Learn how to invent, and the rest of the world’s opportunities open up to you

Invention is in my blood. Ever since I was a kid, making things has always been the most natural way for me to engage with the world. That’s one of the reasons I’ve studied thousands of books and articles and documentaries about inventors. The process enraptures me. 

To invent, after all, is to produce by original thought. Is there anything else in the world that matches inventing in terms of providing deep satisfaction and an outlet for your intellectual, existential and spiritual needs? Not a chance. 

Besides, once you learn how to invent, the rest of the world’s opportunities open up to you. As such, one of my goals as an entrepreneur is to constantly mix up my vehicles. To challenge myself to invent things in a variety of different media. That charge keeps me fresh, mobile and never bored. 

Recently, I began launching a suite of single serving software apps to help me do my job better. It started out as an experiment several years ago, but slowly evolved into an exciting new subsidiary brand in my overall enterprise. 

What I loved most about the creative process was, not only was it challenging and invigorating and rewarding, but it was different. Because I’m not a programmer or a developer or a technologist. I don’t know the first thing about writing software. And I liked that. It stretched me. It gave me brain cramps. It forced me to get out of my comfort zone and make something I’ve never made before. 

Isn’t that what inventing is all about? 

The point is, I’m proud of being an inventor. It’s something I’ve embodied my whole life. And as I grow older, I’ll do whatever it takes to assure that creative spirit never dwindles. 



LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How often are you producing things by original thought? 

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For a copy of the list called, “20 Types of Value You Must Deliver,” 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 — Chapter 06: Grow Down (2015) — Scott Ginsberg Concert Documentary

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.

Grow Down

Put my strong face on
My feet haven’t returned to the ground
Pick your jaw up and carry on

The old grow down
The old grow down

Stoplights are a suggestion
Thanks for the pain that asks questions
Everybody’s there with exception.

The old grow down
The old grow down

Blue sky broke out in bruises
Dead empty canvases they loses
Everybody’s there that chooses

The old grow down
The old grow down

And they never would have stuck around
So go and break your ground
Break your ground, break your ground

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What’s blocking your dreams?

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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!

Your feelings have a beginning, middle and end

When you’re sitting in a hot room, half naked, staring in the mirror, for ninety minutes straight, there’s nowhere to hide. It’s pure confrontation with self. 

And so, in the middle cobra pose when you suddenly get one of those painful, intense, involuntary spasms of the second toe, your instinctive reaction is to jolt out of the posture and rub the cramp out. 

Because that’s what we’ve been trained to do. The moment our body experiences discomfort and contraction­, whether it’s physical, mental, emotional or spiritual, we immediately try to eradicate it. We rub it out or run away or take a pill or have a drink or eat four slices of pizza. 

Yoga, on the other hand, forces us to face our feelings. Even if it’s only for five seconds at a time, it’s a beautiful training ground for our lives off the mat. 

When I first started practicing, would get these searing cramps the arches of my feet. And I’d roll over on my mat trying to massage them out. But during one particular class, my instructor said something I’ll never forget. 



All of your feelings have a beginning, middle and end. 

Her suggestion was, next time the discomfort comes crashing in, substitute massaging with breathing. Instead of interrupting your practice to rub out the affected region and relax the muscles in your toe, try sitting with your feelings for five seconds. Five seconds. That’s it. 

And so, I gave it a shot. When I felt a cramp coming, I just sat with it. Literally and figuratively. Instead of freaking out, I simply noticed it, accepted it, loved it, took a nice long inhale, and by the time I started exhaling, the cramp had completely dissipated. 

That’s how feelings works. Whether they exist in the body, the mind, the heart or the spirit, each of them has a beginning, middle and end. And when we’re brave and vulnerable enough to sit with them, we discover they’re not as scary as we once thought. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How has yoga taught you confront yourself?

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For a copy of the list called, “79 Questions Every Manager Needs to Ask,” 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!

Switch gears from perusing to plowing

Often times I beguile inspiration by walking the factory floor. Casually and thoughtfully perusing the latest additions to my idea inventory, having faith that something will stand up and beg to be written. 

But that approach doesn’t work every time. Sometimes I stare at the screen for an hour and realize, I have nothing to say right now. 

In those empty moments, I try inverting the process. I switch gears from perusing to plowing. And I start asking myself strategic questions. Specifically, about the events of yesterday. 

What problems did I notice in the world? What did I see that wasn’t okay with me? What happened that offended my sense of order? Whom did I badly want to call bullshit on? 

These moments are rich veins to mine for creative inspiration. They’re emotional and immediate and interesting and personal. And when I turn to them, I never fail to lock into something that’s worth writing about. 

In fact, this process is so useful that I created a software program that asks the questions for you. Leverage Junkie is a conditional web application that helps you increase the rate of return on any experience. 

Perfect for anybody who’s convinced they have nothing left to say. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What’s your system for producing when you don’t feel like it? 

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “99 Ways to Think Like an Entrepreneur, Even If You Aren’t One,” 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!

Hell isn’t other people, hell is trying to change them

When I was a kid, I was always the first one done with the exam. After fifteen minutes, I’d put down my pencil and look up from my desk, only to realize that everyone else was still on the second page. My teachers assumed I was either cheating, rushing or horsing around; and my classmates assumed I was either kissing ass or showing off. 

But none of the above were true. I’m simply wired to work fast. Velocity is part of my genetic package. It’s a pattern that’s persisted in every phase of my life. I can’t remember not working that way. 

What’s hard, then, especially as an adult, is extending empathy to people who don’t have the same cognitive writing as I do. Because I just assume that everybody thinks like me. Everybody wants to finish the exam quickly. Everybody wants to execute with volume and velocity. 

But I know that’s a naïve, myopic worldview. In fact, every time I catch myself silently screaming, why can’t you be more like me, I remember something my mentor once told me. 

Don’t assume everybody wants to operate at your level. 

have a musician friend who works in the opposite way that I do. Her songwriting system involves planning and outlining and editing and rewriting and rehearsing pruning and perfecting. Ghaaa. Just thinking about her creative process makes my eye twitch. Every time she tells me about her latest recording project, I just want to grab her by the lapel and say, you magnificent putz, stop stalling and just sing for god’s sake! 



But that’s not my responsibility. It’s not my job to coddle and teach and rescue everyone who doesn’t approach creativity in the same way as I do. And I’m done trying to convert people to my religion. 



Instead, I’m working on having empathy for brains that are wired differently than my own. No matter how badly I want to call an electrician. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Whom are you trying to make just like you?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “27 Ways to Over Communicate Anything,” 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!

Moments of Conception 185 — The Manhattan Scene from Elf

All creativity begins with the moment of conception.

That little piece of kindling that gets the fire going. That initial source of inspiration that takes on a life of its own. That single note from which the entire symphony grows. That single spark of life that signals an idea’s movement value, almost screaming to us, something wants to be built here.

Based on my books in The Prolific Series, I’m going to be deconstructing my favorite moments of conception from popular movies. Each post will contain a video clip from a different film, along with a series of lessons we can learn from the characters.

Today’s clip comes from the Manhattan scene in Elf:




What to do when nobody cares about you. Pressfield differentiates between two artistic orientations,
hierarchy and territory. In hierarchy, the artist looks up and looks down. He
does the work for the attention and the applause, not for its own sake. And he
lets others define his reality, instead of looking within to validate his work.
The problem with this orientation, he says, is that when the numbers get too
big, the hierarchy breaks down. A pecking order can hold only so many chickens.
Manhattan, for example, is a city where hierarchy no longer works. The place is
simply too big to function from that orientation. And so, working territorially
is the only path. Working where the sustenance comes from the act itself, not
from the impression it makes on others, is all that’s available to you. It’s an
interesting experience. Because on one hand, living among eight million centers
of the universe can make you feel rejected and anonymous and meaningless. On
the other hand, living in a big city can also make you feel liberated and
rested and relieved. Because nobody’s paying attention to you anyway. It’s like
my favorite sitcom
writer
once said, do the show you
want to do, because the network is going to cancel it anyway. That’s territory,
not hierarchy. It’s the habit of asking what’s in your heart instead of catering to what the
marketplace is looking for. Creating art, knowing that you very well may be
winking in the dark, and being okay with that. Which orientation rules your creative process?



This city will wipe its ass with you. Buddy is naïve and innocent and sweet and happy.
Manhattan is cold and rude and impatient and unforgiving. Tension is created.
Hilarity ensues. It’s the classic fish out water story. The question is, will
the hero adapt like a fish taking to water? Will he crack the code before the code
cracks him? It all depends on that person’s expectations. Having moved to a big
city before, I’ve seen both sides of that coin. Because on one hand, if you get
attached to what the city means for you, you get stars in your eyes. You let
people feed you with things that make you feel bigger than you really are. You
see the potential, not what is. And once your fantasy of moving to the city
differs from your reality of living there, you start to grow cynical. On the
other hand, if you move to the big city empty of expectation, knowing that
nothing will ever go for you exactly as it went for someone else, you can keep
disappointment at bay. And if you remember that you can’t predict your
direction, you can only take your opportunities as they come, you start to grow
beyond the boundaries of what you thought possible. Any person could go either
way. And so, if you’re thinking about accept the invitation to a much wider
horizon, if you’re dreaming about pushing yourself into a new and larger set of
geographical circumstances, leave your expectations behind. Because, as I once
heard a homeless man tell a tourist on the subway, this city will wipe its ass
with you. What would happen if you moved
to a place that was big enough for you?



Music loosens the lid on the jar. Buddy believes that the best way to spread the holiday
cheer is to sing loud for everyone to hear. Jovie takes his advice literally, manages
to overcome her shyness and gets the sleigh back in the air by leading the
crowd of people in singing on live television. What I love about this scene is,
she’s willing to stand alone and look ridiculous, in order to be the spark that
starts the fire. Despite her shyness and refusal to sing anywhere but the
shower, she gets out of her own head and into the true spirit of the holiday.
And she creates a city wide contagion of otherliness and service and community
and joyfulness. This scene is a reminder that energy is interactional currency.
And that if we want to lead the people around us, it’s not enough to pay
attention to what we do that gives us energy, but what we do that gives others
energy. Singing has a tendency to do this. When I busk in the park on weekends,
watching people dance and hum and smile and wave makes me feel warm inside for
having participated in the energy exchange. But just like the character in the
movie, it took a lot of courage to actually play here. I always treated music
as an escape. As a way to hide from the world. But now that I’m performing in
public on a regular basis, it’s the complete opposite. Total vulnerability.
Absolute nakedness. Talk about holiday cheer. When was the last time you sang at the top of your lungs, in public,
with others?

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What did you learn from this movie clip?

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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

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

Now booking for 2015-2016.

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

Reach across the borders of reality

Every time somebody makes the declaration, it is what it is, my heart breaks a little bit more. 

Uttering this phrase is a surrendering of power. It’s a laziness in disguise. People think they’re offering a meaningful insight on the human experience, but it’s really just rationalized victimhood. It’s a story people tell themselves about their own helplessness. A perfect narrative of excuses and failure. 

Lifton, the psychiatrist who famously researched the brainwashing and mind control patterns of war veterans, called this statement a thought terminating cliché. He defined it is a piece of folk wisdom used to quell cognitive dissonance, whereby the most far reaching and complex of human problems are compressed into brief, highly reductive, definitive sounding phrases, easily memorized and easily expressed. These phrases, he said, are the start and finish of any ideological analysis. 

And so, the question becomes, do you use your experiences, or do they use you? Are you willing to forgive reality for being what it is, and then do whatever you can to change it? 

If so, then you won’t need to soothe yourself by saying, it is what it is. Because it isn’t. Not anymore, it’s not. 

Winget’s book on personal responsibility puts it perfectly. He says people who say it is what it is want an excuse for the way things are. But what they’re really saying is, it is the way I allow it to be. It is the way it is because that’s what I’m willing to accept. It is the way it is because I’m too damn stupid and lazy to make it different than it is. Wrong. It isn’t the way it is, it is the way you make it. The future is yours to see and create. 

He’s right. Enough abandoning hope. Stop obliterating the thought of reforming the existence that makes you miserable. Reach across the borders and boundaries of reality. Switch from an external to an internal locus of control. Commit to the belief that you have an active role in deciding your own fate, and a brighter future is yours to write.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Do you use experiences, or do they use you?


LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “10 Phrases That Payses for Overly Aggressive or Hostile People,” 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!

Don’t be in the light, be there before it arrives

Rituals play a central role in religion because they provide a framework for worship, even when faith is low. 

The same could be said about the creative process. The thriving artist crafts a menu of carefully defined, highly structured behaviors into his daily and weekly schedules because he knows he can’t count on inspiration and discipline alone. He knows rituals create a foundation of security when faith is low. 

And so, his rituals insure that he spends as little conscious energy as possibly where it is not absolutely necessary, leaving him free to strategically focus the energy available to him in creative ways. 

Schwartz’s seminal book on enduring high performance says it best. Will and discipline push you to a particular behavior, but ritual pulls at you. Even when you’re tired and uninspired and anxious. Ritual reduces your number of daily decisions, creates a foundation of security and activates the creative subroutine in your head. 

That’s why I listen to the exact same ambient techno record every morning when I sit down to start writing. It’s an associative trigger. A trusted framework that staves off the tyranny of moods. A nonnegotiable construct that does the heavy lifting for me. A finely calibrated mechanism to help me take advantage of limited resources. 

The only caveat is, designing a ritual takes skill. 

Debono’s brilliant book on taking control reminds us that a ritual should always be a little big artificial. Because if it’s too natural, then it’s easy to forget that it’s a ritual. And so, as you create a framework for when faith is low, be careful not to make it too easy on yourself. Taking a shower as soon as you get up in the morning isn’t a ritual, but treating that shower as a meditation in which you consciously avoid all negative thoughts about your upcoming day, is. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…Which highly structured and carefully defined daily behaviors keep you creating consistently?


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For a copy of the list called, “23 Ways to Learn a Lot At a Really Young Age,” 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!

Discerning the future horizon of work

Most career transitions follow a similar pattern. 

There’s the phase of recharging, in which we carve a path back to ourselves. We rest and recuperate and go on sabbatical and give our bodies and minds a chance to just do nothing for a finite period of time. 

Next comes the phase of reflecting, in which we create a deeper understanding of ourselves. We think about who we are, what we do and why we do it. 

Then, there’s the phase of reframing, in which we cast a new vision for ourselves. We imagine the new and exciting types of work environments that might allow us to thrive. 

Finally, there’s the phase of rallying, in which we advocate for ourselves. We hit the streets and pull our chair up to the table and create a holy shit moment that’s worth paying money for. 

During this process, it’s important to ask ourselves a few questions. I’ll share a few of the most important ones from my own journey. 

1. Am I willing to let go of everything I’ve tried and built and accomplished so far, except for the person I’ve become, and use that as the raw material for whatever comes next? This question involves surrender and acceptance and vulnerability. It’s a simple yes or no answer, and not everybody is existentially prepared to face it. We have to be willing to stand at the foot of an unblazed trail and forge ahead despite our fears. But if we’re brave enough to answer that question, we can move onto the second one. 


2. What am I intrinsically the best in the world at, that I have been put on this earth to do, that I’ve already been doing my whole life, that nobody can take away from me, that some lucky organization would love and value and pay money for? This question is much more practical. It forces us to assess our abilities within the context of a new work environment. In fact, it’s helpful to answers the question visually. 

Years ago, I actually made a massive spreadsheet of all my personal and professional assets, talents, skills, accomplishments and passions. Just as an exercise to gain a holistic picture of my total value package. But when I showed it to my mentor, he suggested making a second spreadsheet, but in the context of an organization. Asking myself the question, what would be the impact of their ownership of my value? 

That’s when my career transition kicked into high gear. I had recharged, reflected, reframed and now it was time to rally. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What questions will you ask yourself to discern the future horizon of your work?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “123 Questions Every Marketer Must Ask,” 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!

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