantaneous, but equally important is that we understand the steps and iterations that lead you to the change.

Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better." - Pat Reilly

In psychology and in business, an antecedent is a trigger which leads to a behavior or action, which results in some sort of consequence. According to Bain & Company, applied behavioral science (ABS) offers compelling insights into what actually influences human behavior. It shows that any behavior—what people say or do—is prompted by antecedents and then powerfully reinforced or undercut by the consequences of those actions.

Image: Bain and Company

Think about some of the triggers that guided you to change your responses or points of view in the past. How do these seemingly disparate occurrences lead to more significant changes in your life?

For me, just about a year ago, the concept of The Collective NYC was just starting to form in my head. I had ideas of what about marketing and business worked for me, the experiences I had in corporate America, changes in the way we work, technology and shifts towards more personal connection in marketing, but hadn't yet "connected the dots" to shift from dreams to reality.

To crystallize my concept and point of view I talked candidly to colleagues, family, and friends. I had to share my views and feelings, good and bad. I had to listen carefully, as well, to learn while letting other people talk. And I had to take copious notes and admonitions– that they generously offered. 

The people that I work with, we often have earth-shattering conversations about life and choices. What I've learned from that is people think differently, and each of their opinions has a significance of its own. When my friend and The Collective NYC founding member, Jocelyn Greenky told me that "it's okay to not do everything on your own," - that struck me like a lightning bolt. I realized that I don’t need to burden myself with everything, and should share the workload with my close friends from time to time. This conversation with her was an inspiration for me, and I find specks of genius in everyone, which help me grow as a whole.

Your sources of motivation will be scattered – a few here and a few there. You can approach different people for different things, because that’s how humans are. We can't be perfect in everything. 

In addition to learning what to do from others, it is as important to reflect what isn't working for you and to not follow in the footsteps certain leaders, companies or friends, who may not align with your values or vision. No-one enjoys being micro-managed, watching leaders dance around hard decisions, receiving poor feedback, dishonesty, lack of transparency and respect, but we have all experienced it.

Sometimes, inspiration could reverse itself into setting an example for you not to become what is in front of you.

The people who you surround yourself with, help you to strategize and formulate your plans and define our path forward. Relationships influence how we think about ourselves and how we interact with the world around us (See Ted Rubin's Return on Relationship). However, no one has the same experiences, perceptions, beliefs, & creativity as anyone else. And this is where you can make your mark, put your stake in the ground, and help the next generation like the previous generation helped you!

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I'm in Vegas Jan 6-9. Contact me if you'd like to meet up! 

Jay Mandel is The founder of The Collective NYC, a marketing consultancy. You can engage with The Collective NYC on Instagram. This post expresses my personal views and my personal views are directly connected with my employer because it is me :-)

Jay is the guest on Episode 2 of Leo Morejon's Build & Inspire Podcast. Join me as I share personal stories of why and how I built The Collective NYC. Have a listen!

#CES #CES2019 #bisummit #marketing  #entrepreneurship #passion #purpose #respect #inspiration