“I learned early in life that you get places by having the right enemies.” – John Shelby Spong, Born Jun. 16, 1931. Who or what do you hate? What will you absolutely not stand for? What are you sick of? What grinds your gears? What gets your goat? What gags your giraffe?… Not in general, […]
Show Prospects What You Stand Against, and They Presume You Stand For Them Read More »
“I think those who object to my characterizing man as simple want somehow to retain a deep mystery at his core.” – Herbert A. Simon, Born Jun. 15, 1916. You are a chimpanzee in shoes. Your “self” is a hallucination being had by a computer made of meat. Civilization is a byproduct of
Chimpanzees In Shoes: Or Why This Job Is So Easy… Read More »
“Gossip is essentially storytelling: storytelling about people whom we know.” – Mona Simpson, Born Jun. 14, 1957. I think gossip – as a tone – is an under-appreciated angle when it comes to persuasion and influence. *leans in to closer* Listen… Gossip isn’t just a story about people we know – it can be the
Turn Your Pitch Into Gossip, and People Lean in Closely Read More »
“I jokingly call this convergence of games into reality the ‘Gamepocalypse:’ the moment when every moment of life is actually a game.” – Jesse Schell, Born Jun. 13, 1970. Did you know that you can already do this now? Basically you can gamify your own life. It makes a lot of the dull bits of
The Gamepocalypse Already Happened and It’s All a Game Now Read More »
“I call myself a teacher because they want me to call myself a teacher, but actually, what I’m doing is I’m studying.” – Chick Corea, Born Jun. 12, 1941. Back in Renaissance times, artists and musicians used to strive to get patronage. That’s when some rich dude basically pays you to do nothing but pursue
Be a Renaissance Person and Find Your Patrons Read More »
“If language did not affect behavior, it could have no meaning.” – Kenneth L. Pike, Born Jun. 9, 1912. There are a buncha idiots out there who frown upon the use of language for deliberate persuasive aim. You know them. They hate commercials. They think marketing is evil. They probably brag about not owning a
Any Message That Isn’t Deliberately Persuasive Is Wasted Read More »
“I don’t ever try to make a song better than my last song. I just try to make it different from my last one.” – Fetty Wap, Born Jun. 7, 1990. This one hit me like a ton of bricks, y’all. Or like a ton of feathers. Heavy either way. You’re probably pretty talented. You’re
Being “Different” is Better (And Easier) Than Struggling to Be “Original” Read More »
“Two important characteristics of maps should be noticed. A map is not the territory it represents, but, if correct, it has a similar structure to the territory, which accounts for its usefulness.” – Alfred Korzybski, Born Jun. 3, 1879. Consider that the human mind is basically a really detailed map of the universe you live
The Territory Is Not The Map (Except When It Is) Read More »
“No one can read with profit that which he cannot learn to read with pleasure.” – Thomas Hardy, Born Jun. 2, 1840. If you are someone trying to learn a thing for the purpose of improving yourself: don’t try to learn anything from someone boring. Don’t beat yourself up for not consuming and executing on
The Secret Tactic For Writing Engaging Work: Inside Read More »
“The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton, Born May 29, 1874. The trite way to look at this quote is to see it as a claim by the traveler of superiority over the tourist. But what I want to tell you is that
Are You a Tourist In Your Niche, or a Traveler? Read More »
