Month: March 2012

Responding to Mediocrity with Maturity

Too often, mediocrity rises to the top.

I watch marginally talented people get fame they didn’t
deserve, land gigs they didn’t earn, make money they didn’t work for and achieve
success they didn’t sweat for.

Meanwhile, I’m hustling my ass off, doing legitimately great
work, work that actually improves humanity’s future, and the marketplace yawns at
my efforts while greatness passes the world by like a fart in the wind.

Why, why, why does this happen?

I asked Sarah Robinson to weigh in. She had a few ideas.

One, because mediocrity is safe. It preserves the status quo. And it prevents people from
taking risks that scare them. Two, because mediocrity is relatable. It’s something people see their reflection in. And it
makes it easier to justify their sub par performance. Three, because mediocrity
is a boost. It’s something to elevate
the ego. And it makes people feel better about themselves instead of
confronting their own inadequacies.

Can we blame the top for loving it?

Lately, I’ve been (trying) to respond to mediocrity with
maturity.

Instead of lowering myself to playing a smaller game, I work harder. Instead of
settling for the cash grab, I keep purpose at the forefront. Instead of
resenting my own excellence, I take pride in getting better. Instead of allowing frustration to derail productivity and focus, I use
mediocrity as a glowing source of inspiration. And instead of
getting angry every time I see someone on television who wouldn’t know love if
it sat on their face, I fuel that frustration into my work and keep creating.

My hope is, trusting that process will pay off.

Eventually.

Even though the twelve year old inside me secretly wants to scream. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What’s your response to mediocrity?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

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Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

Yes, I do more than just wear a nametag all day.

My enterprise is actually quite robust. I add value to my clients in several cool ways.

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The Cost of Encouragement

In baseball, just over a hundred players hit a homerun on their first at bat.

Makes
sense. That’s a lot of pressure without a lot of experience.

Most players are lucky enough to eek
out single, barely get on first, maybe steal a base or two; then, with smart
running, a solid lineup and little luck – score – then hustle back to the
dugout in the hopes of having another at bat later in the game.

Artists and
entrepreneurs work the same. We publish our first book, put on our first show,
launch our first website, and we don’t expect fireworks. We’re just grateful
for the chance to play. And we’re hopeful that we might score enough to get into
the game and prove to the world (and to ourselves) that we’re capable.

That way, we
can start building a history that keeps our average up.

Still, every
once in a while, a player comes along that doesn’t just knock one out of the
park – he knocks the cover off the ball.

Like Robert
Redford in The Natural, he takes a swing and takes the world by
surprise.

And we’re
never the same again.

When this
happens, when we’re privileged enough to witness somebody’s homerun, it’s our
responsibility to show them the replay. It’s our responsibility to grab them by
the lapel and reveal what they can’t see for themselves. And it’s our responsibility to tell them what they’ve done,
why it matters, and why they need to keep swinging, every day, forever, until
it’s all over.

We need to
be a stand for these people’s greatness.

Because without
that brand of encouragement (which costs nothing, by the way) some people may never realize how bloody brilliant they
really are.

Going. Going. Gone.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What have you declined this week?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

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* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

My job is to help companies make their mission more than a statement, using limited edition social artifacts.

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Are You Diversifying Your Creative Approach?

Creativity isn’t hard.

It’s simply a matter
finding the best path for us.

We can ingest substances that lower our inhibitions, enhance
our creative flair and broaden our minds.

We can surround ourselves with creative, why-not-people
whose artistic energies echo into our world.

We can expose ourselves to inspiring materials that disturb
us to the point that we have no choice but to start creating something of our
own.

We can displace ourselves physically to break traditional
patterns and heighten our awareness to our surroundings.

We can build a stimulating environment that activates, taps
into and heightens our sensory experience.

We can inhale everything we encounter as mental omnivores, building
a bottomless reservoir of diverse ideas to fuel our artistic endeavors.

We can practice the art of solitude, isolating ourselves
from the distractions of the world to better hear the voice of our hearts.

We can play the numbers, commit to laying a certain amount
of creative track each day and build value through volume.

The point is, every path works. But the most successful artists,
innovators and entrepreneurs are the ones who diversify their creative
approaches, the ones who work from a combination of as many paths as possible.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Which creative paths will you choose?

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* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

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entrepreneurship and marketing, spend a few minutes or a few hours
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Why Do I Resent Your Success?

Every time I read an article about
someone in my field doing something amazing, my heart always ends up in
conflict with itself.

The fundamentally affirmative part of
me encourages people’s success to inspire my own productivity:

Good for you. Right on, man. I am
genuinely delighted for your success, thrilled by your accomplishments and
fueled by your energy. In fact, I’m going to use your life as a glowing source
of inspiration for my own. Because if you can do it, I can do it too. This is
awesome. Where’s my notebook?

Meanwhile, the resentful part of me
downgrades people’s accomplishments to justify their level of success:

You son of a bitch. You’re not as
talented as I am. You don’t work as hard as I do. You haven’t been around as
long as I have. You don’t deserve it as much as I do. You can’t do it as well
as I can. You don’t even want it as badly as I do. What about me? When is it
going to be my time? This is bullshit. Where’s my gun?”

Ah, the joys of being human.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How do you respond to other people’s success?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

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* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

My job is to help companies make their mission more than a statement, using limited edition social artifacts.

Want to download your free workbook for The Brandtag Strategic Planning Crusade?


Meet Scott’s client from Nestle Purina at www.brandtag.org!

The Cost of Following Your Dreams

The hard part about hiring yourself is, every paycheck is
different.

Some are big, some are small, and in lean times, some are
not existent.

But we asked for this. It’s all part of the job description.
The minute we go out on our own, we forego financial stability. We trade in consistent
and predictable compensation for the freedom to follow our dreams without
looking over our shoulder.

And in return, we have to get good at coping with and thriving
in that environment.

First, by strategically building a support system of
colleagues who know what it’s like to not know where the money is coming from. These
people are especially helpful when you’re trying to change the world and pay
the mortgage at the same time. Eek.

Second, by constantly sweeping our radars for passive income
and savings opportunities. These diversification options are abundant and
practical, and with a little research, can be the difference between a real
career and an expensive hobby. Phew.

Third, by carefully monitoring and documenting our spending
habits. These rituals keep make us as moneysmart as possible, reminding us that
we all have to wear the accountant hat, no matter how creative we are. Dang it.

Fourth, by honestly appraising our professional history.
This reflection fuels our instinct for the future and enables us to make
smarter, faster and better decisions, and not make the same mistakes twice. Thank god.

Personally, this is my least favorite part of the job.

I’m not a manager. I’m not a businessperson. I’m an artist. I just want to make
stuff.

But I’m also a realist. And I know that if I want to
underwrite my addictions and support my lifestyle, I don’t have much of a
choice.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What is the cost of following your dreams?

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* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

Scott has written and published over 1,000,000 words.

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What Happens Without Accountability

The hard part about working alone is the lack of
accountability.

With the exception of our clients, there’s nobody to say
when we’re toast. Nobody to hold our feet to the fire. Nobody to care if we
don’t execute. Nobody to yell if we stroll in to work at eleven. 

Nobody to bust our
chops when sales decline. Nobody to give feedback on a poor performance. Nobody
to offer encouragement in a time of struggle.

Nobody. It’s just us.

This causes two problems. First, there’s the issue of
productivity. With nobody but us to answer to, it’s easy to get distracted, hard
to stay motivated, easier to procrastinate and tempting to rationalize our way
out of feeling guilty for poor work ethic.

But the deeper problem, the one we hate to confront, is that
working without accountability makes us feel like welack direction and purpose. Ittrains us to selfishlydo
whatever is most convenient to get what we want, without taking others into
consideration, without keeping our eye on the bigger picture.

Fortunately for us freelancers,
there’s no shortage of coworking spaces, peer networks, trade associations,
artist collectives, mastermind groups and online programs to mitigate
accountability issues.

Still, it’s hard.

Sometimes hiring yourself can
feel like winking in the dark.

And with nobody to hold our
feet to the fire, it’s not always easy to get warm.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What’s your biggest accountability struggle?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

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* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

What happens when you wear a nametag all day, every day, for 4000+ days?

Strangers make fun of you, mostly.

Check out Scott’s comic strip, Adventures in Nametagging!

Welcome to Entrepreneurial Purgatory

Tom Petty said that waiting is the hardest part.

That everyday, we see one more card, take it on faith and
take it to the heart. And even though it doesn’t feel like heaven right now, we
can’t let it get to us, and we can’t let it kill us.

Good point.

But what happens when waiting feels like the only part? What
happens when every day fells like another goddamn sentence in entrepreneurial
purgatory?

Because when you hire yourself, you spend a lot of time
waiting.

Sometimes for the mechanical
things:

Waiting for the phone to ring. Waiting for the client to decide.
Waiting for the check to arrive. Waiting for the board to vote. Waiting for the
proposal to be accepted. Waiting for the go ahead email. Waiting for the
paperwork to go through. Waiting for the invoice to clear. Waiting for the beta
launch. Waiting for the site to go live. Waiting for the results to come in.

And sometimes we wait for the intangible things:

Waiting for the smell of blood. Waiting for the perfect
moment. Waiting for the ideal client. Waiting for the stars to align. Waiting
for the lightning to strike. Waiting for the little breaks to finally accumulate.
Waiting for the free work to finally pay off. Waiting for the next big idea. Waiting
for the incubation of the current idea. Waiting for the economy to bounce back. Waiting
for the revolution to begin. Waiting for the movement to catch on.

This has been my life for a decade.

And every day, when the waves of anxiety come flooding in, when
I’m five seconds away from ripping my hair out in a fit of freelance rage, I remind
myself that waiting isn’t just part of the job – waiting is the job.

So I hustle while I wait.

I practice fertile idleness and juggle multiple threads of
work simultaneously, always up to something, always diversifying my interests,
always making myself useful. And I never feel fractured, that I’m spreading
myself too thin. I even manage the process with a simple snapshot of every
project, every pursuit, every endeavor and every idea I’m working on at any
given moment. That way, it’s all under the same umbrella.

Now, no one thing can knock me off course. It’s a diverse
portfolio of productivity. And by spinning a lot of plates, I don’t sit there
every morning and wonder if the deal is closed. I just live my life.

And when it happens, it happens 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What are you waiting for?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

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* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

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The Worship of Incompleteness

Turn on the television for five minutes, and you’ll observe the barrage of
celebrity divorces, canceled programming, corporate failures, broken systems, massive
layoffs, abandoned projects, public resignations and product recalls.

Why?

Because our society worships
incompleteness.

First, because we’re not finishers. That’s too much pressure. We’d rather
have ideas than actually execute them. We’d rather talk a big game than
actually play one. Otherwise we might actually have to take personal
responsibility for our work.

Second, because we’re terrified of our
potential. That’s too much power. We’d
rather fail because it’s familiar. We’d rather dream from a distance because
it’s safer. Otherwise we might actually get what we want.

Third, because we’re allergic to
commitment. That’s too much work. We’d
rather kneel at the altar of choice than actually make a decision. We’d rather
stay as loyal as our options. Otherwise we might actually have to stick with
something.

Fourth, because we’re delighted by the
misfortune of others. That’s too much
fun. We’d rather watch you go down in flames than light a match of our own.
We’d rather distract ourselves with your misery than confront our reality.
Otherwise we might actually have to change.

Fifth, because we’re seeking permission
to quit. That’s too much proof. We’d
rather use your failures as water for our fire, not wood. We’d rather use your
story as a reason to stop, not a spur to begin. Otherwise we might actually have
to persist. 

Sixth, because we’re scared of being evaluated.
That’s too much judgment. We’d rather
keep things in beta form, always ready to be fixed. We’d rather not submit our
work to the world. Otherwise we open ourselves to the risk of being rejected. 

Seventh, because we’re anxious about inaction. That’s too much stillness. We’d rather delay the loss that comes with completion than confront the prospect of starting something new. Otherwise we might take a whiff of meaninglessness in the space between. 

Eighth, because we’re manic about standby. That’s too much waiting. We’d rather keep working on a project than hand it in. We’d rather stay busy than sit in limbo, waiting for the dice to roll. Otherwise we might find that the marketplace doesn’t care.

 

The exciting part is, in a society that worships
incompleteness, the people who do commit, the people who do carry their work to
execution, are the ones that inspire us forever.

To be one of those people, all we have to do is finish.

Not perfect, just finish.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What do you badly need to make complete?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the 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

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

Yes, I do more than just wear a nametag all day.

My enterprise is actually quite robust. I add value to my clients in several cool ways.

Explore the myriad ways you, your people and your organization can leverage my talents.

Scott Ginsberg’s Nametaglines, Volume 1

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What’s your favorite quotation?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “153 Quotations to Inspire Your Success,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

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The Culture of Gone

It shouldn’t be this easy to look this good.

But that’s the state of our
society.

Thanks to online anonymity, civility is gone. And since
nobody expects manners, sometimes all we have to do is act polite and courteous
with people.

Thanks to reality television, talent is gone. And since
nobody expects ability, sometimes all we have to do is be really good for
people.

Thanks to social tagging, privacy is gone. And since nobody
expects discretion, sometimes all we have to do is keep our mouths shut for
people.

Thanks to infinite choice, commitment is gone. And since
nobody expects persistence, sometimes all we have to do is finish what we
started with people.


Thanks to entitlement, work ethic is gone. And since nobody
expects effort, sometimes all we have to do is work our asses off for people.

Thanks to velocity, mindfulness is gone. And since nobody
expects focus, sometimes all we have to do is be present for people.

Thanks to corporate bloating, professional humanity is gone.
And since nobody expects soulful individual attention, sometimes all we have to
do is personally respond people.

Thanks to digital platforms, pure communication is gone. And
since nobody expects approachability, sometimes all we have to do is show up in
person.

Thanks to legalities, common sense is gone. And since nobody
expects radical honesty, sometimes all we have to do is be candid with people.

Thanks to belief, rational thinking is gone. And since
nobody expects critical thinking, sometimes all we have to do is pose questions
to people.

Thanks to search engines, wondering is gone. And since
nobody expects answers, sometimes all we have to do is be vessels of knowledge
for people.

That’s how we convert rare into remarkable.
By figuring out the behaviors, acts, interactions and moments that are things
of the past, and then position ourselves as the only ones who actually deliver
that.

People will notice.

Because the stuff nobody does is
the stuff everybody loves.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What have you declined this week?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “8 Ways to Out Question Your Competitors,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg


That Guy with the Nametag


Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting


[email protected]



Never the same speech twice. Customized for your audience. Impossible to walk away uninspired.

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