Those touchy mediocrities who sit trembling

Here’s an interesting riddle. 



You can’t spell comparison without the word prison



Think about it. That’s exactly what happens inside of our minds when we indulge the thief of joy. We add ten pounds to the bar wondering what the other guy is doing. We look at the people around us for evidence of why we’re not good enough or smart enough or successful. 



When the reality is, who other people are in regard to our path isn’t all that interesting. It’s just a distraction. An addiction. Procrastination in disguise. That’s the prison of comparison. 



Rand’s treatise on individualism puts it perfectly.



The hallmark of the second rater is resentment of another man’s achievement, those touchy mediocrities who sit trembling lest someone’s work prove greater than their own. 



Next time you feel the gasps of comparison arousing in your lungs, try asking yourself the following question. 



Is this going to forward me to better mental health, or is it going to fuel the idea that I’m not good enough? 



The answer is almost always the latter. That’s what we do. We spend too much time looking over our shoulder. 



We compare ourselves with others and forget the uniqueness of our own journey. 



LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

Which of your actions silently scream, I am not enough? 
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!


People’s expectations are their problem

Tyson said it best. 



Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face. 



Which is a holy mantra for the boxing world, but also helpful metaphor for the real world. 



Because there are always invisible forces working against us. Peer pressure, power structures, tribal gravity, social influence, family guilt, group dynamics, to name a few. 



And despite our most honorable efforts to stand by our values, the reality is, people may see our boundaries as a challenge and an invitation to push our buttons. 



For example, I’ve been sober my entire life. Not for medical or moral reasons, I just never found intoxication to be all that interesting. And no judgments for people who partake, either. Knock yourself out. 



What’s amazing is, the moment certain people learn about my history of abstinence, it suddenly becomes their personal life mission to get me wasted. They will not rest until the dysfunction of my sobriety is alleviated. 



Which aggravated me when I was young, but now, I just think it’s adorable. How sweet of them to want to make me their little project. 



But something I’ve learned from a lifetime of sobriety is, I don’t have to do something just because somebody expects it of me. People’s expectations are their problem. 

Of course, that can be a difficult stance to take. Especially on special occasions when we allow ourselves to be guilted into repeated pleas to make exceptions. 

Instead of holding our ground, we set ourselves on fire to keep everyone warm. 

Instead of paying ourselves first, we mindlessly collapse our agendas and priorities and values in the name of make others happy. 

Instead of taking a pass on that fourth slice of pie, we announce to ourselves, oh my god, right here, right now, it has suddenly occurred to me that I only live once. Where’s the whipped cream? 

Each of these responses checks the people pleasing box in our brains, but they also shatter our integrity at the same time. 

The secret, then, is to anticipate failure in advance. To visualize these boundary violating moments when we’re in a calm, cool state. And that way, we can execute when the pressure is on and the punches comes flying.

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

When are you most likely to slip into trying to keep other people happy and forego your own needs?

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!


Every one of us has to travel that road by our own steps

Roark once told his young architectural apprentice: 

If you want my advice, you’ve made a mistake already by asking me. Never ask people. Not about your work. If prepared a hash of words to stuff into your brain, it would be an insult to you and to me. 

It’s an interesting perspective. Because it’s important to walk with the wise and ask questions and breathe in help and feel supported. But in the end of the day, the only steps that matter are the ones we take all by ourselves, to quote one of my favorite songs

That’s the key difference between leaders and followers. They don’t ask for a show of hands, they just say, get out of the way, here it comes. Leaders have the courage to stand on the verdict of their own minds, follow their inner guide even though they look like an idiot and risk alienating those who don’t understand, and change the world forever. 

Which is a terrifying prospect. But the good news is, if it’s never been done before, nobody can tell you what the demands are. Freedom asks us to invent our own steps. Or better yet, our own leaps. 

When I was in college and got the idea to write a book about nametags, I didn’t arrange a focus group on in which a group of campus leaders and influencers were asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards the product. I didn’t submit a draft to a peer review committee for feedback on the overall direction of its marketing initiative. 

I just wrote the book, hired my friend to design the cover, printed a few thousand copies, hot glued two free nametags in the back of every book and starting giving them away to anything that moved. 

And nobody said a word. They just cheered me on. 

Because it didn’t matter how good the content was. The context was more significant. Seventeen years and three dozen books later, I’m still here. 

It’s simple. 

Either you ask who’s going to let you, or you wonder who’s going to stop you. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

Whose advice have you outgrown?


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!


Change everything with no intention of originating anything

Einstein wasn’t
always a world renewed theoretical physicist. 



Like many great inventors, he
labored in obscurity, gained traction slowly and eventually was universally
applauded. 



In fact, he started his career working as a lowly clerk at the
patent office. Six days a week, he would sit at a desk reviewing applications
submitted by all kinds of inventors from around the country. 



Naturally, the
work wasn’t strenuous or intellectually demanding, but it was just repetitious
enough, just foundational enough to give him ample time to daydream and
contemplate the universe. 



And over time, those idle daydreams led to his famous
series of papers that coined the most famous equation that launched a scientific
revolution that changed world history. 



What did he do right?
What conditions and contexts were in place that allowed him to thrive? 



First,
he had the freedom of working on something before the entire world was watching
and waiting to see what he would do next. This relieved him of the pressure,
expectation and urgency that often kills great ideas before they’re even born. 



Next, he didn’t quit his day job to follow his dream, he simply folded it into
his everyday life. Albert kept his hand in his craft, tinkering away at his
passion stolen moments and borrowed time, thus staying in communication with
artistry at some level. 



Finally, there was zero attachment to what this idea
could mean for him. It was just this thing he was fascinating by and curious
about. 



And so, the idea that changed everything originated in the mind of an
person who had no intention of originating anything.

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

How will you create a culture that encourages the generation and application of your best ideas?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!


The connection isn’t complicated by anything outside of the issue

Taylor’s
legendary song reminds us that when we’re down and troubled and we need a
helping hand, all we have to do is call, and we’ve got a friend. 



What’s
interesting is, that type of companionable relationship isn’t always what we
need. 



Because friendships involve their own versions of economic systems that
we make investments in. 



That’s the advantage of support groups, online
communities, anonymous message boards and all the other therapeutic social
settings available today. You have the benefit of talking to strangers. People
who have gone on their own journey and suffered in the same way that you have,
but have no idea who you were like in high school or college. 



And so, the
interaction is pure. There’s no friendship baggage. Your connection isn’t complicated
by anything outside of the issue. It’s just a venue to be human in the presence
of other human beings, minus the expectations of shared history, where healing
words can pave you like an avalanche of light. 



The kind of environment where
people can come out of their shell, let down their guard, drop their protective
mechanisms and feel naked and unashamed to bare their souls without the fear of
criticism or ridicule from people who know their backstory. 



Not that your
friends can’t provide that level of support too. But there’s a very real power
to anonymity. And sometimes, part of the healing process is being open to help
that arrives in a form that you’re not crazy about. 



LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

When was the last time you expressed your sadness to a stranger?

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!


People don’t like doing things that their friends think is stupid

Potter novels have sold nearly a half a billion copies worldwide. 



Rowling created one of the best selling fiction franchises of all time, one that captivated kids worldwide, stoked their fertile imaginations and made books cool for a new generation of readers. 



But despite its official genre as young adult fantasy, the series has also gathered millions of adult fans. The only problem is, many of them wouldn’t be caught dead reading those books on the subway. Grownups don’t commute to work reading children’s books about witches and wizards. 



What’s a publisher to do? How does a company market a product to a group of people who are embarrassed to be seen using it? 



Bloomsbury solved this problem exquisitely. They rereleased each of the seven titles in the series as adult versions. These books are identical in text to the children’s versions, except for one major difference. 



Instead of covers with the traditional bright colors, whimsical cartoons and kid friendly typography, the novels have more mature, visually appealing and palatable covers for adults who might be wary of reading a childish looking book in public. 



They lowered the social risk of being a customer. They reduced the friction of participation. 



Proving, that it doesn’t matter how excited people are about your products, if the thing you sell is uncomfortable to talk about or embarrassing to be seen with, you lose. 



Remember, people don’t like doing things that their friends think is stupid. In a world where each work day is already an unbroken series of degrading humiliations, make sure that the user experience of your product eliminates the fear of having another awkward conversation. 



LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

What potential market might you be accidentally alienating?


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!


For which product are you price insensitive?

Gasset, the hidden originator of pragmatist metaphysics, is famous for saying: 



Tell me what you pay attention to and I will tell you who you are

Which is certainly true, but let’s not underestimate our human capacity for materialism. Let’s not be naïve in regards to the modern consumerist culture. 

If you really want to know who you are, don’t just look at what you pay attention to, look at what you pay money for. 

Because that’s the fuel of life. Money isn’t everything, but it is a lubricant for other things. A marvelous mirror to reflect true identity. 

As such, if you’re seeking clarity around who you are and what you believe, consider these critical investment questions.

What do you spend a disproportionate amount of money on? 

For which product are you price insensitive? 

Which nonnegotiable items that delight you do you always allow yourself a budget for, regardless of your financial situation? 

That’s who you are. 

The scary part is, that information now comes at a price. 

Amazon, for example, is the most powerful company in the world because it remembers every single product you ever bought. Or want to buy. Or thought about buying but didn’t. 

Which enables their custom item filtering system based on your order history, which makes its patented recommendation engine the most brilliant invention of modern retail, which ultimately allows their company to build a sophisticated and intimate relationship with the public, without being perceived as intrusive. Good for them. 

And in fact, good for us too. Who doesn’t love acquiring more of that which brings them joy? 

But let us never forget, if everything we buy increases our knowledge of who we are, it also increases the company’s knowledge of who we are, which makes it dangerously easy for them to quickly, seamlessly and consistently take our money. 

Caveat emptor. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

What is the cost of your identity? 
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!


Let your passion follow you

Which path we take isn’t that important. 



It’s what we carry with us that matters. 



And so, instead of the hackneyed advice to follow our passion, we invert the process. 



We let our passion follow us. 



Meaning, we make a decision and commit ourselves to a new project or a job or an endeavor. And then, once we start moving, we find various ways to embed our passion into the pavement that leads the way.



That’s a more realistic and less pressured career strategy that merely following our passion. 



Because for most of the world, finding you passion is luck, and getting paid for it is a miracle. 



For example, when a growing travel startup hired me as their brand manager, it wasn’t because my contagious passion for travel won them over during the job interview. Quite the opposite, in fact. 



In my previous career as an author, consultant and public speaker, traveling every week for ten years gave me legitimate post traumatic stress. The idea of having to go to the airport caused me significant anxiety, and the idea of not going to the airport, aka, not making money, provoked even more anxiety. 



And yet, my new job as brand manager for the travel company was an ideal fit for me. Because once I settled into the position, I began to discover dozens of outposts within the company to employ my many passions. From writing to storytelling to strategizing to mentoring to video production, there wasn’t a part of my heart that couldn’t be engaged to make a difference. And that felt deeply fulfilling. 

Remember, we take ourselves with us everywhere we go. Passion isn’t just a place we get to, but a place we come from. 

And so, focus less on choosing the path of passion, and more on channeling your passion in whatever path chooses you.

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

What is the one thing that people couldn’t pay you not to do?
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!


A constantly moving happiness machine obsessed with irrelevant objects

I feel
brutalized by popular culture. 

Every day of my life, I’m bombarded with
reminders that my better self is waiting in the wings. Pressured with an
overwhelming sense of urgency that I’m one purchase away from happiness.
Interrupted by the lure of expensive objects that are supposed to be plausible
solutions to needs that I don’t even understand. 

Because apparently, I will
feel better about myself once I’ve acquired these products. 

Congratulations,
charlatanic industries that take advantage of consumer confusion by linking
mass produced goods to unconscious human desires. You’ve officially transformed
me into a constantly moving happiness machine obsessed with irrelevant objects
disguised as powerful emotional symbols. 

Mission accomplished. 

Carlin was right
when he said that it’s all one big lullaby, since the whole purpose of
advertising is to lull us to sleep. 

The worst part, of course, is that it works.
Quite well, in fact. Advertising might not exist to make us buy a product right
away, but it still embeds subtle impressions that drive sales later. 

What other
explanation do we have for the fact that advertising is a half a trillion
dollar industry? Why else is the biggest sporting event of the year
affectionately referred to as four hours of commercials interrupted by a
football game? 

Advertisers know exactly what they’re doing. And that’s fine.
For the first time in my life, I’ve given up fighting the unwinnable marketing
war. I’ve ended my attempts to stick a pin in every advertisement that I see, hoping
to drain it of its power to affect my behavior. 

Because there’s no point in
trying to scrub life clean of it. As long as there are human beings walking the
earth, there will be advertisements to interrupt their stride. 

And so, I’m just
going to try and enjoy it. 

Let the twinkling membrane of commercial messages
brutalize away. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

Have you embraced your place as part of the bewildered herd?
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!


Draw on every experience and thought that you ever had

Schultz publicly claimed that he focused on drawing one good comic strip everyday. 

That was the secret to his success, the foundation of his legacy and the reason he became the most beloved and circulated cartoonist in history. 

In fact, at time of his death, his total count was just below eighteen thousand comic strips. Which, if you do the math, is almost exactly one drawing a day, every day, for fifty years. 

That’s not discipline, that’s devotion. 

Of course, here’s the part of the story most people don’t know. Schultz also claimed that if a cartoonist was going to survive the demands of that kind daily production schedule, he would survive only by being able to draw on every experience and thought that he ever had. 

That’s the standing creative challenge if you’re insane enough to pursue a career where the quality and frequency of your thoughts determines your livelihood. 

Everything is fair game. Everything. You’ve spent a lifetime building a memory bank of experiences to draw on for your work, and now it’s time to make a withdrawal. 

What an joyous and terrifying prospect. Knowing that your next great work of art is only a memory away. Trusting that if you plumb the depths of your full aliveness, something vulnerable or dangerous or shameful might show up. 

That’s reason enough to sit down and get after it everyday. 

Because you never know which little while ball the lotto machine of your mind might pick.

Proving, that an artist’s greatest resource is not his ability to create, but his willingness to remember. 



LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

Which of your oldest memories are begging to be collected?
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!


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