Talent and
networking and timing and resourcefulness are crucial components to success. 

But make no mistake, it is the strength of your commitment that will govern the
speed and potency with which you advance your goals. 

If you’re a person who’s
profoundly and absurdly committed, somebody who’s willing to do absolutely
whatever it takes to get what you want, you’re going to succeed. 

What’s amazing
is, every year there are thousands of new books and articles published about
people who achieve remarkable things. But no matter what angle the writer
takes, the featured individual almost always attributes their success to some
permutation of commitment. They may call it discipline or hard work or
perseverance or passion, but those words are just window dressings for the
unsexy idea of commitment. 

In fact, I have a new book out that’s aptly titled,
When In Doubt, Commit. Because the difference is hunger. The difference is who
wants it more. We are always creating exactly what we are most committed to.
Life is constantly testing our level of commitment. And if we can’t sustain one
hundred percent commitment, either we’re trying to do too much or we shouldn’t
be doing it at all. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How are you going to live today in order to create the tomorrow you’re committed to?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “13 Reasons Your Competitors Are Getting More Attention than You,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

There’s nothing more satisfying than
beholding your first product. It’s a moment of profound accomplishment. 

When I received the sample case of the first book I ever wrote,
I sat on my doorstep and smelled it for five minutes. Pure intoxication. A
year’s worth of blood, sweat and tears had finally paid off. 

Unfortunately,
that moment was followed by pure terror. Because it occurred to me that
developing, testing and manufacturing a product, that was the easy part. Now I actually had to sell
the damn thing. Great. 

That’s the nature of being an entrepreneur. The word
literally means to undertake risk. We create a product and announce to
ourselves, well, here goes nothing. This might not work. And if it doesn’t, we
don’t let that stop us from moving forward. 

Hell, I’ve written and published
books that flew so far under the radar, they may as well have been underground.

But as much as it hurt my feelings, I didn’t burn my energy away speculating
how things might have been different. I reframed. I asked myself leverage
questions. 

Now that I
have this, what else doss this make possible? What larger service is this
product an expensive business card for? 

I owe my life to those questions. They
changed my definition of what a book could be. They turned my storage locker
full of orphan products into a portable sales force that paved the way for
higher dollar projects. And they taught me not every product is a product,
sometimes it’s just a gateway drug to something more profitable. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How do you reframe and reconcile the risks that don’t work?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “27 Reasons People Aren’t Listening to You,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

Language is the fuel that drives
the engine of execution. 

That’s why so few people carry their ideas far enough.
They’re trapped in an outdated way of speaking about themselves. 

One of the
helpful strategies you can learn from cognitive behavioral therapy is to
substitute new language that supports your intention to move in a certain
direction. Because once you change your definition, you change your context.
Once you change your context, you lower the threat level. And once you lower
the threat level, there are fewer excuses to prevent you from moving forward. 

Here’s an example from my own
business. 

For years, I dreamed of building software around my unique creative process.
The prospect of concepting, designing, building, launching and evangelizing a
proprietary web application fully energized me. But every time I sat down to
work on the project, my excitement would dwindle within minutes. Because in
mind, software development was supposed
to be a complex, expensive, left brained, linear process, reserved for computer
scientists and techies and programmers, not people like me. 

And that was the
problem. The limits of my language became the limits of my world. 

Recently,
though, I’ve changed my definition of the wordsoftware. I’ve reminded myself, oh right, there is no supposing
committee. I can do whatever I want. I just need to change the way I talk to
myself about this. 

And so, I began substituting new language. I started
reframing my definition of the word software, without all the cultural baggage
that had built up around it. Sure enough, my level of execution has
skyrocketed. With the help of an incredible programmer, I’ve launched an a
family of single serving software apps that I’m insanely proud of. 

They’re not
fancy. They don’t make any money. But I use them every single day to do my job
better. Under my definition of the word software, that’s a win. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Once you jimmy the lock on your language box, what will become possible for you?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “33 Ways to Approach Unhappy Customers,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

Those moments of virtuosity and mystery and meaning, acts of human moral beauty that provoke the kindred and start a conversation with something much larger than yourself, that’s the definition of awe. 

The profound experience that combines the moral, the spiritual and the aesthetic. 

What’s fascinating is when you dig into the science behind it. In the landmark study on awe, researchers defined awe as something that had the power to transform people and reorient their lives, goals and values in profound and permanent ways. Making awe one of the fastest and most powerful methods of personal change and growth on the planet. 

And on a practical scale, that study found that awe existed at the intersection of two moments: Wow and how. Wow, meaning you’re in the presence of something sizable and powerful and prestigious, and the sense of vastness overwhelms you. Holy crap. This is amazing. Where’s my camera? How, meaning you can’t comprehend the mechanics behind that thing, and the desire to accommodate that experience into your worldview overwhelms you. No effing way. How the hell did she do that? 

That’s awe. Wow plus how. But remember, awe is more than emotion, it’s also nutrition. That brings us to another study about the relationship between positive emotions and pain. Scientists found that awe, wonder and beauty promote healthier levels of cytokines, which are proteins that help rally immune cells around injury and infection. 

According to the experiments, more than two hundred young adults reported on a given day the extent to which they had experienced such positive emotions as amusement, awe, compassion, contentment, joy, love and pride. Samples of gum and cheek tissue taken that same day showed that those who experienced more of these positive emotions, especially awe, wonder and amazement, had the lowest levels of the cytokine, the marker of inflammation. 

The lesson, then, is to take awe seriously. Not only as a magical experience that makes for a more pleasant passing of time, but also as a tool for feeling better. Next time you experience physical, mental, emotional or existential pain, prescribe yourself a dose awe.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How does magic heal you?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “33 Ways to Approach Unhappy Customers,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

I was listening to an interview with a writer
from a successful animated sitcom. 

Bill explained that their mission in the
writer’s room was, humor first, helpful
second. Because if a concept for an episode was really funny, he said, they
would find a way to back into the message. 

It’s brilliant way to approach the
creative process. Focus on the intentional, and trust that you’ll sweep up the
incidental on the way. 

But it’s also an effective way to approach business. The
goal, after all, is to create value. To do something useful. To make something
people want. The result of achieving that goal, is revenue. That’s the
compensation we receive for kicking ass at job number one. 

Stratten’s book on marketing strategy puts it perfectly. He writes that we
can use the internet to greatly help our business, but the internet should not be the business. Making money is not a
business, it’s the result of good business. 

We must remember that if we decide
to hang out our shingle. Because in the same way that a large group of people
who have gathered for an hour a week can easily deceive themselves into
thinking that’s church, an individual who spends all his time going to
conferences and having coffee with strangers and creating the perfect status
update can easily deceive himself into thinking that’s running a business. 

It’s
not. 

You actually have to do something real in the world. Otherwise you’re just
jerking off. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What value are you creating, really?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “33 Ways to Approach Unhappy Customers,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

Eyes Full Of Dreams is a musical and motivational masterclass about making use of everything you are. 

This film will be presented as a serialized, episodic documentary. I’m premiering each song as a stand alone chapter.

Watch the movie, buy the album and download the dream journal at www.eyesfullofdreams.com.

Too Much

Flush all of my selfish

Out of my system

Step into the shadows

And smile with beaming hearts
Write out your list of

The day’s deceptions

There’s blood on the walls dear

But this cut is a start
But I ain’t had too much to dream yet

But I ain’t had too much to dream yet
These pills protect me

From all of my feelings

Hide in my room

And I hug them covers tight
As this chorus of car horns

Beating in my ears

Playing this we game

In a me me town tonight
But I ain’t had too much to dream yet

But I ain’t had too much to dream yet
We’re walking in footsteps

Everywhere we go

Burn all of your worries

Geography’s on our side
There’s no such thing as

All of the sudden

It’s a tough way to live

But a damn good way not to die
But I ain’t had too much to dream yet

But I ain’t had too much to dream yet

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What’s blocking your dreams?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “26 Ways to Out Brand Your Competition,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

When the ferris wheel was first invented, the ride was so popular, prestigious and unprecedented, that riders were given a certificate testifying to their experience. 

It featured the headshot of the engineer, the official measurements of his design, a stamp of authenticity from the manufacturer, a limited edition passenger number, even a signature from the fair president. 

What’s even more interesting, though, is that the existence of the certificate soon lead to a market for counterfeits. About a year after the ride’s debut at the fair, a local newspaper ran an article reporting that people who never visited the fair, but wanted to make a successful bluff that they did, could buy a fake certificate at a newsstand for ten cents and impress their friends. 

Let’s unpack the various implications of this story. 

First, the innovator created a memorialized moment with a personalized artifact, and that made word of mouth easy to spread. Their certificate was a social object worth saving and sharing. Are your colorful brochures actually influencing customer decisions? 

Second, the innovator converted a ride of a lifetime into a badge of honor. They shifted their customers from being observers of the brand to achievers with the brand. And this elevated their social status, which made them more likely to brag to others. That’s the real ride the ferris wheel took people on. Do your customers join your brand, or just give you money? 

Third, the innovator created something worth stealing. The phony certificates became a testament to the inherent remarkability and aspirational nature of their creation. Every other vendor at the fair would have killed for that kind of piracy and plagiarism and parody. But their boring products kept them trapped in obscurity. Are you doing something worth copying? 

That’s where innovation lives. 

At the intersection of memorable, sociable and stealable. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What kind of ride are you taking your customers on?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “11 Ways to Out Market the Competition,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

Stanford economists recently studied a group of retail entrepreneurs for a period of twenty years. 

Their research found that failed entrepreneurs were far more likely to be successful in their subsequent efforts. Turns out, the tenacious thirty percent of business owners who bounced back from their initial failure were more likely to be successful in their second, third, and even tenth time around. They literally failed their way to success. They kept at it, trusting that their prior experience at starting a business would increases the longevity of their next endeavor, and ultimately won the long arc game. 

Yet another example of the positive power of polyamory. Serial entrepreneur or not, anytime a creative person gives themselves permission to pursue multiple projects simultaneously, they’ve just immediately increase their odds of success. Because a diverse set of business activities not only increases their overall level of knowledge, but it safeguards them against the daily discouragements, delays, distractions, depressions, derailments and disappointments of the process. 

When I first started my career as a writer, I only allotted myself one major creative venture at a time. Which seemed helpful for staying focused, but unfortunately, was hurtful for maintaining momentum. I recall one particular project that I spent nine months perfecting. Upon its launch, the marketplace greeted it with a shrug and a golf clap, at best. 

I was devastated. Couldn’t write for week. But had I deployed my creative efforts more polyamorously, perhaps that setback wouldn’t have been so crushing. 

That’s the danger of putting all your creative eggs in one basket. The minute that basket gets taken away, you’re vulnerable to one hell of an existential crisis. Besides, we’re not supposed to be one thing in life. Diversity is equity. 

And so, don’t worry about spreading yourself too thin. Focus on volume. The best way to beat the odds is through massive output. That way, when life’s inevitable failures occur, you can bounce back and quickly move onto the next great adventure. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…Are you a serial anything?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “13 Reasons Your Competitors Are Getting More Attention than You,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

The first time I hired a virtual assistant to help me with various administrative tasks, I had an epiphany. Oh my god, I said to myself. Thanks to this new person, I never have to worry about doing any of those time wasting, soul sucking, stress inducing activities ever again. Glory hallelujah. 

That’s a pivotal moment for any entrepreneur. Letting go of the parts of the process that don’t need your personal touch, outsourcing the mundane to somebody who would be delighted to do it, and freeing yourself to focus on income generating activities. 

More importantly, once you find the people who can help you become what you need to be, once you start hiring others to amplify what you do, you earn the right to ask yourself leverage questions. 

Now that I have this person, what else does this make possible?
Now that I have this person, what do I have the ability to create?
Now that I have this person, what other projects can be executed smarter, faster and cheaper than before? 

Now that I have this person, what creative power, that was previously unavailable to me, do I now possess in spades? 

These questions become a strategic framework for increasing the rate of return on your assets. They force you explore the premiers of possibility, like baseball manager who just picked up a star left handed closer right before the postseason. 

The question is whether or not you will take that team to the championship. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…Whom can you hire to help amplify what you do?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “20 Ways to Make Customers Feel Comfortable,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

I heard an interview with veteran television producer who made a fascinating point about network ratings. I’ll never forget his words. 

Ninety nine out of a hundred people aren’t watching my show, and I’m a millionaire. 

If that’s not inspiring, I don’t know what is. Byron’s insight proves that success isn’t about securing mainstream appeal, it’s not about having a bestseller and it’s not about reaching superstardom. It’s about finding the small corner of the world that you can touch, making it perfect, and setting it free. 

Every day when I walk down the street, I pass by dozens of problem fixing, void filling, pain easing, joy inducing business that embrace this new reality. Each store is selling their specific, niche oriented product or services to a customer base that’s small enough to manage, but substantial enough to keep the lights on. 

Do they care if everybody on the internet is talking about their brand? Not in the slightest. Mainstream is lame stream. What they have is enough for them. And that’s what makes them free.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How would your business be different if you were no longer bowing at the altar of mass appeal?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “71 Things Customers Don’t Want to Hear You Say,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

“Scott Ginsberg’s employee training on approachability was the absolute perfect fit, and completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including mine. The feedback we received from our team was that this was hands down the best training they have ever been to. Scott found out what was important to us and gave us several options for training solutions. I would highly recommend him for a variety of industries, and I would happily work with him again!”  –Anne Conway, PHR | Corporate Director of Training and Development, | Lodging Hospitality Management

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!