It’s just another finger wagging in their face

Addiction recovery programs have a public relations tradition that’s based on attraction, rather than promotion. 

Members become walking, living, and breathing examples of what flourishing recovery looks like. And they simply make information available where individuals who are seeking it have possible access to it. 

But there are no promises of results. Only stories of how the program has improved someone’s life. 

This is the cornerstone on which the great edifice of the recovery movement was erected nearly one hundred years ago. And so, it’s no surprise that the program has endured. 

Because when you share a brand message person to person, if you have to darken people’s doorsteps and bother them into buying from you, it’s just another finger waving in their face. And they’re either going to ignore it or bite it off. 

This is one of the many business lessons that wearing a nametag every day for the past nineteen years has taught me. In the first decade, my interactions were based on promotion. Stuffing my story down people’s throats the moment we first met. Assuring that everyone who ever encountered me walked away with a clear understanding of the philosophy behind my eponymous life purpose icon. 

Two decades into this social experiment, however, the exchange is quite different. 

Now the nametag isn’t always the centerpiece of my conversations. Because it’s no longer the defining feature of my identity. It’s just a part of me that used to be the heart of me. 

If the topic comes up, fine. If not, that’s fine too. 

Interestingly enough, when people do learn the story about my nametag, often times days, weeks, months or even years after initially meeting me, the impact my story has in that person’s mind is that much deeper. 

Because they were attracted to it, not because it was promoted to them. On their own time. Of their own violation. 

They closed the sale on themselves, so to speak, by accepting the invitation when they felt ready to buy. 



LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you still marketing your brand through finger wagging?



* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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He frightened me because he was so free

When you know exactly who you are, that can be a trigger for people. 

Especially those who are confused about who they are. Those who have failed to reach a cruising altitude for their identity. 

The moment they see you actualizing your creative potential and executing on your insides, the resentment starts to flow. You frighten them because you are so free. And no matter what you try to contribute to them, even it comes from a loving place, they still experience it as an attack. A personal affront to their identity. 

It’s like your very existence annoys and confuses them and raises suspicion. 

Pressfield’s manifesto about breaking through our inner creative battles puts it perfectly. 

If you find yourself criticizing other people, you’re probably doing it out of resistance. When we see others beginning to live their authentic selves, it drives us crazy if we have not lived out our own. Individuals who are realized in their own lives almost never criticize others. If they speak at all, it is to offer encouragement. 

Watch yourself. 

But don’t edit yourself. 

And don’t back down from who you are. Choose to be honored to play the role of a trigger. Because criticism is a form of other people’s insecurity. 

And so, by not reacting to their discomfort, it can actually be healing for them. It can hold them to their greatness. It can inspire them to move closer to who they are. 

They probably won’t realize it. And they certainly won’t thank you for doing it. 

But remember, it’s not your job to make people understand you. It’s your job to understand yourself. 


LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are people disagreeing with you just to defend their story about themselves? * * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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Learn not to make a fetish of your rare moments

Chambers, a minister who served in the first world war, wrote the most popular daily devotional of modern spirituality. Compiling a series of short sermons for students and soldiers, his book has stood the test of time for nearly a hundred years. 

As an author, all of my own daily devotional books have, in some way, been informed by his book. 

One theme that recurs in multiple entries is that of discipline. Oswald writes:

There are unemployables in the spiritual domain who refuse to do anything unless they supernaturally inspired. But you must never make our moments of inspiration your standard, because your standard is our duty. Take the initiative where you are, not where you are not. Instead of finding a pinnacle to cling to, find a great table land where it is easy to move. Get back into a little fire of your own and kindle enthusiasm at it. Do the duty that lies nearest. And learn not to make a fetish of your rare moments. 

His practice of discipline speaks to the human genetic propensity to seek external solutions for all things. Not only in the practice of spirituality, but also in the realm of creativity. 

Because we over depend on inspiration to fuel our projects. We demand that inspiration, this magical creative manservant, work round the clock at our beck and call to provide us with the expressive spark. 

But the danger with this expectation is, it puts us at the mercy of external forces like mood, energy and motivation. Which is a surefire recipe for procrastination. 

Just ask any professional artist. If they only created when they felt like it, they’d be out of the job. 

It’s not a fetish, it’s a discipline. The fire is kindled from within. 

And so, learn to weaken your ties to external solutions. Learn to provoke inspiration from within instead of just waiting passively for it to come along and land gracefully on your shoulder. 

Do the duty that lies nearest. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you making a fetish of your rare moments?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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There is no hurry, there are no tests

Everyone is in a hurry to get somewhere important at all times. 

We all rush around the world like windup toys, and it’s not working. Without deliberation and a sense of real purpose, our rushing leads to unnecessary anxiety, hasty decision making and poorly thought out strategies. 

Meanwhile, when we constantly pursue things with such breathless haste, we miss out on the experience. We zip right past all the small miracles life has to offer. And at the end of the day, we either pass out face down flattened tired, or worse yet, lie awake growing resentful about a destination we’re not thrilled to be at. 

Swahili sages were right when they said haraka, haina baraka, meaning, hurry has no blessing. 

Where do you feel most rushed in your life? 

Personally, driving has historically been my weak spot. Even it was a simple trip to the grocery store and back, my car was always a flurry of rushing and noise. Like there was some fast shopper trophy waiting for me at home. Until my therapist made two suggestions. 

First, post a sticky note next to the odometer that reads, why are you rushing? 

Second, anytime you feel yourself trying to hurry through something, take a deep breath and recite the following mantra to yourself: 

There are no emergencies. There are no emergencies. There are no emergencies. T

hose two tools probably saved me from a dozen car accidents, not to mention a tsunami of needless stress. 

Point being, we all know better than to rush any of this. The whole idea is to make it last. 

To relax into the awe of immense mystery. 



LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How can little miracles happen to you if you are always rushing around?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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I missed the part where that was my problem

Izzard is by far the most successful transgender comedian in the world. 

In the past twenty years, he has built an amazing fan base that transcends age, gender, and race. And the best part is, he proudly identifies as either a straight transvestite, a male lesbian, or a complete boy plus a half girl. 

Not surprisingly, there are certain sections of our society that find his appearance and behavior abhorrent and confusing and offensive. And he is completely fine with that. 

During an interview he remarked:



If you can’t handle the fact that I’m a cross dresser, you can go see a therapist and talk to them about your problem. 

Isn’t it inspiring when someone knows it’s not their job to make people understand them? 

That’s what someone sounds like when they know who they are. When they are okay with themselves. When they trust that they are enough, and don’t have to spend their life proving that they are. 

Each of us should aspire to to reach that level of comfort, confidence and courageousness in our personal truths. We should all own our choices and define happiness for ourselves in that way. Regardless of whether or not people are pleased, appeased, confused or satisfied. 

Next time someone doesn’t have the heart to accept who you are, tell them they can go see a therapist and talk to them about their problem. 


LET ME ASK YA THIS…

If people don’t like you, why would you assume they have good taste?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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Forced to unearth a deeper level of meaning

Nature, the essay that pioneered the transcendentalist
movement two centuries ago, concluded with a beautiful passage about
independence and the making of meaning. 



Build, therefore, your own world. As
fast as you conform your life to the pure idea in your mind, that will unfold
its great proportions. A correspondent revolution in things will attend the
influx of the spirit. 



An eloquent reminder that meaning is always in front of
us to be harvested. That it is in our power to determine meaning for ourselves.
And that once we learn to feel beneath the surface of our doings and unearth a
deeper level of significance beyond all of our superficial concepts about what
we need to be happy, we can experience the luminous sense of being vitally
alive. 



Vulnerability is a great starting point. Because anytime the carefree
ride of our life slams into a stone wall; anytime a jarring experience
dissuades us of our delusions and cures us of our arrogance, we enter into the
valley of humility. 



We get sad and lonely and bloody and pissed. And yet, it is
from that place of rawness and humanity where we are perhaps closest to the
meaning of our existence. 



What is that meaning, exactly? It’s not what we
think. Not at all. 


It’s far more momentous than the transitory satisfactions of
this world. 



It’s that sacred influx of the spirit. 


LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Do you trust that your existence has meaning even when the world seems to be nothing but blind chance and chaos? * * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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There’s no upside to not opening

Closing ourselves to everything that we don’t like, can’t explain or can’t predict and control, it doesn’t serve us. 

It only blocks us off from avenues and relationships that might be a source of healing and growth. 

My favorite horror novelist once wrote that life is mysterious, strange, and full of wonders, and that only a fool withdraws from it willingly and lets it pass him by. 

Perhaps that is the posture we need in this world. Life being lived as an unfolding openness. 

One way to help facilitate this posture is to catch ourselves in the act of closing. For example, my nature is to avoid conflict with others. Especially in groups. When the tension escalates, my stomach starts to squirm. My noncompetitive codependent people pleasing nature sweeps my true feelings under the rug and either completely withdraws from the conversation, or nihilistically blows up the discussion with humor or absurdity, in an attempt to move on as quickly as possible. 

Masters named this tendency spiritual bypassing:

In a hurry to forgive we skip the process that leads to authentic forgiveness, feeling our hurt, expressing our needs, and perhaps navigating conflict. But this conflict is just shit auditioning to be compost. The shovels are supplied, all we have to do is use them. 

Guilty as charged. That’s been my work. To lean right into that resistance. To practice opening during times of automatic closure. To learn to open to what we would rather avoid. To always move in the direction of being more and more open to others. 

Even if only for a moment at a time. 

It’s more life giving that closing the door to the brighter world outside. 



LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What’s your response when you can’t help but writhe in the folds of your own tension? 

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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Coming home to our original selves that we forgot

There are no cover bands in the rock and roll hall of fame. 

This is a fact of life, but also my philosophy. One that has fueled my work as a professional artist for more than twenty years. 

Because in my humble opinion, whatever it is we create in the world, it doesn’t have to be good, it doesn’t have to be accurate, it doesn’t have to make sense, it doesn’t have to make sales, it doesn’t even have to be seen by an audience. 

It only has to be ours. That’s all that matters. Our greatest currency in this world is the one thing nobody can take away from us. Our originality. 

As the famous futurist manifesto stated more than one hundred years ago:

Let us elevate all attempts at originality, however daring, however violent. Bear bravely and proudly the smear of madness with which they try to gag all innovators. The threshold of the future will be swept free of mummies

It’s simply a matter of volume. Creating piles and piles of work until you flush all the mimicry out of your system and eventually forge new frontiers of originality. 

Hell, my true voice as a songwriter didn’t start emerging until my third album, and didn’t solidify until my fifth. That’s how long it took me to write all of those pseudo covers out of my system and reach clean air. That’s how much work had to be done to get rid of all these old ghosts and make the music really feel like mine. 

That’s the only hall of fame that matters. The one that exists in the theater of your mind. 

Go see what you can make of yourself on our own. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Is your work a copy of a copy of a copy of the same archetype you’ve been chasing since day one?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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A seizure of hopelessness so intense it can break your heart

Hitting bottom is an enlightened moment. 

It’s one of those rare experiences that leads to holding a new type of conversation with ourselves. One that we couldn’t have had when were still punch drunk on our tasty cocktail of foolhardiness and hope. 

And so, instead of our usual clinging to our vain hopes in the face of overwhelming contrary evidence, let us try feeling grateful for the hopelessness that haunts us. Let us lean into the fact that this is some crazy universe we’ve decided to live in. And let us remember that nobody is going to judge us if we want to laugh about how absurd up this all is. 

Count yourselves lucky, you just got fucked by the best my friend. 

Besides, the best thing about everything burning down is that we can salt the earth and see if we can do it again. It’s all just grist for the mill. 

As a writer friend of mine once said, before we can reinvent ourselves, we have to believe we have nothing left to say. 

If you sense a seizure of hopelessness so intense it might break your heart, maybe let it happen. Maybe crack open that hard veneer and start to feel emotions you have never let yourself feel and see what awaits you on the other side. 

Koontz was right when he said that in reasonable measure, hope sustains us. But in great excess, it distorts perceptions, dulls the mind, corrupts the heart to no less an extent than does heroin. High on hope, we forget what we love and, instead, love the ideal more than the reality, which is the cause of all the misery that the human species creates for itself. 

Today, let’s give hope the day off. It could use a vacation. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you spending enough time being hopeless?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

It’s the world’s first, best and only product development and innovation gameshow!


Tune in and subscribe for a little execution in public.

Join our community of innovators, artists and entrepreneurs

We are tickled by great names

The failure is, we are over impressed by the success of others. 

We mythologize, idealize, elevate and freeze individuals on this pedestal. 

Forgetting, that most successful people are the same mixed bag of strengths and weaknesses we are. Forgetting, that success and failure are not giant isolated events. Forgetting, that comparing somebody’s studio polished sixty second highlight reel with our indie crowdfunded documentary isn’t helpful or healthy. 

And forgetting, most importantly, that all we consider success can be physically taken away from us. 

Emerson wrote about this issue a few centuries ago:

Society is under a spell. We dote on the old and the distant. We are tickled by great names. 

And so, for those of us who find it harder and harder to keep in touch with people’s idealized facsimiles, perhaps it’s time to refocus our gaze. Perhaps it’s time to stop making comparisons that put us down and start taking a look at the worthy people we really are. 

Popova, the great inventorist of the modern meaningful life, made an insightful point about the tug of war between ambition and mental clarity. She wrote that the root of whatever we call success is really this affirmation that we long for, which is that we are okay. When someone tells us that we are successful, essentially they are telling us that we are okay, everything is okay. 

It’s time to eliminate the middle man. To cut out the intermediaries to okayness. 

To make the decision for ourselves that we are amazing creatures who don’t need to use other people’s success as a whip to our back. 

May we be tickled by our own great name. 


LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you over impressed by the success of others?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

It’s the world’s first, best and only product development and innovation gameshow!


Tune in and subscribe for a little execution in public.

Join our community of innovators, artists and entrepreneurs

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