Facebook is such a fantastic tool for keeping in touch with old friends, new friends, and for sure colleagues that are across the globe. When a topic pops up where I feel I can contribute, I usually hop right in. And last week, a thread popped up in my Facebook newsfeed from a travel agent community and I hopped right in.

“Good morning everyone. I was wondering of you guys know of a computer application where I can keep all of my client’s information so I don’t have to ask the same questions every time they book. I was keeping them in an Excel spreadsheet, but my list is growing and I feel I need another…

Recently I was asked where I get my ideas for articles, blog posts and webinar fodder. The answer is “everywhere.” “Everyday.” All you have to do is keep your eyes and ears open and be receptive to worldly input.

Such was the case recently when my creative juices were stimulated by the actions of a blind man.

Not a blind man, but a blind man … a guy who sells blinds. I spotted his truck out in front of our condo and since my wife has already begun kicking new kitchen window treatments around in her mind, we called over the rail and asked the gentleman to stop by for a measurement before he left…

The psychologist Carl Jung posited that all humans share in the unconscious portion of our minds what he termed "archetypes": images of mythological importance that we instantly recognize in stories and the events of day to day life. According to Jung's theories, our mind responds to situations influenced by those same archetypes. Thus, in some leaders we see the "King" or "Hero" archetypes. Characters on television and in the movies are often very intentionally developed to mirror particular archetypes like the "Magician" or the "Warrior".

This too brief and painfully inadequate introduction to Jung's archetypes suggests that the persona of our business will be better articulated, more imaginative and forceful if we pay attention to the archetype it mirrors. The stories we read in novels, plays, movies…