Month: October 2011

Download Every Book Scott Ginsberg Has Ever Written, For Free, Right Now, For Real!

As an artist, I’d rather be heard than paid.

My entire career as a writer, publisher, performer and
consultant has flourished on the power of giving myself away. And considering the current
expectation of the marketplace, why charge
customers for a digital cow they’re already milking for free?

Enjoy all 13 of my books as free downloads. For real.

(Also, please tell everyone you know to come to www.StealScottsBooks.com)

My first book wasn’t a book: It was a brand, a stand, a story and a statement. I wrote it during my senior year of college at Miami University. I had no plan, no goals and no motivation other than, “Writing is the only thing I can’t remember not doing, and if I don’t write this book, I will regret it.” So I did. And it changed my life forever.

Steal this book now!

Any sophomore effort is rife with pressure and expectation. And since I needed substance behind the shtick of the nametag, I chose approachability. Or maybe approachability chose me. It was hard to write and required a lot of research, since I didn’t have much experience to dwell on. But it’s still my best selling title of all time, and it helped me own that word in the marketplace. Plus it got me a quiz for Cosmo. Wow.

Steal this book now!

Due to the nametag, everyone called me “that guy.” The difference was, they did so in a positive way. And I figured that would make a cool book. Polarizing title notwithstanding, I wrote it quickly and enjoyably, and it has sold well. My favorite part is the testimonial from my older brother, who has only read five books in his life, including this one. Score.

Steal this book now!

The most beautiful book I’ve ever done. My design team knocked it out of the park with this one. The cover is striking, the inside pages are colorful and the title is perfect. What I love most about this book is how heavy it is, due to the full color bleed on the print version. It just feels valuable. Plus, the dedication is to my parents, on whom I blame everything good that happens in my life.

Steal this book now!

The first in my series, this book was a response to my clients, who wanted to read short, fun, helpful books on specific job functions. Having worked in retail, food service and hospitality, it was cool to write from a service perspective. Not a lot of personal stories, just ideas I’d been learning as I traveled around the world, working with cool organizations.

Steal this book now!

 

I don’t like sales and I’m not particularly skilled at sales. So I wrote this book for myself. It’s got solid content on enabling customers to buy, not just selling. And I’m really happy with a few of the chapter about questions and conversation. It helped me sell more and sell better, and the feedback from readers has been tremendous. Especially in the professional services arena.

Steal this book now!

Managers are notorious for being unapproachable. I’ve certainly had bad ones in my day, so I wrote this book to help those in that role. And I’ll never forget the airport executive who grabbed a copy and asked if there was a chapter on getting employees to go away so you could actually get work done. I later added a chapter on boundaries to address that issue. Whew!

Steal this book now!

It’s a concept album. Not a book, a symphony. And it’s structured with movements, codas, interludes and the like. So much fun to write. Two books in one. Engaging cover in “flip-flop” style. And it absolutely drove my design team crazy. Total pain in the ass to produce. But, it’s hard cover, and it feels super fancy and credible. Amazing how touch affects credibility.

Steal this book now!

I’m not an angry person by any stretch of the imagination, but this book is basically me venting. Therapeutic to write, intense to read and I had a blast putting it together. But initially, I hesitated to publish it. And that’s how I knew it was important. So I did. Never charged for it. Always meant it to be a free download. And readers loved it. Especially me.

Steal this book now!

I wrote this book on the floor of the food court in the mall by my old house. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, fun and intentionally corporate. Sold tons over the years. The content I adore. And it’s highly spiritual stuff, since I wrote around the time I began practicing yoga. Kind of a time capsule into my life in my late twenties. Gotta love those ducks.

Steal this book now!

I think the bull on the cover of this book is the cutest thing ever. We must have browsed hundreds of graphics until we found the right one. Anyway, it’s another concept book. Most people didn’t get it. But my friends Adam and Jeremy and I came up with the chapter titles at our Sunday Sushi Club. Funniest table of contents ever written. Worth reading it just for that.

Steal this book now!

 

I wrote this book because I was tired of hearing people complain about how they had ideas, but never did anything with them. Considering I made an entire career out of wearing a nametag, who better to write this book than me? It’s the first daily devotional, which became my trademark style once this book came out. First of its kind, very strong content. 

Steal this book now!

 

It seems wrong to pick your favorite book, but this one is so freaking amazing. The cover is stunning, the content is gold and I think I had the most fun and felt the most like myself while writing it. Another devotional, making dozens of family references, this book will always go down as a turning point in both my personal and professional lives.

Steal this book now!

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What have you given away for free this week?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

Send a friend to www.StealScottsBooks.com and give me as a gift to them.

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg


That Guy with the Nametag


Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting


[email protected]



Scott Ginsberg’s Keynote Speech: Hire Yourself! Burn Your Resume & Create a Career That Counts

This clip is fromThe Go Network on Vimeo!

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Have you ever thought about hiring yourself?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the list called, “16 Ways to be the Best,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2011-2012!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

The Joy of Equal Footing

Not to brag, but I hold the world record for wearing nametags.

Don’t act like you’re not impressed.

But as the world’s foremost expert, I am uniquely qualified to give an opinion on how nametags should be worn. Here’s my theory:

No last names. No company names. No logos. No titles. No acronyms. No designations.

First name only. Nothing else.This levels the playing field. This restores the balance of power. This eliminates competition. This prevents pigeonholing. And this stops people from being better than others with a lesser tag.

By eliminating unnecessary labels, by stripping accumulated adjectives and by boiling people down to their human essence – their names – it’s harder to judge each other and easier to get to know each other.

I wonder how different our planet would be if we were willing to put values before vocation, humanity before statistics, personality before position and individuality before industry.

I wonder.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How do you put yourself on equal footing with the people around you?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the list called, “31 Questions to Test Your Listening Skills” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2011-2012!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

The Analog Friend Request

The road less traveled isn’t just foggy – it’s lonely.

Whether you’re a writer, freelancer, artist, entrepreneur, or part of a mobile workforce, there are more people going it alone that every before in history.

Our culture encourages it, our technology enables it and our economy demands it.

Which is great for productivity and flexibility.

But we’re still human. And human beings are social animals.

Creativity without community, isn’t.And don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t trade my job for anything on the planet.

The fact that I get to make my own schedule, make my own decisions, make my own money and make a measurable difference in the world – all while doing what I love – is an honor and a privilege.

But.

When the inevitable loneliness starts to creep in like a toxic mist, we need every ounce of our creative capacity to stay connected, stay supported and stay afloat. Otherwise the isolation will drive us insane, and will drive our businesses into the ground.

Thank god for the nametag. It keeps me connected. It sustains me. It’s my constant spark for human contact. And every day I get to interact with cool new people from all walks of life that I never would have met otherwise.

It’s my analog friend request.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s yours?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the list called, “58 Questions about Questions” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2011-2012!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

NametagTV: Touchy Feely

If you want to reach the world.
If you want to make a name for yourself.
If you want to win with the people who matter most.

You have to use your hand, and you have to use your heart.

And I know what you’re thinking.

Great. Is he going to get all touchy feely now?

Yes.

That’s exactly what’s going to happen, because that’s exactly what people crave.

To feel like they’ve been touched.

How many of your people don’t feel touched?
How many of your people don’t feel at all?

AND JUST SO YOU KNOW: I’m not suggesting you start hugging everyone you meet.

Nor am I suggesting you formulate a touchpoint strategy for managing the customer experience that aligns with the brand promise. Excuse me while I vomit.

Being touchy feely is much bigger – and better – than that. It’s about leaving people feeling seen, heard and essential. Today we’re going to talk how to make yourself, your brand and your organization more touchy feely:1. Give people the experience of psychological visibility. You look with the eyes, but you see with the heart. And if you want to assure that you leave people feeling seen, try these ideas. First: Instead of going out of your way to make people feel invisible, make a conscious effort to love, honor and acknowledge them. When they get you, give them all of you.

Second: While engaging with people, resist the urge to check your email. Stop looking over their shoulder to see if there’s somebody more important to talk to you. Just be with the people you’re with, right now. Third: When someone comes to you with their problems, understand that they’re not looking for advice – they’re looking for understanding. Don’t dispense answers when they’re looking for affirmation.

Nothing touches people more than your willingness to be a mirror. When was the last time you slowed down and noticed people?

2. Be open to all levels of intimacy. I recently read the classic article in Harvard Business Review that first called customer intimacy a “key value discipline.” Their research proved that organizations that align their entire operating model to serve that discipline are the ones who become market leaders. Are you pushing yourself relentlessly to sustain it? If not, you’ll never touch your people in the way they need to be touched.

After all, each of your relationships – from customers you’ve known since day one to prospects you’ve known since this morning – is an ongoing laboratory of learning how to love. And it’s more than memorizing a few pieces of personal information. Intimacy is about sharing vulnerability, showing feelings and showering acceptance. It’s about weathering storms together, experiencing meaningful connection and creating emotional closeness. What would be different if that described the relationships you had with your customers?

3. Slow down. You can touch what you can’t catch. And you can’t feel what you can’t follow. If you want others to have a warmer, richer experience when they’re around you, learn to pump the brakes. Shift into neutral if you have to. Otherwise you’ll continue borrowing from approachability to fund velocity. And whatever meager dividends remain will leave people feeling untouched.

A helpful question to ask throughout your day is, “Why am I rushing?” Odds are, you won’t come up with a good answer. You might not slow down right away. But this friendly mental disruption will create a newfound awareness. And before you know it, communicating with you will become a more relaxing experience. Remember: When people come into contact with you, it should be emotionally rewarding – not physically draining.

Haste doesn’t make waste – it makes people feel ignored. What elements of your daily routine could be slower?

4. Bring people center stage. I love hearing the word no. Not because it’s an opening to sell, but because it’s an opportunity to hear somebody’s story. Because sometimes that’s all people want – an audience. Someone to champion their humanity. Someone to gather with them and say, “I’m here. I’m with you. I’m part of this.”

The secret is: If you truly want to touch someone, it’s not enough to request their story. You also have to receive it, respect it and retell it. Otherwise they may as well be winking in the dark. That’s what I love about blogging: It provides a public forum where I can bring other people’s story center stage. Often without their knowledge, but never without their acknowledgment.

In my experience, this is the perfect way to use technology for getting touchy feely. As long as you treat people’s truth accurately and respectfully, they’ll never feel untouched. People can’t live without a story to tell. How often you handing them the microphone?

5. Hold up your homework. When my friends Laszlo and Kelly got married, they wrote their own vows. Their words were beautiful, romantic and heartfelt. Not a dry eye in the house. But the collective heart of the entire room stopped beating when Laszlo made the following announcement right after they kissed: “Ladies and gentleman, we’re going to take a ten minute break before the reception starts because, frankly, those vows took everything we had.”

And rightly so, too. Doing something that touching isn’t easy. But the lesson learned is: When something takes everything you have, tell people. Not to boast about how strong you are. But to offer validation that they are people worth caring about, showing up for and giving yourself away to. When was the last time you went out of your way to tell someone that you went out of your way?

REMEMBER: Every day our world becomes less humane in our treatment of each other.

I know touchy feely isn’t easy.
I know touchy feely isn’t for everybody.

But it sure beats avoidy ignory.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Who are you touching?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For a list called, “7 Ways to Out Experience the Competition,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur, Mentor
[email protected]

Sick of selling?
Tired of cold calling?
Bored with traditional prospecting approaches?

Buy Scott’s book and learn how to sell enable people to buy!

Pick up your copy (or a case!) right here.

What My Nametag Taught Me About Entrepreneurship

After four thousand days of wearing a nametag, I’ve learned more lessons about being an entrepreneur than I ever could have learned in college.

Straight from my column on monthly column on American Express Open Forum, here are a few to consider: 1. Interaction is the agent of human decision. Any time people decide to listen to, buy from, get behind, partner with or tell others about you, it’s probably because of the interaction they had with you. How they experienced you. How they experienced themselves in relation to you. And fortunately, the cost of interaction is approaching zero. Thanks to the Internet, we now have greater access to each other than ever before.

Brands are reaching users. Writers are reaching readers. Artists are reaching collectors. Leaders are reaching followers. But you don’t need a nametag. You need to be open to what can emerge from every interaction. You need to interact with people in praise of whatever they have to offer. You need to approach everyone you encounter with a spirit of acknowledgment. Because every time you interact with people, you make a choice.

A choice to engage with swift responsiveness, nonstop gratitude, unexpected honesty, exquisite playfulness and loving unfairness. Those aren’t just interactions – they’re social gifts. And they change people forever. Are you known for a unique way of interacting with the world?

2. The media is your customer. I once got an email from a television screenwriter. He wanted to pitch a network reality show that revolved around my nametag. Awesome. But I had to ask the crucial question. I had to find out why he picked me. Not for ego purposes, but for market research purposes. I wanted to know where the rock created the ripple so I could go throw more rocks.

“Television is about the personality and the message, somebody who would be fun to watch every episode. Viewers don’t care about talent and skill. They want to laugh, be entertained and have their imagination captured. And after doing a lot of research on potential, I didn’t like anyone else. But you – you remind me of me. And that’s why I reached out.”

Cool. So we did a few conference calls, got the lawyers involved, signed an option agreement – I even flew out to Hollywood to meet with a few network producers. Unfortunately, the screenwriter got an offer to become a lead a writer on Survivor, the highest rated reality show of the decade. Damn you, Jeff Probst!

And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. But I wasn’t devastated. If anything, it was another glimpse into that whole world. It was an educational experience that taught me what the network wants. That’s one thing you learn about working with the media: You can’t get your hopes up. You can’t beat yourself up. And you can’t torture yourself waiting in limbo. Nor can you run around telling everyone you’re going to be on television.

The media is your customer, and you are an ocean under a fickle moon. You just have to keep saying to yourself, “It’s only a matter of time.” When it hits, will you be ready?

3. Enable the mystery. “I just have so many questions!” I get that a lot. When people find out I wear a nametag everyday, they’re instantly curious about a number of issues. And I’m happy to oblige. Comes with the territory. I once met a guy in a jazz club in Hell’s Kitchen. Noticing my nametag, he asked me if I had just come from an episode of The Price is Right. Good guess, but no. Even though I’ve always secretly wanted to be on that show. Just let me play one game of Plinko and I’ll be out of your way.

Anyway, the point is that people are enthralled by mystery. They never grow tired of things that invite constant interpretation. And your ability to fascinate them is a tremendous asset. Like Houdini, you have to emanate an aura of delightful unpredictability. You have leave the public always wanting more, wondering about your next move. Will you underestimate the profitability of mystery?

4. Reputational capital. The first interview I ever did was for Headline News. Three minutes. Five million people. Twenty-two years old. Yikes. I don’t remember much about my segment. I’m sure I rambled like a pro. But what I do remember was rushing home to watch the tape. And the moment that would be forever burned into my brain was noticing what CNN wrote on their lower third screen graphic: Scott Ginsberg, Name Tag Wearer.

And there it is. Four years of college. Thanks, mom and dad. Money well spent. But I learned something that day. You can’t outsource reputation. It’s not what’s in a name – it’s what after a name that counts. And if you don’t make a name for yourself, somebody will make one for you. Nametag Wearer. Sheesh. What would be written under your name?

5. Take a stand. I believe in having a point of view. Philosophies. Opinions. Perspectives. Theories. These things matter. These things make us uniquely human. They don’t have to be right or wrong, they just have to be ours. And it’s our responsibility to share them courageously and prodigiously. Otherwise we’re just decorations on the wall.

That’s what my friend Matt likes to remind me: You weren’t wearing a sticker – you were taking a stand. Damn right I was. I was taking a stand for my identity. I was taking a stand against anonymity. I was taking a stand in the name of approachability. When you do this, people notice. It draws them in. It teaches them how to treat you. And it reminds them that you’re a person with feelings and you demand to be heard.

Life’s too short to keep our doubts to ourselves, too important to keep our positions unknown and too beautiful to keep our conclusions quiet. Opinionated is the new black. Are you wearing it well?

REMEMBER: To be an entrepreneur is to take a risk.

You don’t need to wear a nametag – but you do need to stick yourself out there.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your nametag?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For a list called, “11 Ways to Out Google Your Competitors,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

“I usually refuse to pay for mentoring. But after Scott’s first brain rental session, the fact that I had paid something to be working with him left my mind – as far as I was concerned, the value of that (and subsequent) exchange of wisdom and knowledge, far outweighed any payment.”

–Gilly Johnson The Australian Mentoring Center

Everything I Know About Marketing I Learned From My Nametag

I’ve been wearing a nametag for four thousand consecutive days.

More importantly, I’ve turned that quest into a career as a writer, publisher, speaker, consultant and artist.

In the process, I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons. From my monthly column on American Express Open Forum, here are a few to consider: 1. It’s not a nametag – it an advertisement. I used to think advertising was cool. When I was a kid, my favorite hobby was perusing and analyzing the pullout ads from Saturday morning newspaper. Then I went to business school. And I learned that advertising is a disrespectful, ugly form of pollution. Then I started my own company. And I learned that advertising is the price that companies pay for not having enough friends.

Years later, I came to a conclusion: We don’t need more advertisements – we need acts that create emotional connections. Simple, inclusive, accessible, relevant and human encounters that change the momentary experience of engaging with your brand. Another reason I love nametags. Instead of interrupting – I’m interacting. Instead of demanding attention – I’m offering permission. Instead of bothering people into buying from me – I’m allowing them to target me. Is your marketing like that?

2. It’s not a nametag – it’s attention. When I attend classes, teachers call on me more. When I take yoga, instructors adjust my posture more. When I dine out, waiters seat me quicker, treat me nicer and serve me faster. This is not an accident. I’m just slightly more memorable than the average person. And as a result, I earn more attention than most. The nametag builds novelty, overrides people’s native defenses, breaks the ice, creates a smile in the mind and tickles the eye. It reduces psychological distance, expedites familiarity, pampers people’s memories, creates a human connection and accelerates intimacy.

It’s a social object. And every day it makes another deposit in my attention account. Do I wear a nametag for attention? You’re damn right I do. Attention is the great commodity. It’s the scarcest resource we have. How do you practice earning it every day?

3. It’s not a nametag – it’s engagement. I never leave the house without nametags. It’s my uniform. It’s my armor. Ever ready for battle. And everywhere I go, people ask me if they can have one. So I’m happy to pass them out to strangers, friends, random kids at the ballpark, whomever. I don’t discriminate. But I don’t pass them out to convert people – I pass them out to send a message: My brand is participatory.

Personally, I don’t care if people wear the nametags. A lot of them don’t. What matters is that they join me that spontaneous moment of authentic human interaction, infused with a sprit of humor, playfulness and connection. That’s my brand. And their life is better because of it. Truth is, brand perception hinges on human interaction. The only thing people can make a judgment about is how engaging with you makes them feel. And every encounter you have with another person either adds to – or subtracts from – its overall joinability. How do you induce participation?

4. It’s not a nametag – it’s execution. When people learn that I’ve made entire career out of wearing a nametag everyday, they often comment: “Damn it! Now why didn’t I think of that?” Wrong question. Because odds are, they probably did think of that. They just didn’t do anything about it. They forgot to attach action to the idea. It’s not about the idea – it’s about the “I did.”

Of course, people are too busy. Too busy being patient, waiting for permission, following rules, setting goals, fearing failure, planning, responding to useless distractions, listening to the wrong feedback, attending meetings, working with counterproductive teams, waiting until they’re ready, waiting until they know what they’re doing, waiting for perfection and wasting time with parade rainers. And that’s why nobody executes what matters.

Execution isn’t a skill – it’s a way of life. It’s a predisposition to action, an adamant refusal to stay where you are and an outright insistence on focusing on what’s most important to you. The world doesn’t need another idea guy. Ideas are free – only execution is priceless. Which are you focused on?

REMEMBER: We all wear nametags. Every day.

Your challenge is to figure out what’s written on yours.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your nametag?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For a list called, “11 Ways to Out Google Your Competitors,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

“I usually refuse to pay for mentoring. But after Scott’s first brain rental session, the fact that I had paid something to be working with him left my mind – as far as I was concerned, the value of that (and subsequent) exchange of wisdom and knowledge, far outweighed any payment.”

–Gilly Johnson The Australian Mentoring Center

When Steve Jobs Freed Us

Sometimes you have to say no to the good so you can say yes to the best.

Steve Jobs taught me that.

In a recent interview with Fortune, he made a similar distinction:

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.

You’re defined by what you decline.

Doesn’t make you close-minded, inflexible or stiff.

Just focused.

And when you focus yourself, you free yourself.
And when you free yourself, you free the world.

Thank you, Steve Jobs for freeing us.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How did Steve Jobs affect you?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the list called, “18 Lessons from 18 People Smarter Than Me,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2011-2012!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

Stomaching the Fear of Disconnection

Last week I shared a shuttle with a flight attendant. She was complaining about young people’s inability to shut off their phones right before takeoff.

“It’s only a two-hour flight. You’d think it was the end of the world for these kids!”

Oh, but it is. Considering the average teenager uses the Internet fifty hours a week — seventy percent of which are on their mobile devices – two hours is like an eternity.You have to experience time from their perspective.

The other issue is, it’s not that they can’t stop playing with their phones. It’s that they can’t stomach the fear of disconnection.

Always on is all they know.

To them, the off button may as well be the Grim Reaper’s doorbell.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How long does two hours really feel to you?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the list called, “58 Questions about Questions” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2011-2012!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

What My Stalker Taught Me

If you have to tell someone you’re not a stalker, you probably are.

I learned this the hard way.

His named was Stephan.
He was a fan of my work.
And he called me every day.

Every. Single. Day. For three weeks.

Did I mention he was a middle-aged unemployed alcoholic with social anxiety disorder whose father abused him physically, sexually and emotionally?

He told me these things. On his voicemail messages. Along with the disclaimer that he swore he wasn’t a stalker.

HELLO, my name is Creepy.

I changed my number.
Took it off my website.
And thought that would be the end of it. Until he showed up at my house.

I was taking out the trash – wearing my nametag, of course – when I saw what looked like a homeless guy hanging out by the dumpster.

He said my name.
He reached out his right hand.
He held his other hand behind his back.

And I was thinking: Ice pick.

But instead, he pulled out copy of my book.

He didn’t want to kill me – he just wanted an autograph.

I took his pen and signed it. Kind of. I was so terrified I think I wrote, “Best wishes! Love, Jamal.”

But that was it. He said thanks, walked away and I never saw him again.

And as I went inside to change my underwear, something occurred to me:

If you don’t set boundaries for yourself – other people will set them for you.

And then they will violate them.
And then they will tell all their little friends to violate them.
And it will be your fault because you never decided where to draw the line.

It is possible to be too approachable.

In addition to stalkers, over the years I’ve had cult members try to covert me, drug dealers try to sell me, religious zealots try to proselytize me and pyramid schemers try to recruit me. All the time.

Because that’s what happens when you put yourself out there.

Don’t wait until you’re defenseless to learn this lesson.

Decide where you draw the line early.

And the minute somebody tries to push you past it, run.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What boundaries are you setting?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the list called, “10 Ways to Make the Mundane Memorable,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2011-2012!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

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