I spent my first year of college in the wrong place. 

Too big of a party school for my liking. Too much drinking and too many drugs and too many slackers skipping class to play ultimate frisbee in the quad. 

But instead of making a concerted effort to connect with new friends, I hibernated in my dorm room. And by the time second semester rolled around, I officially decided to transfer. 

That had to be the answer, I thought. Moving across the country to a smaller school will make all my problems magically disappear. 

Unfortunately, when I started my sophomore year at this supposedly different school, nothing changed except the zip code. There were just as many parties and just as many students getting high and skipping class. 

In fact, I remember seeing a hooded sweatshirt the window of the bookstore that said it all. 

We’re a drinking town with a college problem. 

That’s when I realized, oh my god, if my college experience sucks, it’s my fault. The onus is on me. No matter how comforting and soothing and safe it feels to spend my time watching television in my lonely apartment, pining for a peer group to somehow materialize, sitting back and waiting for people to be friends with me is a losing strategy. 

Time get out of my private little shell and engage with the world. 

And so, every day, I stared making a special effort to deepen my direct participation with the environment around me. I attended free events and got involved with campus organizations and raised my hand for volunteer positions and made new friends with interesting people I never would have met otherwise. 

And for the first time in years, I didn’t feel like an alien staring into the window. I belonged. 

Meanwhile, people were drinking and smoking and partying just as much as they did before. But because I rehabilitated my mindset, it didn’t seem to bother me anymore.

Perhaps there should be another shirt in the window that reads:

If everyone you meet is an asshole, you’re the problem. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

Are you finally ready to get out of your private little shell and take a look at the world? 
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!

Loving and forgiving and accepting and being kind to ourselves aren’t skills that we master overnight. 

They strengthen through a continuous cycle of action and reflection. They’re developed and nurtured over time and with lots of practice. 

And it all starts with awareness. Because the emotional edifice of loving ourselves cannot be built without a bedrock of intention upon which to hoist the first beam. 

Demello said it best in his classic book of spiritual wisdom. 

In awareness, you keep your softness, your subtleness, your gentleness, your openness, your flexibility, and you don’t push, change simply occurs. 

In my own quest to be more compassionate towards myself, I’ve been working on catching unkind thoughts upstream. Nipping cruelty in the bud before it becomes systemic. 

One of the awareness techniques I find helpful is to objectively say to myself:

Aha, now here’s one of those times when I might be tempted to beat myself up. Interesting. 

And that’s it. Nothing else happens. I’m just noticing the moment. 

By stopping for a breath or two and making this observation and feeling where it lives in my body, I’m able to acknowledge that my pain is deserving of a kinder and more caring response, as opposed to thinking, god you’re such an idiot. 

Even if I don’t always follow up that moment with a supportive arm around my own shoulder, at least the awareness is there. Which is a huge victory in itself. 

Because it changes the way I relate to my own imperfection, which changes my overall experience of living. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

What do you say to yourself to catch unkind emotions upstream? 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!

Disrupt came to town this week. 

AirHelp,
as an alumnus of the startup battlefield, had the privilege of returning to the
conference to learn what’s new in the world of tech, connect with exciting
companies and learn from inspiring speakers.

Yesterday we looked at insights from day one, and here’s day
two:

1. Most technologies
spend ten years in development before they reach the human population. Fascinating
perspective from a biotech scientist. She reminds us that most people’s problem
isn’t a lack of focus, it’s a lack of patience. That’s what winning startups
know. That it’s a long arc game. That labor sets its own pace and has its own
schedule. And if we try to rush the process, if we’re unable to trust that the
thing we’re building will unfold according to its own timetable, we won’t be
around in a decade.

2. Build a platform to
expose people’s capabilities. Local Motors, the world’s biggest distributed
auto manufacturer, uses micro factories. They can 3D print a car in twenty nine hours. Their founder reminded us that each of us is born with a talent we are
meant to use. Everyone has a reservoir of genius worth discovering. And if a
company can give people the right opportunities and use those talents properly,
they’ll be around forever.

3. Keep a playbook in
the drawer and hope you never have to use it. A marketing colleague of mine
shared insights about crisis communication. How every company is in the
business of public relations. And in a post fact world of instant press, true or not, real
time response marketing is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity. United’s
recent debacle was the perfect example in the travel industry, and AirHelp was
fortunate to use that moment as a opportunity to educate passengers about their
rights.

4. Ask yourself three
key questions. Handy’s founder had amazing insights about entering new
marketplaces. He posed three questions every entrepreneur should ask. Does
anybody care? Can we be the best? And can we create a sustainable long term
business? Two isn’t enough. You have to be able to answer all three. Without
the critical intersection of need, quality and continuity, the brand is doomed
for failure.

See you at day three!

* * * *

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!

Disrupt came to town this week. AirHelp, as an alumnus of the startup battlefield, had the privilege of returning to the conference to learn what’s new in the world of tech, connect with exciting companies and learn from inspiring speakers.

Here are my takeaways from day one:

1. Protest is the act of telling the truth out loud in public. Brittany Packnett from Campaign Zero said this during her impassioned presentation on making change in a digital era. It was an inclusive reminder that each of us can take a stand in whatever way suits us. If it moves the issue forward, it’s a successful protest. Even if you do so through clothing and not picket signs. Brittany also noted that police violence is a branch of a larger tree, challenging each of us to always solve the problem, but also uncover the root of the problem that caused it.

2. Stop wondering what you think, and start asking what you know. Galvanize, our favorite coworking space and early investors in our company, hosted a workshop on winning the game of data without getting shredded. When it comes to data, organizations have a continuum of personalities. They’re either in denial of it, indifferent about it, informed around it and driven by it. And how do we reach the latter? We stop wondering what we think, and start asking what we know. We move away from hunches and instinct and closer to fact.

3. You don’t need to be a bad guy to cause controversy. A panel of veteran investors told us that you’re never the fastest gun in town forever. Sooner or later, your company is no longer the bad boy. Somebody will come around and be the badder boy. But that’s okay. Because being a bad boy is not an effective long term strategy to grow your business. You have to find other ways to stand out, take a stand and be controversial. If you want to build loyalty, start by being true to your mission.

4. We have a new generation of founders who have different role models. One venture capitalist noted this trend in a fascinating discussion about economic. He said that Bill Gates was the hero to many founders for many years, but now there’s a new class.  And because of our different role models, young founders have different values. Which means they have different missions. Which means they have different tactics. Which means they have different ways of measuring fulfillment.

See you at day two!

* * * *

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!

When we experience pain, a few things happen inside of our bodies. 

From a biological standpoint, we touch a hot stove, a nerve ending senses the stimulus, it sends the signal to the central nervous system, the pain center in the brain receives the message and then we yell a curse word as loud as we can. 

But from an intellectual standpoint, something else happens. Once the pain registers, we also start searching for ways to stop it. And we we start searching for the whys that caused it. 

That’s why the idea of sitting with the pain, as our therapists and yoga teachers and meditation instructors so often urge us to do, is such a struggle.

It goes against our native wiring. It requires mindfulness and patience and vulnerability. And in many cases, that emotional ache hurts just as much as the actual pain itself. 

The good news is, if we can stay alert and aware while we’re still uncomfortable, almost as if to wait out the pain, shifting our relationship with the physical resistance we’re experiencing, eventually, a new option will drift into our consciousness. 

It might be wisdom. It might be pleasure. It might be joy. It might be meaning. It might be satisfaction. There’s no way to tell what gift awaits us on the other side. 

But once we arrive there, we can look back and realize that the pain wasn’t as bad as we thought. 

Next time those nerve endings start firing, keep reexamining your discomfort and wait to hear from your body. The message will be worth it. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

How could you change your relationship with discomfort? 

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!

When there’s a blizzard, the enterprising neighborhood kids have a choice. 

They can stand on the street corner all morning and wait for homeowners to pick them. 

They can ring people’s doorbells, make a pitch for their shoveling services and try not to get rejected. 

Or, they can study the weather reports all week, canvas the streets the night before the storm, give out their cell phone number to every house in the neighborhood and earn a small but steady pool of seasonal subscribers who give them advanced permission and payment to shovel their driveway, every time it snows. 

That’s a winning strategy. Anticipatory service. Radar on, antenna up. Addressing customer concerns, questions and needs, both expressed and unexpressed. 

I’m reminded of a piece of advice my mentor once gave me. She said:

They are never going to do it, but they will love that you did it for them. 

It’s a useful mantra for the customer experience. And so, whatever your version of blizzard season is, remember that sweat, diligence and volume, combined with surprise, delight and generosity, make for one hell of a service combination. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

Do you have a loyal tribe of customers who are giving you permission to market to them, or a group of strangers you think you’re marketing to? 

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 ability to communicate clearly and intelligently and proactively and persuasively is the price of admission. 

But the audacity to originate communication rituals that are integrated into the larger culture, that’s how real, sustainable communities is built. 

And whether those rituals are performed within a workplace, family system, peer group, professional association or even a local yoga studio, they’re guaranteed to create a foundation of trust and meaning that moves the community forward. 

As a reminder, ritual, is any conscious practice of mindfulness before taking an action. It’s the intentional, purposeful and meaningful experience you layer on top of the activity to make it more worthwhile. 

In short, it’s a way of affirming that you belong. It’s what helps define and reinforce a culture. 

And the most exciting part is, you’re allowed to create a communication ritual if one doesn’t exist. You can choose to make your interactions more special by intentionally inhabiting your efforts. 

It’s like having your own little secret language. And while some rituals happen daily, some weekly, some annually and some sporadically, what matters is, each time you execute one, the knots grow tighter on the ropes that bind you. 

Remember, ritual isn’t about size and duration, it’s about thoughtfulness and regularity. It’s about intention and attention. Whether it’s two people or two hundred people.

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

What rituals are you known for?
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!

If our dream is too small, we’ll become unconsciously locked into a single, narrow path and insulate ourselves from future opportunity and growth. 

But if our dream is too big, we’ll become overwhelmed by option anxiety, vision ourselves into paralysis and get nowhere. 

The secret, then, is crafting a dream that’s specific enough to feel like the destination is unique and personal and achievable, but broad enough to feel like the destination could be reached through any number of paths that would make us feel proud of our efforts. 

Over the years, I’ve attempted to write a purpose statement for my dream on a number of occasions. But although the process was typically inspiring and meaningful at the onset, usually within a few months, something would change. The dream would fade or grow or evolve or pivot to a form that I didn’t foresee. 

And I’d have to go back to the drawing board. Which would feel redundant and frustrating and pointless. Not exactly the best mental state for imagining my ideal future. 

But that’s when it occurred to me. 

Framing the architecture of my dream was just as important as the finding the ambition to pursue it. It was simply a matter of language. 

After all, all transformation is linguistic. And any alternative future comes to pass by having a conversation that we’ve never had before. Even if that conversation is with ourselves. 

And so, thanks to a series of exercises from my coaching friend, I eventually created a new purpose statement. 

I am creating a fulfilling career that is engaging and inspiring to myself and others, integrates all of my gifts and provides me with a sense of stability and freedom. 

That vision, I can get behind. That vision, I can execute against forever. And that vision, I can repeat to myself over and over throughout the day. 

Because the destination is small enough to attain, but big enough to approach from whatever path makes the most sense for me. 

It allows for a more broadly defined conception of my ideal self. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

Have you given enough thought to the architecture of your dream?

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!

When it comes to the interpersonal realm, the best preventative medicine is to assume that you won’t be understood. 

That your message won’t be received in the exact way that you want it to. 

Which may sound pessimistic, but it’s really just realistic. 

Because most people are terrible audience members. They’re too distracted, defensive, biased and judgmental. They’re not listening as much as they are waiting to talk. 

And so, assuming that you won’t be understood allows you to maximize the effectiveness of your communication. 

First, it gives you a realistic picture of the interaction you’re about to have. One without expectation or entitlement. One without guarantees of being heard. One without naïve notions of clarity. 

Second, it prepares you to do whatever is necessary to clear things up and defuse conflict before it happens. 

Third, it allows you to nip interpersonal problems in the bud before the escalate. 

When I began giving speeches for a living, my mentor bluntly told me:

Look, nobody in the room is going to remember a single world you say, except the first thing out of your mouth and the last thing out of your mouth. Make it count. 

Initially, that was a deflating reality to accept. But I’m grateful for it. Because under that assumption, instead of being naïve and taking the miscommunications personally and demanding that audiences hang onto every word I said, I accepted it as a challenge to make my opening and closing unforgettable. 

It’s the equivalent to somebody assuming they’re inherently unlucky, if only to give them the motivation to stop buying lottery tickets and double down on the hard work required to win the game of life. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

What would change about your communication if you entered into the dialogue with the assumption that you’re going to be misunderstood?
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 tempting to expect existence to obey our wishes. 

To demand that the universe fulfill its obligation to make us happy. And to feel deserving of a world that reliably conforms to our wishes and desires. 

But in this naïve prioritizing of I wish above it is, we only set ourselves up for disappointment, disillusion and resentment. And we rob ourselves of any chance to establish a healthy relationship with reality. 

On the other hand, once we stop approaching things as barriers to success and start embracing them as facts of life, we’re free. Once we stop trying to escape things and start transforming them into our constant and instructive companions accompanying our many adventures, we’re free. 

Because it means we’re accepting reality on reality’s terms. It means we’re choosing to walk through the world from position of power and choice and energy and action, as opposed to pain and paralysis and apathy and helplessness. 

It’s such a liberating moment. The mere thought that we no longer have to work so hard on eradicating everything we don’t like from our life, wow, it feels like a boulder off our shoulder. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

What are you not doing in your life, that you could be doing, that you are blaming somebody else for not doing for you?

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!