America has historically been a place where dreams are had a followed. 

But the irony is, our citizens have become far more socially isolated today
than we were two decades ago. McPherson’s renowned study of the decline of social ties in the country found that our intimate
social ties are shrinking or nonexistent. 

The number of people saying there is
nobody with whom they discuss important matters has nearly tripled. 

In short,
we have fewer people to confide in than we used to. 

And that’s the disconnect.
It’s off brand for our country. Because a lonely place is an unmotivated place.
It’s hard to dream alone. 

And so, for people who are struggling to take action
on their dreams, they might ask themselves if they’re making a strong enough
effort to be less isolated. To wonder if there are impediments to social growth
and good relating standing in the way of their dreams. 

Not that there’s
anything wrong with removing yourself from the turmoil of the world and
retreating into your imagination. 

But if we follow our dreams in isolation,
only to become immune to ordinary human connection, everybody loses. 

Meaning
comes from feeling connected to others, but also believing that others feel
connected to you. 

Go out of your way to honor the part of you that is not
satisfied with a life of estrangement. Protect your dream from the pain of
isolation.

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

Have you already filled your quota for connection this week?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For 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

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

Now booking for 2017-2018.

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of 

The Nametag Guy in action here!

Portland is a weird city. 

It’s a place that promotes individuality, expressionism, eccentricity, local art, as well as atypical lifestyle choices and leisure activities. 

Think of this way. In the middle of the country, the guy who wore a nametag everyday was weird. 

But on the west coast, I was just another one of the freaks. 

That’s why I relocated there right after college. I didn’t have a job, I didn’t know anybody, and I’d never been there before, but somehow, the vortex of weirdness sucked me into its gravitational pull. 

And I’ll never forget my first day in town. I looked around and realized, for the first time in my life, nobody is making fun of me here. Whatever I am is okay. That must mean I’m home. That must mean I belong. 

Finally. What a relief. Now I can just relax and be myself. 

Portland, of course, doesn’t have a monopoly on weirdness. There are plenty of weird cities in the world. The point is that human beings are at their best when they’re weird, and when they’re enabling others to become weird as well. 

And the best part is, weirdness doesn’t cost money or require a costume or demand that you poke holes in your flesh. Only that you own your truth. That you make peace with everything you are. And that you find healthy outlets make your rough edges known, one creative act at a time. 

Seuss said it best. 

We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love. 

My wife actually recited that quote in her wedding vows. Guess we chose wisely. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

Have you found a place that will embrace the weirdness you have to offer? 

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For 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

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

Now booking for 2017-2018.

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of 

The Nametag Guy in action here!

Ideas are free, execution is priceless.

That’s been my mantra since day one of starting my business.

It’s also the title of a book I wrote a few years back. You can download it for free here.

But here’s the problem. I’m an idea junkie. Everything I look at in the world breaks down into a collection of ideas. I have about fifty new ones every day, and sadly, I can only execute so many of them. Even if I had all the resources and all the time in the world, I still wouldn’t be able to keep up with the whirlwind of insanity that gusts through my brain.

And that’s where you come in.

I believe ideas were never meant to stay that way. And so, in this new blog series, I’m going to be publishing a sample of them on a weekly basis, in the hopes that they inspire you to (a) execute them, (b) improve them, or (c) invent something completely different.

Remember, once an idea springs into existence, it cannot be unthought.

Even if that idea is ridiculous.

Enjoy! 

Steal Scott’s Ideas, Issue 017

01. Bother Box. Operationalizing care.

An anonymous feedback platform that allows customers, users, members and other key stakeholders of the organization to let leaders know where they feel invisible and under acknowledged

02. Raincheq. Plans fail but relationships don’t have to 

A browser plugin that keeps track of all the plans you’ve cancelled and the people with whom you’ve promised to reschedule.

03. TreeView. A thousand words is worth a picture.
A printing company that converts online reviews for restaurants into works of art that hang on the dining room floors and back of the house to inspire employees.

04. Despacio. Never bite your tongue again.
A translation portal that plays real people speaking foreign languages, then plays it back and explains it word by word

05. Shazoom. Every engine has a song to sing.

An audio enabled app that identifies the noises emitting from different vehicle engines to help mechanics diagnose and fix problems quickly

06. Court Worthy. Determine the ROI of dating.

A calculator for single people that takes into account your location, budget, available time and desire and tells you whether or not going on a date will be worth it.

07. Discardo. Personal and private waste management.

A line of portable, pocket sized trash bags for throwing away tampons, condoms and other soiled personal hygiene products at other people’s houses or businesses.

08. Bndry. The sound of getting time back

A warning bell to interrupt chatty coworkers when you really need to get some work done

09. Jail Spa. Do the time without the crime

A sabbatical program that sends people to mock prisons so they can escape from the pressures of daily life and enjoy the routine, relaxation and rejuvenation of the prison life, without the crime or shower sex.

10. Religio. Why keep the faith when you can create it? 

A public relations agency that helps people create their own religions from scratch, including a holy book, belief system, rituals, power structure, marketing materials and flock of followers.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How will you turn these ideas into I-dids?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “49 Ways to become an Idea Powerhouse,” 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 2017-2018.

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

Consistency allows you to be there for people. 

Having the discipline to show up every day and use your art to tell the world something true in public, that act of generosity can become a source of stability for others. It can help them through their dark times. 

And that’s such a beautiful thing. A renewable form of meaning that can’t be created anywhere else.

The hard part is, when you’re trapped in your own loop, spending most days in quiet room with nothing but your thoughts, you really have no idea how you’re affecting people in a good way, if at all. 

Some fan mail may trickle in here and there, but ultimately, you have to trust that the discipline of your consistency is paying off. 

When I first started writing books, my mentor told me something I’ll never forget. 

A river reaches places its source never knows. 

That always inspired me to keep the current flowing. Even when I wasn’t sure what might happen downstream. Even when it seemed like the world wasn’t ready to dip its toe in my waters yet. All that mattered was the flow. Keeping the gift in motion. 

Because consistency is far better than rare moments of greatness. 

Hyde was accurate when he wrote that as long as the gift is not withheld, the creative spirit will remain a stranger to the economics of scarcity. 

Get good at not going away. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

What did you publish today?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For 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

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

Now booking for 2017-2018.

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of 

The Nametag Guy in action here!

We spend all this time doing this crazy work, and then it fails, and then we start to wonder if we’ve killed ourselves for nothing. To the point that we throw our hands up in the air and think, wow, if this is what it feels like to give my best, why would I even bother to continue? 

It’s a dangerous cycle to be trapped in. One that lacks compassion and acceptance. And if we have any intention of making our dreams a reality, we have to embrace failure as a learning opportunity, rather than treating it as a source of shame. 

We have to change the way we relate to our own imperfection and pain, rather than treat it as evidence to confirm our negative expectations. 

And most importantly, we have to stop allowing external comparison to trump our own belief in ourselves. 

That last one is where I stumble most frequently. I resentfully scoff at other people’s successes and think two thoughts to myself. 

First, how am I not a millionaire? 

And secondly, I’m working way too hard. 

Blech. It’s no way to live. 

Festinger first pioneered social comparison theory in the fifties, which posited that people try to determine their worth based on how they stacked up against others. His research found that there exists, in the human organism, a drive to evaluate his abilities. And that process is carried out trough respective comparison with the abilities of others. 

The problem is, he says, is that these evaluations are completely subjective and unstable. Because they’re not based on expectation, they’re based on aspiration. 

Meaning, falling short of the fantasy perfectionist ideal instantly equates to failure. And the pain of being less than what we thought we ought to be is unbearable. 

Look, you’re doing fine. Really. Take time to acknowledge the success you already have. Trust that failure is okay when you know you’re on a long road. 

And remember, the fundamental condition of success is that your locus of evaluative judgment is internal. That the only social comparison you make is against the person you used to be. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

Does comparing yourself with others forcing you to forget the uniqueness of your own journey?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For 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

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

Now booking for 2017-2018.

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of 

The Nametag Guy in action here!

Instead of demeaning and pathologizing people’s choices and interests and expressions as conditions from which they need to be cured and saved, I am learning to see them as they are. 

To give them the space to be who they are, instead of molding them into the idealized version of who I want them to be. 

Because at the end of the day, nobody knows anything. Nobody knows what’s inside of anyone. Everyone is fighting a battle that nobody knows anything about. 

And so, I honor what’s right for them based on their chosen integrity and values, remembering that I would want the same treatment for my own unique journey. 

I’m reminded of the most famous transgender comedian in the world. Izzard loves to tell judgmental people:

If you can’t handle the fact that I’m a cross dresser, you can go see a therapist and talk to them about your problem. 

It’s just fear. We try to control people’s behavior because we cannot control our own anxieties and emotions. 

But the sad part is, all that does is isolate us further. The easiest way to push people away is to judge them first. 

And so, rather than treat people’s choices as problems to be solved, our challenge is to accept those choices as what makes us human and binds us together. 

Because the reality is, they’re not the ones with the issue. We are. 

The onus is on us. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

Are you seeing people as they are, or as your filters would judge them?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For 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

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

Now booking for 2017-2018.

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of 

The Nametag Guy in action here!

It’s confusing and frustrating when we’re unable to manifest financial abundance quickly and easily. 

No matter how many positive affirmations we write, no matter how much time and energy we spend offering ourselves to the world in service, in exchange for money, sometimes, the bank account just doesn’t go up. 

And it feels like we’re just running in place, laboring in vain, killing ourselves for nothing. 

But that’s the nature of prosperity. It operates on its own clock. And our job is to trust the process, rather than blocking its expression. 

That’s why I go busking in the park on a weekly basis. Not only because the process is musically fulfilling, but financially as well. Even if strangers only donate a dollar a piece, that money still adds up. No amount is insignificant. 

And the best part is, after a few hours of playing, I can gaze down into my guitar case and behold a nice little chunk of change, which I earned, in real time, by sharing my art, with appreciative patrons, without asking anyone permission. 

That experience does wonders for my abundance mentality. The tips are a reminder than money matters to me. That income is always flowing into my life from all directions. That I am a creative professional with real earning potential. And that I’m astute enough to spot earning opportunities whenever they present themselves. 

The best part is, anybody can do this. It’s not about busking, it’s about basking. In the abundance that the universe has to offer. 

It’s simply a matter of hiring yourself, setting up shop, creating value for others, and being open to receiving the money they’re willing to give us. Even if it’s just a dollar. That still counts. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

Do you have a relationship with money that supports and enhances your overall experience of prosperity?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For 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

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

Now booking for 2017-2018.

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of 

The Nametag Guy in action here!

Ideas are free, execution is priceless.

That’s been my mantra since day one of starting my business.

It’s also the title of a book I wrote a few years back. You can download it for free here.

But here’s the problem. I’m an idea junkie. Everything I look at in the world breaks down into a collection of ideas. I have about fifty new ones every day, and sadly, I can only execute so many of them. Even if I had all the resources and all the time in the world, I still wouldn’t be able to keep up with the whirlwind of insanity that gusts through my brain.

And that’s where you come in.

I believe ideas were never meant to stay that way. And so, in this new blog series, I’m going to be publishing a sample of them on a weekly basis, in the hopes that they inspire you to (a) execute them, (b) improve them, or (c) invent something completely different.

Remember, once an idea springs into existence, it cannot be unthought.

Even if that idea is ridiculous.

Enjoy! 

Steal Scott’s Ideas, Issue 016

01. Fijo. Fix our shit, fill your belly.

A micro freelancing handyman delivery service where men do odd jobs for single women in exchange for pizza and beer, and maybe more

02. Kinder Car. Fast shipping, safe parking.

A valet babysitting service for big box retailers where retired grandparents watch your kids in the car while you run into the store

03. Scapegoater. Professionally outsourcing personal responsibility.

A personal concierge and advice service for major life decisions that allows you to blame a real person when things go wrong

04. Gift Bench. Generosity is serious business
A consulting and curating service that uses a preference, personality and pricing algorithm to help you brainstorm and buy the perfect gift every time

05. Esta Noche. Check in, dress up, rock out.

A clothing rental service for hotel guests which allows them to rent items to wear for their one night in town

06. Hairmonize. Fine and dander free
A house cleaning service that specializes in removing pet hair from houses to make spaces livable for people with allergies

07. Lastcut. Never let your hair down.
An app for barbers, salons and their clients to keep a visual record of haircuts and styles so people can repeat or avoid certain looks forever

08. Hey Lady! Protect your babies.

A car alarm that goes off anytime a small child or pet is left in a car for more than five minutes

09. Vermindow. No more flies on the wall.

A glass washing solution that’s laced with bug repellent to keep store fronts clean, clear and bug free

10. Zucchero. Just as sweet as you please.

A diabetes prevention line of dish ware that detects sugar in the contents and prevents people from consuming unhealthy foods.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How will you turn these ideas into I-dids?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “49 Ways to become an Idea Powerhouse,” 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 2017-2018.

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

Meditation instructors often implore their students to keep quiet about their practice. Not to tell anyone they’re meditating for the first few years. 

It’s form of discernment and boundaries. Honoring the practice by keeping the energy and excitement inside until it’s ready to be released into the world. 

Without this form of containment, we allow the marketplace to supersede what we think. We allow other people’s doubts to weaken our faith before it has had the opportunity to mature. 

And that can hurt our journey in the long run. 

When I first started practicing yoga, I couldn’t help but want to proselytize about my newfound enlightenment. But one of my instructors said something I’ll never forget. 

Your own quiet changes will be the most convincing statement. 

She was right. Because in the early stages of any new practice, you’re dammed either way. A lack of enthusiasm from other people can derail you, but too much enthusiasm from other people can prematurely give you a reward for something you haven’t finished yet. 

Whether it’s meditation or exercise or diet or developing an unconventional belief system, the ultimate goal is to make personal choices divorced from inherited morals and the values of the current culture. 

And so, when the foundation of your faith is still flimsy and unripe, don’t be too eager to throw open the doors and welcome comments from all corners. 

Don’t allow people to prematurely taste your thoughts, adding their own ingredients before you’ve had the chance spice it yourself. 

Trust the power of your containment. 

When the time is right, you’ll be ready to tell the world. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

What have you been practicing in silence for the past five years?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For 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

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

Now booking for 2017-2018.

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of 

The Nametag Guy in action here!