Chance brings about a fertile assembly of information

In the creative season of intermission, or throughput, you manage your ideas as an inventory system. You’re the foreman of your own brain. 

During this process, it’s useful to introduce an arbitrary sorting mechanism, i.e., cataloguing your files chronologically or alphabetically. This organizing principle is free of judgment and expectation, which allows you to notice patterns in your ideas and inspiration. That way, each time you walk the factory floor­­, as it were, you can let the language wash over you as the serendipitous construction and collection of words massage your brain. 

Everyday when I sit down to write, I open a folder that contains thousands upon thousands of notes from a diverse range of source material. But because of the arbitrary sorting mechanism, all of the ideas completely and randomly intermingled. Nature exerts a passive influence. And right before my eyes, the ideas start bump into each other. And become friends. And start families. And have babies. And in the process, I notice thought bridges and cross fertilizations and subconscious connections and natural relationships and unexpected integrations between ideas. 

Debono wrote about this process more than thirty years ago. His theory was, the mind should be allowed to accept information haphazardly from any source, not sorted or filed under different headings, but allowed free interaction. Each of us should become an open house to information, he said, a place where everything is welcomed, not only the invited or the interesting guests, but also the causal stranger or gate crashers. 

That’s where true innovation lives. Chance brings about a fertile assembly of information. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you able to escape the rigidity of words and classifications in order to welcome new ideas?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “27 Ways to Over Communicate Anything,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

Sharks patrol these waters

Mezrich’s bestselling book on the most successful startup in history proved that for
certain industries, it’s not about quality of product or even corporate
strategy, it was about who got there first. It was a land grab, and the losers
came late to the plains. 

But the first versus finest debate reaches beyond the
world of internet startups. 

I’m reminded of the invention of the telephone.
Bell, believe it not, wasn’t the original innovator. Gray actually recorded his
schematics for the exact same invention about six weeks before his counterpart.
Unfortunately, on that fateful day, he showed up to the patent office two hours
after his competitor, and missed the chance to become one of the most
influential inventors in modern history. 

Two hours. That’s all it took. 

In
fact, the patent office issued a memo on that day, and here’s what it said. 

Gray was undoubtedly the first to conceive of and disclose the invention, but
his failure to take any action amounting to completion until others had
demonstrated the utility of the invention deprives him of the right to have it
considered.
 

Ouch. Talk about a wakeup call. 

The point is, it’s not about being
the finest, it’s about being the first. Talent takes a backseat to timing. 

The
only caveat is, once you’ve gone into the water, you have to keep swimming.
Anyone lucky enough to gain first mover advantage has to keep doubling down.
They have to constantly reinvent, continuously invest and continue to lead.
Because even if you are at the right place at the right time, the place change,
and the time will move forward. 

Sandman was right. Sharks patrol these waters.
Sharks patrol these waters. Stay in your lifeboats people. It’s murder out
there. LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you the first or just the finest?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “26 Ways to Practice Being Yourself,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

Eyes Full Of Dreams Official Trailer (2015) — Scott Ginsberg Concert Documentary

Eyes Full Of Dreams is a musical and motivational masterclass about making use of everything you are. 

Dreaming isn’t dead, it’s simply been forgotten. Removed from our language. Sentenced to obscurity. And so, the educational need isn’t schooling, it’s shedding. 

Through in studio performances and inspiring urban footage, the film isn’t teaching people how to dream, but teaching people how to unlock the portals through which dreams can enter. 

 The movie was filmed at The Seaside Lounge in Brooklyn. 

Watch the entire movie for free, forever at www.eyesfullofdreams.com

 

Here’s the trailer:

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What dreams are you keeping in exile?LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “15 Ways to Out Learn Your Competitors,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

The forest of the mind will provide

One of the most effective ways to manage stress is to literally have a conversation with it. To objectify and anthropomorphize your feelings of anxiety and discomfort and pain. To merge your worries into a trusted companion who has arrived to help you learn something very important about yourself. 

When my therapist first suggested this technique, I thought it sounded a bit hokey. Then again, I had chronic stomach pain, so I was willing to try anything. Besides, I’m a writer. I have a pretty wild imagination. Why not employ it in the service of my mental health? 

And so, I started writing dialogues. Real human conversations between my stress and me. Almost like scenes in a movie. 

First, we would greet each other with hugs and high fives and smiles and pats on the back. Next, we would sit down and make small talk for a few minutes. Then, I would ask stress what brought it here today. And then we’d really dig into it. I would express my feelings and emotions about what was happening in my life, and he would listen. I would explain where in my body I felt tension and anxiety, and he would listen. 

But he would also ask me challenging questions about myself. And my body. And my problems. Partly as my friend, partly as my spirit guide, and partly as my life advisor. After about twenty minutes of chatting, stress and I would say our goodbyes, and promise to reconnect the next time life got a little too overwhelming. And then I would get on with my life. 

Sound hokey? Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean it’s ineffective. Having a conversation with my stress changed my life. It’s a simple, creative, interesting, enjoyable, friendly and best of all, free, form of therapy. And it’s a reminder that when you trust your resources, when you believe that every answer you seek is already inside of you, the forest of the mind will provide. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

When was the last time you sat in the very bonfire of distress and sat until it was burned away?LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “15 Ways to Out Learn Your Competitors,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

Originality demands a willingness to experiment

On my ten year anniversary of wearing a nametag twenty four seven, my family threw a huge party. We even ordered a cake shaped like nametag. And as I blew out the candles, I had a flashback about the twenty year old version of myself. 

This whole nametag idea started as an idealistic vision of creating global friendliness, world peace and transcontinental unity. But after a decade, I had lost that childlike sense of imagination. I had stepped away from the very leaps of faith that made the idea successful in the first place. 

And so, the next day, I sat down in front of a blank screen and started chasing whimsy once again. I began to reinvision my concept of a world where everybody wore nametags. The only difference was, this time, I had ten years of field research under my belt. Meaning, I could legitimately support my hypothesis with real data and insight and experience and perspective, an asset that nobody else in the world had but me. I was the single most qualified person on the planet to address this issue. 

That day, I began mapping all of the social, psychological, anthropological and interpersonal implications of my idea, What would happen if everybody wore nametags? How would daily life be different if we changed just one rule in the universe. The result was a project unlike anything else I’d ever created. I could tell right away that I had something meaningful. In fact, I was so proud of the work, that I officially published it online as The Nametag Manifesto

Tens of thousands of people around the world downloaded it, I won an award for presentation of the week, and I even got an email from a professor who started using the manifesto as part of the curriculum of his ethics class. Hell, I might even convert the manifesto into a work of fiction. 

The point is, originality demands a willingness to experiment. Never be afraid of your own imagination. Put whimsy on wheels and be willing to see where creativity takes you. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

When was the last time you did something for the first time?LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “26 Ways to Out Brand Your Competition,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

There is no camera, there is no one watching

With every new year that comes and goes, I don’t think of myself as getting older, just less naïve. 

That’s what life is. A continual process of lifting the veil and losing your innocence and consolidating your vision and cleaning the shit out of your ears and rounding out your perspective about how the world works. 

I remember the first time I worked for a company that underpaid, overworked, manipulated and neglected me. And the cute part was, I actually thought my problems were special. I actually thought my situation was unique. In my most deflated moments, I would overthink myself to death, trying to figure if my undesirable job situation was unique to the company I worked for, the people I worked with, the industry I was part of, or the city I lived in. 

But it was none of those things. It was just a job. Jobs are hard. People suffer. Get over it. And if you’re really that unhappy, go find a new one. And if you can’t find a new one, just hire yourself

Rollins has a great passage about this. He says depression is so personal and so unique to each of us that when we’re in its teeth, we think you invented it. Corinthians also has a famous passage on this topic. No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face, says the scripture.

Both are sobering realizations. Because nobody likes to learn that their problems aren’t special. We all think we have our own specific brand of misery. But terminal uniqueness is really just a way to excuse yourself from meeting the regular struggles of adult life. 

So suck it up. Assume that there is no camera. Assume that there is no one watching. And see if you can’t develop a case of the humbles. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you growing up in years, but also growing down in naiveté?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “71 Things Customers Don’t Want to Hear You Say,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

Recognizing patterns in an ocean of information

Einstein didn’t gather any new information before he created his theory of relativity, he simply created a new way of seeing information that was already available to everybody else. 

Darwin wasn’t legendary because of the insight of natural selection, but because he was able to build a conceptual framework in which natural selection made sense. 

Newton didn’t invent gravity, he simply gave a name to something that was already there, and that label helped people understand it. 

Proving, that collecting enough information won’t do the thinking for us. Information only becomes useful when it’s put into or viewed within a context. 

One of the most useful skills I’ve honed after fifteen years of writing books and making music and giving speeches, is the ability to find the organizing principle of ideas. I define this as the core assumption, central reference point or guiding pole, which governs action and allows everything else in its proximity to derive value. 

And the strange part is, I never realized that was a skill until people started asking me how to do it. Apparently the ability to locate, label and leverage organizing principles isn’t easy for everyone. 

But that’s what practice will give you. By virtue of my occupation, I’ve become a natural hunter and gatherer of patterns. Hypersensitive about anything that offends my sense of order. Compulsive about looking for recurring cycles of activity in my surroundings. And relentless about trying to compartmentalize the world around me. 

That’s the thing about organizing principles. You don’t learn how to find them by reading a book or taking a weekend seminar. It’s the result of years and years of practice. A patient reminder that information is price of admission. 

If you want the world to pay attention, offer them context, perspective and patterns. Identify and name the guiding pole of the information, and you’ll make history. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you waiting for the information to provide you with patterns and concepts?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “49 Ways to Become an Idea Powerhouse,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

Moments of Conception 183: The Donut Scene from Dodgeball

All creativity begins with the moment of conception.

That little piece of kindling that gets the fire going. That initial source of inspiration that takes on a life of its own. That single note from which the entire symphony grows. That single spark of life that signals an idea’s movement value, almost screaming to us, something wants to be built here.

Based on my books in The Prolific Series, I’m going to be deconstructing my favorite moments of conception from popular movies. Each post will contain a video clip from a different film, along with a series of lessons we can learn from the characters.

Today’s clip comes from the donut scene from Dodgeball:





A forbearance
in indulgence of the appetite.
Willpower is interesting to me. The
habit of saying no, exerting restraint, controlling impulses and delaying
gratification is something I’ve always found to be meaningful. At the risk of
sounding completely square, there’s just something empowering about resisting
temptation. Willpower makes me feel proud to be at full choice. It makes me
feel safe for staying in control. It makes me feel special for standing out
from the crowd. And it makes me feel virtuous because I’m upholding my values.
Who knew restraint could be so beautiful? Who knew the experience of saying no
could feel better than whatever awaited on the other side of yes? Cognitive
scientists did, that’s who. Stanford did a popularstudyon willpower, finding that similar to
stress, willpower was not just a psychological experience, but a full blown
mind body response. It’s called thepause
and plan response
, which drives people in the opposite direction of the
more common fight or flight response. For example, when you exert willpower,instead of your heart speeding up, it slows down. Your
blood pressure stabilizes. Instead of tensing muscles to prime them for action,
your body relaxes a little. That’s willpower’s biological signature. The act
sets into motion a coordinated set of changes in the brain and body.What if you were the
one who redefined toughness as restraint?



Patience is a
shining artifact of the past
. Willpower is difficult for both
internal and external reasons. First of all, humans are primed for instant
gratification. And so, when we say no,
we’re battling millions of year’s worth of physiological impulses. Our hormones
are firing, and
we want what we want, when we want. But we also live in society that celebrates
impulse. Everybody wants everything, for nothing, yesterday. And so, when we say no, we’re also battling millions of people’s
worth of sociological impulses. Our social mechanism is engaged, and we want to
fit in. As a result, patience has become another shining artifact of the past.
And it really bothers me. I’m reminded of
a fascinating interview with a famously dry comedian.Sparksexplained the story behind his lifelong sobriety in an
industry flooded with alcoholism, saying that at a very young age, he saw what
seemed like an experiment that everybody seemed to be conducting on themselves,
but with no control. Normally, he thought, when you test a drug on a lab rat
you, have one rat that isn’t taking the drug. And it seemed like everyone he
knew took the drug without ever seeing if their life would be better or
different or the same, normal or abnormal, if they abstained. Hal figured he’d
just be the control. I wonder what would happen if more people understood the
experiment of which they were a part.When was the last time you were rewarded
for putting a moral chain on your own appetites?



Wrestle in secret with my
wicked self.
Saying no to things was always easy for me. But what I lacked was the
emotional intelligence component of abstinence. The ability to stand my ground
without stepping on people’s toes. Because there’s a fine line between boundary
management and righteous entitlement. There’s a fine line between committing to
a decision and committing to telling that story at every opportunity. Truth is,
despite a person’s admirable willpower, most people don’t want to hear the entire philosophy behind each of their life choices.
They louder they say no, the more judgmental they sound. I’m reminded of the
best book I ever read on evangelism.Bellexplained that you don’t defend a trampoline, you
invite people to jump on it with you. Jumping is more important than arguing
about whose trampoline is better. You rarely defend the things you love. You
enjoy them and tell others about them and invite others to enjoy them with you.
And so, when it comes to willpower and abstinence and restraint, we can’t allow the volume of our commitment to disturb the peace. We have to be empathetic towards other people’s life situations, otherwise
they get this look in their eyes as if to say, excuse me, but I have a broken
way of going through life and you’re not going to take that away from me.Does your commitment threaten the mythology
other people have been living by?

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What did you learn from this movie clip?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “11 Ways to Out-Market the Competition,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

Never the same speech twice. Customized for your audience. Impossible to walk away uninspired.

Now booking for 2015-2016.

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

Don’t farm, fish

Opportunities are as big or as small as we make them. It all depends on the attitude and posture and context with which we approach the world. 

Debono’s research draws an interesting comparison between two archetypes of opportunists, farmers and fishermen. 

A farmer stays within his own patch. His emphasis is on one field of operation. He is able to search out opportunity, but only in a predefined direction. 

A fisherman, on the other hand, owns no farm. His emphasis is on equipping himself with skill and good mental equipment, and then bringing it to any situation. He puts down his nets and hopes for the best, positioning himself to look for and follow up any opportunity wherever it appears. 

The question is, which archetype is better? 

I would argue for the fisherman. First of all, he’s agile. His work isn’t restricted to a single ten acre plot. The entire ocean is his canvas. The world is literally his oyster. And so, he takes his talents to diverse parts of the ocean and uses them to create value. 

Secondly, the fisherman doesn’t have to bear the burden of ownership. He keeps his overhead low. Instead of having to feed the monster all day, he can experiment and pursue new and exciting market opportunities outside of his traditional wheelhouse. And that allows his work to evolve and expand. 

Lastly, he invests in his own capabilities. He bets on himself. He is the tool being used. And that gives him autonomy over his life. 

Don’t farm, fish.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you unwilling to look for opportunities outside of your perfectly tilled patch? LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “33 Ways to Approach Unhappy Customers,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

Download Scott Ginsberg’s 7th Studio Album, “Eyes Full Of Dreams”

Our dreams are often packaged in more anxiety than we would bargain for. With every passing moment, it can feel like the pressure is higher, the opportunities are fewer and the window is smaller. 

But that’s actually good news. Because anything that makes us anxious is where the real work lies. That’s the beauty of tension. It possesses its own generative drive, which gives rise to an impetus to move toward a resolution. It’s the major dynamic that moves our dreams forward. 

And so, we stack the cards in our favor by establishing and holding structural tension. 

When I go into the recording studio, for example, tension runs especially high. Because unlike busking for strangers in the street, where I’m free to create a series of never before, never again experiences, when I’m standing in a room the size of a closet with nothing but a guitar and a microphone, there’s nowhere to hide. Every note, stomp, breath, phrase and emotion is recorded, with zero ambient environment to protect me. Not to mention, I’m paying by the hour. 

Meaning, when the tape starts rolling, I feel deeply vulnerable and exposed and pressured and stretched. 

But that’s the point. The tension invites the human spirit will reveal itself more definitely. And you can literally hear it in my voice. Proving, that when you put more tension on the table, people take notice.

Download my 7th album, “Eyes Full Of Dreams,”here.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Do you have places you can go where tension is welcome? 

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “33 Ways to Approach Unhappy Customers,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

Never the same speech twice. Customized for your audience. Impossible to walk away uninspired.

Now booking for 2015-2016.

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

Sign up for daily updates
Connect

Subscribe

Daily updates straight to your inbox.

Copyright ©2020 HELLO, my name is Blog!