To invite people to join me, to remind the world that face to face is making a comeback and to create spontaneous moments of authentic human interaction infused with a spirit of humor, playfulness and connection.
And if a picture is worth a thousand words, a nametag is worth a thousand stories.
Here are my most recent adventures: *DAY 3,878: Today I had to buy powder for a video shoot. Not having a lot of experience purchasing makeup, I sought out a woman’s opinion. “Which of these shades should I go with - sand or cream?” I asked the lady next to me. She took a hard glance and said, “Well Scott, you’re pretty white. I’d say cream."
*DAY 3,879: Today the barista asked me for the name on my coffee order. Usually I don’t answer. I just wait until they look up from the computer and notice my nametag. Sometimes they feel embarrassed. Sometimes they just say thanks. Either way, I just wish baristas would pay more attention to their customers.
*DAY 3,880: Today I was reading a book outside of a coffee shop. A woman asked me if I was the guy who wore a nametag everyday. I said yes. She told me she followed me on Twitter, and we ended up having a delightful conversation. Diane had just relocated with her boyfriend from Seattle to St. Louis. When I asked why, she said, “Love trumps geography.”
LET ME ASK YA THIS... What was your best nametag related adventure?
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* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor scott@hellomynameisscott.com
Never the same speech twice. Now booking for 2011-2012!
According to the state government homepage, the most widely known legend attributes the phrase to Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver, who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1897 to 1903.
“I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have to show me.”
THAT’S THE REALITY: Even if you’re not from Missouri, you still need to show people the proof.
Customers, employees, bosses, fans, competitors – and of course, yourself.
Today we’re going to explore six ways to prove what matters: 1. Criticism is proof of visibility. I won’t pretend that negative feedback doesn’t hurt. It does. Every time. I’m not impervious to those feelings. When I get a message from a reader who thinks I’m spitting hot garbage, I take it personally. After all, I’m a person. And the persons who take things personally are the persons who make things better.
Besides, if people aren’t reacting, you’re doing something wrong. May as well be winking in the dark. Personally, I’d rather be shot to the ground that not remarkable enough to be a target. Sure beats being ignored. When was the last time someone said you were out of your mind?
2. Doubt is proof of legitimacy. Feeling like a fraud is a right of passage. It helps you get over yourself, helps you to stay over yourself and installs the proper humility required to win. Instead of trying to eradicate feelings of inadequacy, lean into the doubt.
Override the disbelief by telling your face that you’re enough. You’ll discover that what you say to yourself when you have doubts about yourself determines how, when and if you make a name for yourself. Feeling like a fraud? Fantastic. That means you’re doing something right. That means you’re stretching. When was the last time you questioned your own abilities?
3. Fear is proof of mattering. In The Courage To Write, Ralph Keyes says, “If you're not scared, you’re not writing.” That’s the cool part about fear: When you find the places that scare you, you find the work that needs to be done. In that respect, fear isn’t a crisis – it’s a compass. And if you have enough faith, you can use fear as a guide to where your heart belongs.
It all hinges on your willingness to change your relationship to fear. To start greeting, bowing, hugging, investing and leveraging it – rather that hiding from it. Are you brave enough to go after what you want?
4. Resistance is proof of rightness. If the work is too easy, it might be the wrong work. As Steven Pressfield writes in Do The Work, “The more important an action is to our soul’s evolution, the more resistance will feel toward pursuing it.”
The good new is, when you’re willing to endure the period of difficulty that wipes out most of the competition, you don’t just come out first – you come out focused. Because you picked the right work. Or maybe the right work picked you. Either way. Are you willing to bleed for it?
5. Promiscuity is proof of life. If you die a virgin, you did something wrong. And I’m not talking about sex. A virgin is simply someone who’s untapped, uninitiated, uninformed and underexposed. That’s no way to live. As Henry Rollins wrote in A Mad Dash:
“I want to make life run for its life. I want to be a pain in life’s ass. I want life to celebrate the day I die. I want life to finally get a breather once I’m dead.”
That’s the advantage of promiscuity: Your experiences turn into leveragable assets. Will you end the innocence to begin the opportunity?
6. Struggle is proof of life. A life of ups and ups is boring, uneducational and uninspiring. Besides, if nothing bad ever happens, you’ll never know what good feels like. If nothing bad ever happens, you’ll never learn how to cope. And if nothing bad ever happens, you’ll never strengthen the muscle of resilience.
Maybe it’s time to paint yourself into a painful corner. To practice a little voluntary suffering. To put yourself in a position where you have no choice but to struggle. Are you still trying to outsmart getting hurt?
REMEMBER: If you want people to believe, you have to show them.
Practice proving what matters.
LET ME ASK YA THIS... How do you show people?
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* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor scott@hellomynameisscott.com
Never the same speech twice. Now booking for 2011-2012!
Last time I was in Florida, I passed a woman on the beach wearing a shirt that read:
“Pregnant is the new skinny.”
I was beside myself. Not just because of the shirt itself, but because of the overall ridiculousness of the fashion industry.
HERE’S THE REALITY: Fashion isn’t about your appearance – it’s about your approach to life.
Straight from my monthly column at American Express Open Forum, today we’re going to explore a collection of trends that aren’t going away: 1. Inspire is the new motivate. You can’t motivate anybody to do anything. All you can do is inspire them to motivate themselves. Find out what fuels people – then fill the tank.
Like the Saturday Night Live character, Matt Foley. He convinced us that a boisterous man in a plaid blazer, hopped up on twelve cups of coffee – who lived in a van down by the river – could motivate another human being. Yeah no. Who are you inviting to do something great?
2. Join is the new buy. Este Lauder once said, “Women don't buy brands, they join them.” When I first heard that quotation, my inner geography changed forever. And I eventually came to a conclusion that has yet to be disputed: Good brands are bought, great brands are joined.
Otherwise, people are just giving you money. And I don't know about you, but I'm not interested in making money – I want to make history. If you want your brand to last, it has to connect on visceral level, engage on a human level and unite with it on a personal level. How joinable are you?
3. Judgment is the new access. When information is infinite, people don’t need information, they need people who can explain the information they’ve already found.
The point is: Curators aren’t just for museums. In an increasingly commoditized marketplace, service is the key differentiator. And if you can make your customers smarter by explaining the world to them, you win. Can you interpret and translate better than anyone?
4. Love is the new black. As long as you’re unfair about it. As long as you find the people who don’t deserve and offer to them freely and fully when they least expect it. Like the Sofitel. When I arrived last month at their New York property, their system showed no record of my reservation.
A bit annoyed, I ended up staying across the street at a competing hotel. No problem. But when I got my credit card statement, Sofitel still billed me. Later, after speaking with his reservations manager, he decided to refund the charge immediately. The Sofitel earned a fan for life from a guest who never even stayed there. They rewarded my mistake. Are you loving people don’t deserve it?
5. Naked is the new uniform. Wearing a nametag twenty-four seven is a risk. But it’s also good practice. Practice being vulnerable, that is. And as I continue to reflect on the past ten years of adhesive adventures, I’m slowly starting to realize the connection between vulnerability, approachability and profitability.
But when you open yourself to the world, the world will opens its wallet to you. But only if you’re willing to strip away the superficialities and occupy your vulnerability. Are you willing to lay it bare?
6. Offline is the new online. Although Watson the computer not only won Jeopardy – but, was the first to buzz in on twenty-five out of thirty answers – he did manage to answer one question wrong: The question about art.
Lesson learned: Having access to two hundred million pages of content still doesn’t mean you know how to feel. The heartbeat of the human experience is a function of emotion – not information.
Face to face is making a comeback. And we can’t solely filter our lives through pixels. Not if we want those lives to matter. Are you talking to people with your mouth or your thumbs?
7. Playful is the new professional. Retaining childlikeness makes you more approachable, more relaxing to be around and more relatable to all ages. That's what my nametag does: It makes this moment, right now, a more humane, pleasant passing of time.
From my handwritten nametag to my trademark philosophy card to my daily fill in the blank exercise, my goal is create simultaneous engagement and entertainment, both online and off.
What does your brand do for people? And do those people care enough about your brand to take a moment, take a picture and make a memory? I hope so. Because you have to let people into the moment.
Induce participation. And intuitively respond to the human thirst for connection. People won't just buy you -- they'll join you. Forever. Are you providing an opportunity for people to participate in a way that speaks to their individual needs?
8. Transience is the new permanence. The Internet is forever. Every tiny moment now lasts forever. Better be careful what you publish. Dishonesty has a limited shelf life. According to a recent study from the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, eighty percent of divorce lawyers have reported a spike in the number of cases that use social media for evidence of cheating.
Still, this problem isn’t the computer – the problem is the character of the person using it. People don’t get divorced because of Facebook – they get divorced because dishonesty is written all over their face. Employees don’t get fired for blogging – they get fired for being stupid.
Organizational leaders don’t go to jail because some intern squealed – they go to jail because they’re morally bankrupt cracker-honkeys.
If you choose to live a dishonest life offline – there’s going to be a huge echo online. And your digital footprint will slip on the technological banana peel and destroy the things that matter most in your life. Do you want to become known for what you’re about to do?
9. Waiting is the new working. I love waiting in lines. I’ve accepted the reality that: Life is the line. There's nowhere to get to. There's no future. All you have is right now. And I don't know about you, but if I’m waiting, I’m writing. Even if only for twenty seconds at a time.
You’d be amazed how easily a year of lines turns into a box of books. Instead of looking at your watch, huffing and puffing and trying to enlist the other people in line to join your pity party, make love to the present moment. Then take notes. Because if you don’t write it down, it never happened.
If you build portable creative environments for yourself; you can leverage every micromoment that presents itself. And I guarantee you’ll triple your output. Are trying to find time, make time or steal time?
REMEMBER: The trends that have nothing to do with clothes are the ones that matter most.
Keep these new fashions in the front of your mind.
Stick yourself out there today.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… What trends do you think aren't going away?
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* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor scott@hellomynameisscott.com
“I usually refuse to pay for mentoring. But after Scott’s first brain rental session, the fact that I had paid something to be working with him left my mind – as far as I was concerned, the value of that (and subsequent) exchange of wisdom and knowledge, far outweighed any payment."
Companies that inject soul, win. Companies who are touchy feely, win. Companies willing to brand their humanity, win.
That’s not customer service – that’s a love letter.
But, contrary to popular conditioning:
Love is not a weakness. Love is not a combination lock. Love is not an instrument of control.
No.
Love is the bell that’s always ringing.
THE QUESTION IS: Is your brand brave enough to hear it?
Here’s how to turn your interactions into love letters: 1. Make loving you easy. In the opening scene of the award-winning film, The Social Network, Mark Zuckerberg’s girlfriend complains, “Dating you is like dating a Stairmaster!”
Ever encountered a business like that? Sure you have. And odds are, you probably never went back. That’s where companies blow it: They overlook the importance of making their brand a welcome oasis. A place of refuge, a place of belonging and a place of connection.
My yoga studio, on the other hand, breathes out the love people need. It’s a place where every student feels welcomed, affirmed and encouraged from the moment they strut in to the moment they stumble out.
The best part is, by the end of class, you’ve completely forgotten about the fact that you just sweat off seven pounded of water weight doing the hardest possible physical exertion known to man. And you feel like you could take on the world. That’s hard not to love. Are you?
2. Choose heart over handbook. Love cannot be done from a script. If it were, it wouldn’t be love – it would be calculus. Instead of being a passionless rule follower, give yourself permission to make every connection more human. Give your people permission to be more promiscuous with their love.
If that means going off script and improvising to meet customers where they are, do it. If that means breaking a small rule to give the gift of deepened connection, do it. And if that means rewarding (not just forgiving, but rewarding) a customer for making a mistake, do it.
Because once you’ve accumulated all of those moments of humanity, you’ve built an asset that nobody can take away. And it’s worth much more than some sterile handbook employees never look at again after their third week on the job. Customers are desperate to be touched. Give them what they want. Are your love letters coated in ink or blood?
3. Learn to be indiscriminate. Love is like creativity: The more you use it, the more you have. The hard part is finding the customers who don’t deserve it and offering it to them freely and fully when they least expect it. That’s love worth crossing the street for: When you welcome people into your home, even though you wish they stayed at theirs.
Try writing a few of these questions on sticky notes and posting them around your office or by your phone:
*What would love do in this situation? *What do you are you choosing instead of love? *How can you help yourself choose love instead? *How many acts of love have you performed today? *How will you use this as another opportunity to be more loving?
Over time, these questions will seep into your subconscious and infiltrate your work on a daily basis. People will notice. Are willing to be unfair with your heart?
4. Don’t give – pour. Love is any interaction that reduces the distance, enhances the bond between people and gives the precious gift of a strengthened connection. And most of the time, it sneaks in the side door when you’re busy doing something good.
Here’s what I do: Any time you encounter someone in a bad mood, just assume they feel unloved. Don’t take over. Don’t try to fix or solve. And don’t try to dilute the distaste. Just pour in more love. Just dance in the moment and respond to the other person’s immediate experience.
Be brave enough to say nothing when speaking would be faster, and be bold enough to apologize when pride would easier. Because there’s always something left to love. You’ll secure a spot in people’s hearts forever. Are you trying to fix the carburetor when you should be watering the flower?
5. Show up for people. Open your store ten minutes early. Keep your doors unlocked ten minutes late. Answer the phones after normal business hours. Talk to customers while you’re still setting up the booth. Field a few questions on your lunch break. Leave comments on customer’s digital platforms. Come in for an hour on Sunday. Follow up six months later just to see how everything is going.
These are the love letters smart companies send. And that’s your challenge: Not just to show up, but to show up when you’re tired and scared. To show up when you’re not asked, not ready and not prepared. To show up when you’re not expected, not being paid and not in the mood. And to show up when it’s not your place, not your job and not your responsibility.
Truth is, love is the natural impulse of the heart. And it would be a shame to suppress it just to comply with some outdated, pointless rule that strokes the ego of a soulless executive in windowless boardroom. Show up for your customers. When is it hardest for you to show up?
REMEMBER: Your brand is measured by how you love.
Lead with your heart.
Tell your customers you love them before somebody else does.
LET ME ASK YA THIS... Are you making sales calls or writing love letters?
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* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur, Mentor scott@hellomynameisscott.com
Sick of selling? Tired of cold calling? Bored with traditional prospecting approaches?
Buy Scott's book and learn how to sell enable people to buy!
To invite people to join me, to remind the world that face to face is making a comeback and to create spontaneous moments of authentic human interaction infused with a spirit of humor, playfulness and connection.
And if a picture is worth a thousand words, a nametag is worth a thousand stories.
Here are my most recent adventures: *DAY 3,875: Today I went out to dinner with a few friends. I showed up late, as usual. The hostess spotted me and said, “Scott, your friends are in the back corner. They told me to look for the nametag. Enjoy!” This is by far one of the best parts about wearing a nametag: I’m so easy to spot.
*DAY 3,876: Today I took the shuttle from the terminal to the parking garage. It was packed. When the last passenger boarded, he noticed the last empty seat next to me and asked, “Scott, do you mind if I sit next to you?” The entire bus erupted in laughter. He sat down and said, “What? Scott’s the only guy on the bus I know.”
*DAY 3,877: Today I received one of the best pieces of hate mail of all time. A man named Pedar wrote, “Scott, I just finished watching a bunch of your videos. I hate the fact that you inspire me.”
LET ME ASK YA THIS... What was your best nametag related adventure?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS... For the list called, "35 Things You Simply Can't Do," send an email to me, and you win the list for free!
* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor scott@hellomynameisscott.com
Never the same speech twice. Now booking for 2011-2012!
THE COOL PART IS: You don’t have to kill yourself doing more – you just have to challenge yourself to do different.
Consider these twelve trends, and how your organization might adapt to them: 1. Beta is the new post. You’re never ready. Aiming is overrated. And fire burns people. Instead of “ready, aim, fire,” try this formula: Try, listen, leverage. Now that you have this, what else does this make possible?
2. Contact is the new content. We don’t need more access to information – we need more access to each other. Holster your thumbs and open your mouth. Are you bragging about the content you have or the contact you enable?
3. Class is the new quality. Competitors – when treated like partners – can become your power source. Be willing to share in almost every direction. Even with the people who hate you. How many referrals did you give this week?
4. Crazy is the new sane. Insanity is the lifeblood of innovation. What’s more, crazy invites momentum, which produces velocity. And money is in love with speed. Are you nurturing the nuts?
5. Curation is the new creation. You don’t always have to provide the good stuff – sometimes all you have to do is signal people where to find it. If you can’t produce, what if you just pointed?
6. Feeling is the new function. The only thing people can form a judgment about is how interacting with you makes them feel. Create an emotional vibration and win. Are you delivering a palpable presence of something real and true?
7. Execution is the new innovation. Woody Allen was wrong. There’s more to life than just showing up – it’s also about following through. Have you developed a relentless bias toward taking action?
8. Gratitude is the new glamour. Thankfulness looks good on every person during every season. As long as you don’t bastardize it into a technique, the fashion police will tip their hats. How do you thank the people who matter most?
9. Great is the new good. Competence is assumed, enthusiasm is expected and passion is the price of admission. People expect to be blown away. Stop proving them wrong. Is excellence your difference or your default?
10. Heartshare is the new marketshare. Percentages are for math teachers. The level of emotional responsiveness your brand commands is what matters. Are you selling to people who want what you sell or believe what you believe?
11. Honesty is the new marketing. The truth is a powerful word of mouth motivator. As long as it’s not a policy. Because if you have to tell your people to tell the truth, you need new people. How many lies did you tell last month?
12. Imperfect is the new beautiful. Don’t be the one who never shows any real ugliness. Boldly flaunt your imperfection. Show them the snag in your rug. What would happen if you were known as the biggest imperfectionist in your company?
REMEMBER: It’s not about doing more – it’s about doing different.
Explore the possibility of living differently in some way.
Otherwise you might get left behind.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… What are your predictions for the future?
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* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor scott@hellomynameisscott.com
“I usually refuse to pay for mentoring. But after Scott’s first brain rental session, the fact that I had paid something to be working with him left my mind – as far as I was concerned, the value of that (and subsequent) exchange of wisdom and knowledge, far outweighed any payment."
Don’t let them fade away quietly. Don’t let them walk away silently. Be promiscuous with your heart. And do so without expecting payment.
Love people until they ask you why.
Don’t wait for them to earn it. Don’t wait for them to ask for it. Be indiscriminate with your spirit. And do so without demanding reciprocation.
Love people until they ask you why.
Don’t obsess over fairness. Don’t complain about the score. Be in the race to run, not to win. And do so without appraising value.
Love people until they ask you why.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… What are you choosing instead of love?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS... For a list called, "14 Things You Don't Have to Do Anymore," send an email to me, and you win the list for free!
* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor scott@hellomynameisscott.com
“I usually refuse to pay for mentoring. But after Scott’s first brain rental session, the fact that I had paid something to be working with him left my mind – as far as I was concerned, the value of that (and subsequent) exchange of wisdom and knowledge, far outweighed any payment."
AND THE REALITY IS: If you’re not careful, you may end up paying a higher price than you need to.
Today we’re going to explore six prices you shouldn't have to pay: 1. Resentment is the price you pay for having no boundaries. I write books and give presentations about approachabilty. And on a weekly basis, somebody almost always asks me, “Can you be too approachable?”
Yes, yes and yes. I know this because I used to lack boundaries. And I learned that if you don’t set healthy boundaries for yourself, other people will set them for you. And then they will violate them. And then they will tell all their little friends to do the same. All because you never set the precedent.
Your job is to figure out where you draw the line. How approachable you’re willing to be. Otherwise you’ll end up obligating yourself to death. Why are you still having coffee with people you don’t even like?
2. Anxiety is the price you pay for having no gratitude. No, you can’t outsmart getting hurt. And no, you can’t scrub your life free of stress. But the more you give thanks for something, the less power it has over you.
That was the best thing my therapist taught me: When you notice anxiety in your life, greet it with a welcoming heart. Put your arm around it. Ask it questions. Find out what lesson it’s come to teach you. And then be grateful for the opportunity to learn.
When I changed my relationship to anxiety in this way, everything changed. Everything. Do you walk a perpetual posture of thankfulness?
3. Panic is the price you pay for having no relevance. I recently received a ridiculous email from my professional association. The incoming president reached out to a group of younger members, asking if we would be willing to participate in a panel to help older members stay relevant to younger generations.
Excuse me, but that’s absurd. First of all, the only people who matter are the ones who choose to. Secondly, relevance is not a synonym for knowing a lot about social media. It’s a function of simplicity, beauty and humanity.
Third, stop trying to relate to people. When you manufacture commonality, you end up insulting people’s intelligence. If you want younger generations to take you seriously, you don’t need hair dye, you don’t need Botox and you don’t need a new wardrobe.
What you need is a mental makeover. Because the problem isn’t old age – it’s old thinking. How will you keep from fading away?
4. Regret is the price you pay for having no balls. I used to take the bus to work. Every morning, I would sit next to Kat, a funky yet fashionable hairdresser. One day, she asked me if I would be willing to be her hair model at an upcoming show.
“Your style is exactly what we need to round out our spring lineup. What do you say?”
I totally chickened out. And to this day, I still regret saying no. Because that would have been some fantastic experience. Fortunately, I’ve since learned how to say yes to life. I’ve learned how to instantly evaluate the perceived level of risk in those micromoments. And that sensibility has enabled me to make bolder choices in the larger moments that matter. What risks do you regret not taking?
5. Insomnia is the price you pay for having no trust. According to the National Sleep Foundation’s annual report, it takes the average person about fifteen minutes to fall asleep once they’re in bed.
To me, this is amazing. When my head hits the pillow, I’m out like a dead rock. Partly because I have excellent sleep hygiene, but also because I know how to trust. Both the tangible and intangible forces of my life.
If you find yourself tossing, turning and glancing nervously at the advancing clock each night, you don’t need a sleeping pill – you need to let go. That’s the challenge with trust: It’s the highest form of surrender. And it’s such a terrifying preposition because human beings an inherent need to preserve their sense of control.
But if you’re willing to trust, you’ll be amazed how quickly your eyes start to close. Do you believe in the dividends of your own emotional labor?
6. Advertising is the price you pay for having no friends. Marketing is like sex – if you have to pay for it, you’re doing something wrong. Smart companies spend money earlier in the process.
Smart companies build things worth noticing right into the product ahead of time. Take design, for example. It’s not an extra, it’s not an also and it’s not an accident – it’s everything. As Tom Peters once wrote:
“The dumbest mistake is viewing design as something you do at the end of the process to tidy up the mess, as opposed to understanding it’s a day one issue and part of everything.”
Choose to champion the beautiful. Think about products you’ve bought, cherished and shared the most. How many of them had brilliant design? And how many of your own products have the same?
Use that as a benchmark for your own remarkability, and your design will be the best advertisement of all. How much energy are you investing in being a beautiful organism?”
REMEMBER: Currency has many faces.
Make sure you’re not paying the wrong price.
LET ME ASK YA THIS... What currencies are you using?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS... For the list called, "16 Ways to be the Best," send an email to me, and you win the list for free!
* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor scott@hellomynameisscott.com
Never the same speech twice. Now booking for 2011-2012!
When people turn to you, sometimes all they want is a response.
Here’s the difference:
When you give answers, you fix. When you give answers, you offer advice. When you give answers, you try to be right. When you give answers, you add unnecessary value. When you give answers, you dominate the discussion. When you give answers, you impose your own direction. When you give answers, you rob people of the learning experience.
You speak from a place of information.
But. When you offer responses, you dance in the moment. When you offer responses, you acknowledge their truth. When you offer responses, you leave people feeling heard. When you offer responses, you practice emotional restraint. When you offer responses, you let people learn things on their own. When you offer responses, you reflect people’s immediate experience. When you offer responses, you get out of the way and give people space to process.
You speak from a place of affirmation.
Decide which one you’re going to give people.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… Are you dispensing answers or offering responses?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS... For a list called, "13 Roles of The Listener," send an email to me, and you win the list for free!
* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor scott@hellomynameisscott.com
“I usually refuse to pay for mentoring. But after Scott’s first brain rental session, the fact that I had paid something to be working with him left my mind – as far as I was concerned, the value of that (and subsequent) exchange of wisdom and knowledge, far outweighed any payment."
You’ve chosen an uncertain path.
You’ve adopted an inconvenient lifestyle.
You’ve embarked upon an unconventional journey.
You’ve felt the voice inside you growing more urgent.
You’ve committed yourself enough so you can’t turn back.
IN SHORT: You’ve decided to play for keeps.
This is the critical crossroads – the emotional turning point – in the life of every young artist.
1. Artists are gift givers. Everyday I write what I write without knowing if someone is going to pay for it. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. But while money is nice, part of being an artist is accepting payment in the form of how your art changes people.
That’s what gifts do. And as I learned from Linchpin, if your art is a gift so valuable that nobody could adequately repay you, people will be eager to pay for the privilege of being in the room with you.
That’s the bet a creator makes, says Seth Godin. That when you give away something for free, it will be discovered, attract attention, spread and then lead to some portion of the masses actually buying something. But it has to start with the gift. With the intention of deploying your work because it makes you happy. Are you making art to make money or make meaning?
2. Editing is for amateurs. Joyce Carol Oates once wrote that editing a book was like having multiple abortions. Jack Kerouac once wrote that editing was a betrayal of your own thoughts. And Henry Miller once wrote that editing leads to overcooked language.
All three are accurate. Editing is the enemy of expression. It forecloses on your creativity’s full expression. And it leaves your artistic spirit timid and impotent.
Don’t save your opinion for later. Risk at every moment all that you have. And make no restrictions on your testimony. You know the voice you most want to be quiet? Give it a megaphone. Because while sabotage is a safe place to be, the only art that matters is the work coated in blood that reflects people’s realities right back to them.
Make your art raw, bloody and honest. Keep it in the cross-hairs of your heart. Otherwise the red pen will own you. Where are you afraid to express yourself?
3. Maintain artistic perspective. A few sobering thoughts about three famous artists. First, Leo Tolstoy. He had thirteen kids when he wrote War & Peace. What’s your excuse for not creating? Second, Bill Gates. He started Microsoft in a recession. Are you still waiting for the economy to get better? Third, Rodney Dangerfield. He was an aluminum siding installer. What do you need to quit so you can focus on your art?
History is ripe with stories just like these. And if you want to keep things in perspective – especially during the low times – it’s helpful to remind yourself that you’re not alone. That you’re not the only one who’s terrified. And that you’re not the only artist who feels like your entire goddamn career is a hopeless journey.
Use the past to keep the future alive. Do you really thing you’re the first person who thought about quitting?
4. Find your artifact. Records aren’t dead. People don’t want the song, they want a magical way to remember the music that they can own and treasure forever. That’s why digital will always fall just short of art’s full potential. People love stuff. Stuff that changes and inspires them. Stuff they can show to their friends that inspires and changes them too.
The challenge is creating a unique way to extend the influence of your art with an artifact. As a consultant and facilitator, I create identity collages for my clients. These handmade woodcarvings, or brandtags, memorialize the company’s mission into a limited edition art piece. When hung, it becomes an engaging, conversation starting social object that makes people think, blink and share with each other. What souvenir are you providing for the viewers of your art?
5. Always keep kindling handy. Art is more than just what you do – this stuff has to be your life. If you don’t think what you’re creating is the greatest thing that ever was, you’re finished. If you don’t think your art matters in a massive way, you’re finished. And if you don’t think your work is going to change the world forever, you’re finished.
The key is to find private strategies to keep up your original enthusiasm. Two questions I’ve found helpful to ask are, “What injustice did you set out to fight when you first started?” and “What was the impulse that initially got you excited you about what you do?”
Those aren’t questions – those are time machines. And they work. If you want to stay up, stay true and stay fueled, you have to constantly rekindle that original fire. Otherwise your passion will degenerate into a line item. How do you replenish your energy reserve?
6. Paint with the brush of persistence. I didn’t invent the nametag. But I certainly took it farther than anyone expected it could go. And now that word is mine. I own it. Forever. And the people who meet me will never think about it the same way again.
That’s an example of what steady work can finally produce. And the cool part is, you don’t have to be the best – you just have to refuse to go away. The problem is, the odds are stacked against you. Because of our instant gratification culture, we’re impatient. And because of our abundance of choices, we’re quick to quit and pursue something better.
But at the heart of all creative badassery is stick-to-itiveness. If you can get good at not going away, the weak will weed themselves out. And only you and your art will remain. Are you quitting because it’s hard or because it’s right?
REMEMBER: When you’re ready to play for keeps, your work will never be the same.
Make the decision today.
Show the world that your art isn’t just another expensive hobby.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Have you committed with both feet yet?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS...
For the list called, "52 Random Insights to Grow Your Business," send an email to me, and you win the list for free!
* * * *
Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
scott@hellomynameisscott.com
When you put the cart before the horse, it’s impossible to make progress.
People make this mistake. Brands make this mistake Companies make this mistake. Governments make this mistake.
THE PROBLEM IS: They haven’t mastered the art of before.
Today we’re going to explore a collection of examples to make sure your horse stays in front: 1. Ache comes before achievement. Anxiety is a right of passage. It’s a sign that you’re on the right path. And it’s a healthy form of discomfort that disturbs you into executing what matters. What are you converting your anxiety into?
2. Commitment comes before compulsion. Motivation is born out of commitment. It doesn't happen to you – it happens because of you. Only then will you take action on what truly matters. How will your commitment fuel you?
3. Constitution comes before connection. Love is a song that reminds people of what they most value. And if they can’t hear it while talking to you, you’re finished. Do you have a written list of your personal non-negotiables?
4. Contribution comes before contentment. Happiness isn’t intentional – it’s incidental. It’s what happens when you’re mattering. It’s the byproduct of fulfilling your whole capacity for living. What wake are you leaving behind?
5. Conversation comes before conversion. Evangelism is a contact sport. No contact, no impact. Whomever you’re trying to share your gospel with, recruit or enlist in your dream, talk to them with your mouth first. Are you trying to force-feed truth?
6. Definition comes before domination. You can’t own the space until you know who you are, what you do, how you do it, why you do it – and – how people’s lives are better because of it. Are you committed to your personal reflection needs?
7. Disruption comes before distinction. It all starts with an intentionally unreasonable statement. Like Bill Gates deciding to start Microsoft in a recession. And we all know how that story played out. How are you refining your disruptive sensibility?
8. Initiative comes before innovation. You can’t do something that changes everything if you’re still waiting for a map. Stop waiting to be picked. Just go. Once you kick your addiction to permission, what will that make possible?
9. Intention comes before influence. When I started wearing a nametag, I wasn’t trying to make money – I was trying to make friends. And I ended up making history. All because the intention was pure. Why do you do what you do?
10. Invocation comes before inspiration. If you don’t honor, respect and invite that which is truly at work – namely, not you – you’ll never have any ideas that matter. How are you ritualizing your creative practice?
11. Patience comes before profit. When the fruit of your sustained artistic effort tastes like feet, you start to wonder if all the effort is worthwhile. And it is. In ten years. How long are you willing to do the work before the right people notice?
12. Permission comes before promotion. Instead of yelling at people, earn the right to whisper to them. Then you’ll be speaking to them with a voice that’s anticipated, personal and relevant. Who is waiting for you to market to them?
13. Picking comes before plucking. I never went to the career fair. I just hired myself and got to work. This approach was less stressful and more profitable than waiting to be plucked from obscurity. Are you still operating out of a lotto mentality?
14. Playful comes before practical. Tickle the eye. Wink at the heart. And create a smile in the mind. That way, people exist in a state where they are willing to receive your message. Are you asking the viewer to take part in the communication of the idea?
15. Practice comes before principle. People aren’t listening to your mouth talk, they’re listening to your life speak. And if there’s too big a gap between your onstage performance and backstage reality, they’ll walk. Are you smoking what you're selling?
16. Surrender comes before spontaneity. You have to trust yourself, trust the process, trust the world and trust the people who populate it. Otherwise you’ll never be vulnerable enough to welcome the beauty of impulse. What do you need to let go of?
REMEMBER: The horse loves being in front.
Let him lead. Master the art of before.
Otherwise you’ll never make any progress.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… Have you mastered the art of before?
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* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor scott@hellomynameisscott.com
“I usually refuse to pay for mentoring. But after Scott’s first brain rental session, the fact that I had paid something to be working with him left my mind – as far as I was concerned, the value of that (and subsequent) exchange of wisdom and knowledge, far outweighed any payment."
Anytime you dare to descend down the unknown path, certain elements will always be at work.
Let’s say you decide to try your hand at a new medium of artistic expression.
Here’s what happens:
First, resistance settles in. You procrastinate. You put the work off. You find other things to do. Jesus, anything but initial execution, you think. Because you just know the first few dozen attempts are going to be crap anyway.
But you snap out of it. You stop watching television, light a fire under your ass and make a conscious decision: I’m going to suck it up and sit down and try.
So you do. And even though the canvas terrifies you, it feels right. It feels true.
Then you put pen to paper. You put blood to canvas. And although you have no idea where you’re going, what you’re doing or how the work is going to show up, you follow what comes out of you anyway. Because practice is the only way to get better.
Then it just becomes matter of trust: Trusting the process. Trusting your abilities. Trusting your heart. Trusting your instincts. Trusting your resources. And of course, trusting the medium.
This level of trust creates a safe and honest space to explore. Not to rehearse – to explore: Failures, mistakes, biffs and all.
So you do.
And just like drawing a bath, it takes time to hit the hot water. So you keep at it, establishing gentle flow, letting whatever pours out of you to take shape as it sees fit. After all, creativity is nothing but active listening. You don’t decide what to create – you listen for what wants to be created.
But that’s when you start to surprise yourself. It’s like, out of nowhere, with one stroke of the pen, you look down and think, “Whoa. This actually pretty good.”
You enjoy a celebratory pretzel. Nothing like a good victory dance to recharge your artistic spirit.
Okay. Enough salt. Back to work.
This time something feels different. This time, you return with newfound strength, fueled by the fruits of your creative progress. And this inspires you to do more, to do better.
So you do.
The progress continues. The momentum accumulates. The canvas starts to stare back at you.
And that’s when you realize that it’s not actually canvas at all – it’s a mirror.
No wonder creating art is so scary: It’s nothing but a stark reflection of your truth.
Whatever you put down is who you are. Gulp.
But after a while, the confrontation isn’t so bad. You start to like what you see more and more with each stroke. And you say to yourself, “Seriously man, this thing is really starting to look good.”
So the cycle repeats itself. You get pumped and create more. You just let it flow. It builds and builds and builds. And even though you’re scared, even though you’re confused, you find a place to put the fear and use it as fuel.
That’s when you start thinking about the future. That’s when you start believing in your creative vision. That’s when you start imagining how good your work is going to become.
And at that point, it’s kind of hard to stop yourself.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… Will you create art that matters?
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* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor scott@hellomynameisscott.com
It only takes one missing ingredient to ruin the whole batch.
This goes for cookies, pancakes or any other baked goods you might enjoy.
But what about life? What about work? What about love?
These things have ingredients too.
But sometimes we forget to include certain essentials. For example: 1. Art without risk, isn’t. Safe work is rarely celebrated. Let go of the fear that your work is too revealing of your inner world. Be bloody or be broke. What system can you put in place to remove the restriction of your creative expression?
2. Courage without fear, isn’t. Self-doubt is highly underrated. Let go of need to hide the fact that you’re completely terrified and have no idea what you’re doing. Be scared or be screwed. When was the last time you doubted yourself?
3. Creativity without community, isn’t. It’s hard to be creative alone. Let go of the myth that self-expression is a solo act. Be surrounded by creative people or be suffocated by creative drought. Are you still trying to play basketball without a backboard?
4. Friendship without forgiveness, isn’t. Love wasn’t designed to be fair. Let go of the insistence on treating people equally. Be unfair or be unpaired. Whom do you need to give a lifetime pass to?
5. Happiness without circulation, isn’t. Some things shouldn’t be kept to yourself. Let go of the misconception that you need to keep your joy bottled up. Be public about what you love or be pitied. When something amazing happens to you, how many people do you tell?
6. Humor without humanity, isn’t. If people are laughing, people are listening. Let go of the lie that you have to make jokes to be funny. Be yourself or be faced with crickets. Are you artificially injecting laughs or speaking the universal language of human absurdity?
7. Life without witness, isn’t. Everyone needs a good mirror. Let go of the belief that you don’t need an audience to thrive. Be visible or be winking in the dark. Who bears witness to your story?
8. Love without ache, isn’t. If everything’s perfect, somebody isn’t being honesty. Let go of the fairytale that relationships should never have problems. Be struggling or be single. When was the last time your lover annoyed the hell out of you?
9. Marketing without permission, isn’t. Interaction trumps interruption. Let go of the illusion that you can bother people into buying from you. Be respectful or be ignored. Do you feel entitled to yell at people, or have you earned the right to whisper to them?
10. Opportunity without leverage isn’t. There’s always time to kill two stones with one bird. Let go of the lie that luck is real. Be listening for the knock or be left behind. Now that you have this, what else does this make possible?
11. Revolution without ridicule, isn’t. Brace yourself for the waves of antagonism. Let go of the assumption that everybody has to love you. Be a little hated or be a lot forgotten. Will you accept the bullets as the price of winning?
12. Selling without solving, isn’t. When you’re the answer, you can name your price. Let go of the fantasy that your customers are stupid. Be the answer or be the adversary. What pervasive, expensive, relevant and urgent problem do you solve?
13. Service without soul, isn’t. True power comes from personhood. Let go of the desire to outsource the human function. Be a real person or be picked last. How does your brand bring its humanity to the moment?
14. Success without significance, isn’t. Contribution trumps currency. Let go of the dogma that making money is what matters most. Be contributing or be consigned to oblivion. Are you making sales, making a point, making a mark, making a difference or making history?
15. Work without play, isn’t. It’s nothing but drudgery. Let go of the delusion that there’s a separation between professionalism and playfulness. Be a kid or be kicked to the curb. Are your growing younger?
REMEMBER: When you skip key ingredients, something is going to taste off.
In work, in life and in love, make sure you’re not overlooking what matters most.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… What are you overlooking?
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* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor scott@hellomynameisscott.com
“I usually refuse to pay for mentoring. But after Scott’s first brain rental session, the fact that I had paid something to be working with him left my mind – as far as I was concerned, the value of that (and subsequent) exchange of wisdom and knowledge, far outweighed any payment."
To invite people to join me, to remind the world that face to face is making a comeback and to create spontaneous moments of authentic human interaction infused with a spirit of humor, playfulness and connection.
And if a picture is worth a thousand words, a nametag is worth a thousand stories.
Here are my most recent adventures: *DAY 3,872: Today a man sitting next to me at the airport used my name. I asked him if he was psychic. He said no. I wonder if he knows that I know he knows?
*DAY 3,873: Today I met my friends for sushi. They invited a girl named Sonal, whom I’d never met. When we shook hands she thanked me for wearing a nametag and said, “That’s so non-threatening.” Never thought of it that way, but I supposed it is one less name to remember.
*DAY 3,874: Today I went to Walgreens to refill my prescription. While waiting in line, I heard a voice yelling, “Scott!” repeatedly. I looked up, expecting to see a friend of mine. Instead, I saw a man with Tourette Syndrome. We made eye contact. He continued to saying my name. What a strange disorder.
LET ME ASK YA THIS... What was your best nametag related adventure?
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* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor scott@hellomynameisscott.com
Never the same speech twice. Now booking for 2011-2012!
Buzzwords are so abundant in our professional vocabularies, I’m pretty sure they’re getting their own channel on Oprah Network.
HERE’S THE REALITY: Language that limits, loses.
Today we’re going to explore a collection of dangerous words, their real definitions and a few suggestions for what you can focus on instead: 1. Advertising is just a word for people who don’t have enough friends. Instead of interrupting customers with annoying, treekilling drivel that’s going to be ignored and forgotten, create an act. A moment that deepens the emotional connection over time. Otherwise prospects will take their attention elsewhere. Do your interactions matter?
2. Aspiring is just a word for people who don’t want to commit with both feet. Instead of shirking the responsibility to go full time and go pro, stop waiting to be who you are. Life doesn’t have a preheat setting – you’re either on you’re off. Otherwise you’ll never become what you need to become. Are you still amateur?
3. Compliance is just a word for people who want you to edit yourself. Instead of putting a ban on individual expression, give people permission to let their personal brand shine. Petition them to inject personality everywhere. Otherwise employees will take their loyalties elsewhere. Who are you trying to make just like you?
4. Fearless is just a word for people who are afraid to be human. Instead of ignoring reality and pretending like nothing scares you, accept fear as a regular part of the life experience. Instead of fighting with it – bow to it. Otherwise you’ll never reach your full potential. Are you ignoring your fears or investing them?
5. Feedback is just a word for people who don’t trust their voice. Instead of subjecting yourself to unsolicited discouragement from people who don’t matter, stick your fingers in your ears. Ignore everybody. Otherwise one piece of information will fill your entire identity screen. How will you stay on the path of your own heart?
6. Hopefully is just a word for people who lack faith. Instead of using negative, acquiescent language that cripples your ability to win, speak in a way that leaves people no option but to believe you. Otherwise the things you hope for will never turn into the things you actually experience. Are you wishing your life away?
7. Impossible is just a word for people who choose not to believe. Instead of assuming that every obstacle is insurmountable, dive deep into the reservoir of human potential. Trust your abilities. Otherwise you’ll never tap into the resources available. Are you willing to greet the resistance with a welcoming heart?
8. Interesting is just a word for people who are afraid to say how they really feel. Instead of being so damn diplomatic, give the truth a shot. Be completely honest where most people would say nothing. Otherwise the world will start to expect sugarcoating with every message you deliver. How are you branding your honesty?
9. Professional is just a word for people who seek sanitize the soul out of business. Instead of delivering emotionless, forgettable non-service, bring your humanity to the moment. Put heart first. Otherwise customers will take their business elsewhere. When does the feeling formality keep you from communicating freely?
10. Recession is just a word for people who sleep too much. Instead of crossing your fingers and praying that the winds of opportunity will fill your sails, get up one hour earlier and take daily massive action toward what you want. Otherwise your dreams will stay dreams forever. What consumes your time but isn’t making you any money?
11. Ready is just a word for people who are afraid to jump. Instead of waiting for the perfect moment when your strategic plan is in total alignment with your personal vision statement, just go. Take the plunge. Otherwise you’ll trap yourself on the treadmill of preparation forever. What is waiting getting in the way of?
REMEMBER: When you limit your language, you limit your life.
Don’t get sucked into the buzzword vortex.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… What word are you tired of?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS... For a list called, "10 Ways to Make the Mundane Memorable," send an email to me, and you win the list for free!
* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor scott@hellomynameisscott.com
“I usually refuse to pay for mentoring. But after Scott’s first brain rental session, the fact that I had paid something to be working with him left my mind – as far as I was concerned, the value of that (and subsequent) exchange of wisdom and knowledge, far outweighed any payment."
THAT’S MY THEORY: If commitment isn’t the answer, rephrase the question.
The problem is, commitment is hard. Maybe the hardest.
What you need is a way to commit that makes it very hard to turn back.
IN SHORT: You have to throw yourself under the bus.
But this isn’t about self-sabotage. This isn’t about self-mutilation. And this isn’t about doing something stupid, reckless and expensive.
This is about courageously confronting your own dream.
Even if it makes your stomach flip.
Whether you’re starting a business, starting a family, running and organization or running a triathlon, here’s how to throw yourself under the bus: 1. Never break faith. If you’re ready to go all in, go full time and throw yourself under the bus, the first step is to believe you’re worthy of your own dream. To believe that a benign power is supporting you at all time.
This has nothing to do with religion, and everything to do with your personal faith. In yourself, in your dream and in your ability to do something that matters. Because unless you begin by answering your call to adventure, you’ll never build the momentum needed to carry your dream forward.
Personally, I restock my reservoir of faith every morning. During my daily appointment with myself, I make a mental list of everything I have faith in. Everything. And a tremor of bliss never fails to take me over. Invest in yourself. Create a daily ritual to remind yourself that you believe in yourself. Will you go on your soul’s quest, or will you pursue the life that only gives you security?
2. Cut off all escape routes. Ancient warriors used to burn their boats before storming the beach. That way, when they looked back to see the flames, victory was their only option. That’s commitment.
If you want to practice the same in your own battles, you have to put yourself in a position where there’s no turning back. You have to execute quick enough so there’s no time to second-guess yourself. Otherwise procrastination and self-doubt will get the best of you.
For example, when I got a nametag tattooed on my chest, my whole world shifted. New opportunities started coming my way out of nowhere. That’s the best part: Once you throw yourself under the bus, doors that were never there open. The world doesn’t just pay attention – it pays dividends.
Don’t commit to thinking about committing. Take the plunge and get into it up to your eyeballs. What action could you take to paint yourself into a committed corner?
3. Stick your fingers in your ears. It takes a prodigious act of courage to make something the burning point of your life. The hard part is discerning which voices to listen to along the way.
My friend Mark once told me that you can’t benchmark normal in the past. Couldn’t agree more: History yields to instinct. And that’s something each of us has to remember: If you don’t maintain a healthy respect for your own opinions, you’re finished.
What’s more, it’s not enough to trust your instinct – you have to defend it, too. Otherwise you end up pursuing something that someone else convinced you that you should want. If you’re going to be besieged by a relentless voice, it may as well be your own.
May as well let your public actions speak your personal legend. Sure beats letting people bash your opinions out of you. Who have you elected not to listen to anymore?
4. Burn your return policy. Yes, it takes lot of guts to really say yes all the way. And yes, life often asks more of you than you’re willing to give. But maintaining anything less than total commitment is a recipe for disaster. And if you think it about, throwing yourself under the bus is actually more efficient, too.
Consider the alternatives: You could rationalize your way out of risk. That’s too much work. You could waste energy trying to find reasons not to take action. What a nightmare. Or you could procrastinate your way to mediocrity. That just plain sucks.
May as well purposely and publicly choose to play big. May as well show the world that your work isn’t just another expensive hobby. Because if your emotional commitment has the depth of a thimble, you’ll never get around to mattering. Are you letting yourself stay where you are?
REMEMBER: Not deciding is a decision, and it’s a terrible one.
Don’t act like you’re not tired of being one foot in.
Put the strength of heart behind you.
Throw yourself under the bus.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… Why haven't you committed yet?
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* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor scott@hellomynameisscott.com
“I usually refuse to pay for mentoring. But after Scott’s first brain rental session, the fact that I had paid something to be working with him left my mind – as far as I was concerned, the value of that (and subsequent) exchange of wisdom and knowledge, far outweighed any payment."
The choice to be consequential. The choice to fulfill your whole capacity for living. The choice to take responsibility for feeling insignificant.
At work, in life and in love.
Consider making these choices to assure your work matters: 1. Art that mirrors, matters. People need to see their own truth staring back at them. That’s why artists are artists: They have an unmatched sensitivity to the human experience. How does your work reflect people’s reality back to them?
2. Work that dares, matters. Safe is a very dangerous place to be. If you’re not risking failure, risking your face and risking you future, you’ll never get anywhere. When was the last time you did something for the first time?
3. Innovation that simplifies, matters. If your idea doesn’t solve a real problem for the world, you’re just doing something cool. Never underestimate the marketability of practicality. Does usefulness has a palpable presence in your work?
4. Leadership that infects, matters. Infection has nothing to do with being sick. It’s about transferring emotion, putting something into people and influencing them through your state of being. What are you breathing into people?
5. Love that sends, matters. When you love someone, you should want to parade them around the room. Their existence should be a reflection of your own. And when you gush about them, you should glow like a gas lamp. Who sends you?
6. Technology that humanizes, matters. If you create a collaborative experience, you win. If you create acts of individuality in moments of conformity, you win. And if you encourage regular expressions of digital personality, you win. Are you a robot?
7. Interaction that elevates, matters. The point is to leave people better. To help them walk away from an encounter with a more colorful vision of what they can contribute to mankind. How do people experience themselves in relation to you?
8. Experience that educates, matters. We learn not from our experiences, but from intelligent reflection upon them. It all depends if you’re willing to listen for lesson, then document and share it. What did you write today?
9. Design that points, matters. Information expects a passive recipient, but design demands an active participant. Pierce people’s consciousness, create a smile in the mind and put your audience to work. Do you make people blink and think?
10. Attention that accumulates, matters. If people complain that you’re only doing something for attention, good. Attention is a scarce resource. It’s an endangered species. That’s why anonymity is bankruptcy. How are you turning your attention into permission?
11. Content that confronts, matters. Writing is a contact sport. You have to reach through the page, grab your readers by the lapel and whisper sweet nothings into their hearts. Are you a great date for your reader?
REMEMBER: Mattering is a choice.
And if you commit to it, people will thank you for making that choice.
LET ME ASK YA THIS... What's your mattering strategy?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS... For the list called, “50 Questions Every Entrepreneur Should Ask," send an email to me, and you win the list for free!
* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor scott@hellomynameisscott.com
You’ve chosen an uncertain path.
You’ve adopted an inconvenient lifestyle.
You’ve embarked upon an unconventional journey.
You’ve felt the voice inside you growing more urgent.
You’ve committed yourself enough so you can’t turn back.
IN SHORT: You’ve decided to play for keeps.
This is the critical crossroads – the emotional turning point – in the life of every young artist.
1. Paint yourself into a committed corner. When I started my career as an artist, I never had a plan. But I never had a backup plan, either. And looking back, I realize how powerful that notion was. After all, backup plans are nothing but sabotage waiting to happen. It’s like quitting in advance. As Tom Peters once told me:
“The best, if scariest, path to commitment is purposefully going public and cutting off escape routes.”
That’s the essence of playing for keeps: Answering your whispered call. Deliberately putting yourself in a position where there’s no turning back. Taking a risk. Then watching what the universe does.
Without that level of commitment, you’ll never hold yourself accountable. You’ll never go all in. And resistance will happily stand by to help you throw in the towel. Are you jumping off the edge or sliding down the side of the mountain on your butt?
2. Interact with flaming intensity. As an artist, people need to see that you are possessed. They should feel that you are on fire every time they interact with you. And your flame should shoot a ray of beauty into their hearts that inspires their belief in you, your work and your why.
Without that exchange, without that infection of emotion, the people who matter most will continue to resent your calling, resist your creativity and restrain your expression. And the weight of that negativity will be the end of you.
No, your job is not to make everybody happy – it’s to stop time. To give people a brief and precious glimpse of what they really are. If your work can accomplish that task, it will change all who see it. Forever. What does the recipient of your art receive?
3. Complacency is the hallmark of comfort. As an artist, your title fight is never as important as defending it. That’s the peril of victory: When you’re the challenger, nobody sees you coming. You have the element of surprise on your side.
But when you’re the champ, everybody sees you coming. And because they know what you’re capable of, they throw everything they’ve got at you. This is a dangerous incarnation of resistance. And if you’re not careful, it will beat you senseless.
That’s why I put everything I’ve got into anything I write. Every sentence is an innovation. Every sentence has my entire life behind it. And every sentence is coated with as much blood as possible. Because I know that if I don’t get a fraction better with each one I write, I do my readers a disservice.
Real artists stay hungry. They root out any sense of entitlement. Otherwise complacency knocks them out in the first round. Are you too comfortable?
4. Learn to pull teeth. Inspiration is great – when it shows up. But most of the time, it needs to be yanked out of hiding. You have to create it. You have to channel it. You have to command it. Every. Single. Day.
And that’s the complaint: Creativity can be like pulling teeth. But there’s no point in making mountain out of a molar. If something is like pulling teeth, maybe it’s time to get a new pair of pliers. Here are a few from my toolbox: First, honor the wave. When inspiration strikes, go with it. Write until the vein is out. Because it might not fill up again for a while.
Second, inspiration is the fruit of sustained effort. Build structure into your creative time. Force yourself to be due at the page. Third, book blank time. Regularly go perpendicular to the activity at hand.
By physically and mentally displacing yourself, you allow the lungs of inspiration exhale into your life. Are you standing by for inspiration to arrive or stepping up and taking it?
5. You can’t set art off in a corner. Performance isn’t a nicety – it’s a necessity. You have to be willing stand up and be recognized for your work. Otherwise your art will be ignored. In a recent interview on public radio, songwriter Sheryl Crow made an interesting point on this topic:
“Nobody buys records anymore. That’s why touring is so essential. The best way to afford being an artist is, always has been, and always will be, to go out and play for people.”
When was your last show? When is your next show? Because if you’re not regularly getting up in front of people and giving the gift of your art, what’s the point of doing it?
Without a collision between your work and the outside world, you’re just winking in the dark. Your art is the tree in the forest that nobody heard. The upside of exposure is everything. Are you safe and invisible or risky and everywhere?
6. Artists who don’t sell, suffer. I once met a romance novelist at a writer’s conference. We got on the subject of book marketing, branding and the like. And when I asked her which channel she found to be the most profitable for promotion, she said something I’ll never forget:
“I write books – I don’t sell them.”
That pretty much ended our conversation. Clearly, that woman had zero understanding of what it means to play for keeps. Yes, you’re an artist. But you’re also a salesman. And if you’re not there to sell, you’re just a visitor.
Believe me, I’d rather jump out of a burning building in my boxer shorts -- again -- than make a sales call. But it’s part of the artistic package. Every product must be sold. Beware of sliding into an entitlement attitude that assumes your art will sell itself. When was the first time someone took you seriously as a salesperson?
REMEMBER: When you’re ready to play for keeps, your work will never be the same.
Make the decision today.
Show the world that your art isn’t just another expensive hobby.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Have you committed with both feet yet?
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Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
scott@hellomynameisscott.com
“Acts of friendliness in moments of anonymity.”
Never the same speech twice.
