I was talking to a clown the other day, and there's one thing you need to do when talking to a clown:

Take good notes. 

Within five seconds of her talking about the art of clown -- and it is an art form -- my gears were turning.

The clown, Lindsay, asked me, "You know what's the First Rule of Clown?" 

I can't remember the last time I was this intrigued.

I'm paraphrasing here, as I was too excited to capture it all verbatim, but Lindsay said the First Rule of Clown goes something like this:

To be a clown, you need to take on an impossible task and try to complete it.

Attempt to complete an impossible task.

Wow. Clowns are... deep.

Four points are inherent in this:

1) Since the task is impossible, the clown is always failing. 

2) The more impossible the task, the funnier it is to watch. 

3) The more effort that the clown puts into completing the task, the more entertaining it gets.

4) The failure is public.

Put that together, and here's how a clown fulfills their potential:

The First Rule of Clown is that you must publicly attempt to complete the most impossible task with the most possible effort.

As soon as Lindsay told me about this, I had that look I sometimes get when clowns talk to me. I started composing a column draft in my head.

I was thinking, "Who does this sound like?"

I knew the answer right away. Entrepreneurs. Founders. Anyone attempting to achieve what seems like the impossible.

The difference between a prodigy and a clown is that a prodigy is what you get when someone tries to be a clown -- and fails.

Prodigies look like clowns. They attempt something ambitious. They put ideas out there. They build in public. 

Most of the time, they fail. And people think they're clowns.

They should be proud to be clowns.

It means they're doing something no one in their right mind would dare to do.

They're brave enough to have others watch them attempt the impossible.

They seem to have fun doing it. They don't want to be doing anything else. 

And they know full well, whether in their hearts or minds or both, that the odds are that they will fail.

But once in a while, the clown fails to be a clown.

They take on the impossible, and they succeed.

It's not so funny anymore. It's not as entertaining.

They did what they set out to do.

They're no longer clowns. They're prodigies! 

They're cheered and revered and sometimes still jeered. 

But they're not as fun to watch anymore. 

At least, until they take on the impossible again, and fail.

So how are you going to be a clown this year?

How can I help you up the odds that you'll be considered a prodigy when you're through?

More importantly, how can the Serial Marketers community help you? 

How can we all help each other in all of our clowning, just in the off chance that we fail at fulfilling our clown potential?

That's what I want to know as we start the year.

There's no way to have a happier New Year though than to embrace all the ways you will be clowning in the year ahead.

Succeed or fail at clownhood, the community and I are here for you.

More By This Author: