“Candor is a compliment; it implies equality. It’s how true friends talk.” – Peggy Noonan, Born Sep. 7, 1950. In times past, social interaction required a facade of formality. Especially in a business context. Gentlemen wore suits of clothes, and exchanged handshakes and cards and engaged in small talk, followed by queries and responses about …
“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 …
Your Memories Are Imaginary (And Easily Altered With This One Trick…) Read More »
“I can’t write without that urgency. Something is wrong if it takes more than five days to finish a screenplay. A story created this way will always be full of life.” – Werner Herzog, Born Sep. 5, 1942. Whatever you’re working on, you’re probably taking too long. Do it faster. Stop honking around. Focus on …
If You Want to Write Better, Practice Writing Faster Read More »
“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 …
How To Overcome Impostor Syndrome Forever: Kick It In the Jim-Jams and Bolt Past It Read More »
“I have a different constitution. I have a different brain; I have a different heart; I got tiger blood, man.” – Charlie Sheen, Born Sep. 3, 1965. How are you different from every other boring jerk out there? What makes you unique? Your history? Your style? Your point of view? You need to know. Because …
You Already Have a Built-in USP – You’re Just Suffocating It Read More »
“If thinking men are few, they are for that reason all the more powerful. Let no man imagine that he has no influence. Whoever he may be, and wherever he may be placed, the man who thinks becomes a light and a power.” – Henry George, Born Sep. 2, 1839. Most people hate to think. …
Use That Big Beautiful Brain to Build Your Business (Because Almost No One Else Does) Read More »
“If you write one story, it may be bad; if you write a hundred, you have the odds in your favor.” – Edgar Rice Burroughs, Born Sep. 1, 1875. Until you are a copywriter… Stop buying copy books. Stop collecting swipes. Stop hand-copying old ads. Stop it. Instead… Start writing some copy. Start publishing it. …
What Holds You Back From Being a Copywriter is Not Writing Any Copy Read More »
“Teaching is really very, very important. I always tell my students that you should find an opportunity to teach. When you teach others, you teach yourself.” – Itzhak Perlman, Born Aug. 31, 1945. This is really the core of what I’ve built my own business around. Plenty of others have, too. Hell. Entire multi-billion dollar …
The Easiest Way to Internalize What You Learn (And Grow Your Audience, Too) Read More »
“The greatest concubines in history knew that everything revealed with nothing concealed is a bore.” – Geoffrey Beene, Born Aug. 30, 1927. When it comes to sharing invaluable information with your audience, give away as much as you can. Ideally, give away what others try to sell. Drown people in quantities of quality… But always …
What to Reveal and What to Conceal When Making an Irresistible Offer Read More »
“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. …
When People Are Driving in Circles, They’ll Pay a Toll to Take Your Exit Read More »
