Today's edition of the newsletter 48 Days, which usually runs more cold than hot, includes an item that resonates strongly with John's recent entry.

The average person has 50,000 thoughts a day. Unfortunately, the average person has the same 50,000 today they had yesterday. They keep asking the same questions and doing the same activities. If your thoughts do in fact have any control in your life, then you should be able to move toward the life you want by controlling, or changing, your thoughts. What are some easy ways to look at what creates your thoughts? The books you read. The TV shows you watch. The people you talk to each day.

All good places to start if you're looking to step out of an innovation rut. Richard Kadrey suggests the following:

Technical and trade magazines are great for learning how different people and professionals view themselves and others. Virtually every profession has a trade journal; check with the general reference desk of your local library. Ask your friends. Look in the Encyclopedia of Associations. Be on your toes. Doctors offices and industrial shops are great places to steal magazines. Some of my favorites are Diagnostic Imaging, a radiological journal, and Cardio, for heart specialists. Check the ads and return the Reader Reply cards. You will be inundated with ads from companies that make the kind of hardware doctors, fabrication firms, nuclear power plants, etc., use everyday. One company sent me a sample of their new gamma ray shielding, which now adorns a wall of my office.

Sure, dump your friends. But also consider changing your media diet.