We’ve Seen The Purple Cow, Now What?

Ideas abound and are everywhere. You will see them if you are open. Where do you get your ideas from? What is a purple cow anyway?

My friend Elizabeth Winter from Contact Professionals Alliance read my blog entry about Gelett Burgess‘ poem The Purple Cow and suggested that I do a follow-up post. Burgess became associated with the poem and he was not happy about it, so he wrote a follow-up verse to The Purple Cow.

Here is the original poem:

The Purple Cow: Reflections on a Mythic Beast Who's Quite Remarkable, at Least

I never saw a purple cow
I never hope to see one;
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I'd rather see than be one!

And here is Burgess' follow-up:

Confession: and a Portrait Too, Upon a Background that I Rue

Ah, yes, I wrote the “Purple Cow”—
I'm Sorry, now, I wrote it;
But I can tell you Anyhow
I'll Kill you if you Quote it!

When you read  Confession: and a Portrait Too, Upon a Background that I Rue, what comes to mind? For me, I immediately think of regret. How many times have you done something that you later regretted doing? Or are you someone who doesn't believe in regret?

We are living in an age where something can go viral in an instant. What happened to Gelett Burgess is important today. It is about protecting your personal brand – what you want to be known for. He wrote the poem, the Purple Cow, a nonsense verse, not knowing that he would become known for that. He was not happy about it because that was not what he wanted to be known for.

I think the poem is quite funny, but he produced a lot of work, and I can see why he would not want that one piece singled out. This a great lesson for us to be thoughtful about what we present to the world, and how we show up in the world.

If you did something remarkable, something pioneering, in the eyes of others, and you gained “notoriety” for it, would you be able to deal with all the attention? Do you think you would later regret your actions? Think on this! Do you think Burgess' response to being associated with his poem is reasonable? If you were Burgess, what would you have done differently?

Related Post

What Does Gelett Burgess’ Poem The Purple Cow Mean?

Purple Cow, New Edition: Transform Your Business by Being RemarkableThe Purple Cow (Classic Reprint)

Photo Credits

Avil Beckford & Clarecia Christie