“We’re living in primate heaven. We’re warm, dry, we’re not hungry, we don’t have fleas and ticks and infections. So why are we so miserable?” – Steven Pinker, Born Sep. 18, 1954. Why not, Steve? Because we are all damned with the inescapable knowledge of our own eventual demise. It’s a pants-shitting fear that constantly… Read More →
Your Memories Are Imaginary (And Easily Altered With This One Trick…)
“Recalling a memory is not like playing a tape recorder. It’s a creative process.” – Susumu Tonegawa, Born Sep. 6, 1939. This little secret Susumu shared above is one reason why persuading and influencing people like we do can be so dangerous. See, when you recall a memory, you’re not accessing a permanent record. You… Read More →
How To Overcome Impostor Syndrome Forever: Kick It In the Jim-Jams and Bolt Past It
“I think it’s healthy for a person to be nervous. It means you care – that you work hard and want to give a great performance. You just have to channel that nervous energy into the show.” – Beyoncé Knowles, Born Sep. 4, 1981. When I mentor people or consult with them, I frequently hear… Read More →
When People Are Driving in Circles, They’ll Pay a Toll to Take Your Exit
“As people are walking all the time, in the same spot, a path appears.” – John Locke, Born Aug. 29, 1632. People are not that different. We all think we are unique snowflakes, but humanity is a blizzard. While there are always exceptions, we are built the same way, and we have similar lives. Routine…. Read More →
It’s Not Enough to Simply Love What You Do
“If you don’t write stories you love, you’ll never make it. If you don’t write stories that other people love, you’ll never make it.” – Ray Bradbury, Born Aug. 22, 1920. Your best work is going to occur in that intersection or overlap where what you are passionate and enthusiastic about is the same as… Read More →
Stick it Out, Take it Further, and Discover Something Worth Selling to Other Seekers
“A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer.” – Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenber (aka Novalis), Born May 2, 1772. There is a lot of talk in our line of work of becoming an authority figure in a market – a recognized expert. And this quote speaks to the… Read More →
Make Them Believe You Would Tell Them All Your Secrets, And They Will Love You
“Folks don’t like to have somebody around knowing more than they do.” – Harper Lee, Born Apr. 28, 1926. When you’re trying to position yourself as a trusted advisor, your audience can’t ever feel like you are holding out on them. They can’t feel like you’re keeping secrets or withholding valuable knowledge for yourself. Countering… Read More →
To Be InterestING, BE interestED. Enthusiasm is Contagious.
“I’ve always worked on the principle that if it interests me enough to write about it, then it must interest a lot of other people.” – Morris West, Born Apr. 26, 1916. First, cultivate the ability to muster a genuine interest in absolutely any topic. Next, figure out the topics your target audience cares about…. Read More →
Escapism Motivates: Where Will You Go When You Get Away From Here?
“All the best stories are but one story in reality – the story of escape. It is the only thing which interests us all and at all times, how to escape.” – A. C. Benson, Born Apr. 24, 1862. We tell stories. Stories about the reader. Stories they haven’t heard about themselves yet. The ending… Read More →
Programming Imaginations With Impossible Imagery is the New Black
“If I could find anything blacker than black, I’d use it.” – J. M. W. Turner, Born Apr. 23, 1775. This one isn’t about the content of the quote, but more about the implications of it. Turner couldn’t find paint that was any blacker than the paints he used. He could never actually accurately show… Read More →
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