Kanata, the
thousand year old alien and spiritual adviser to the young jedi, makes a
powerful point about growth in her famous call to adventure speech. 

“Whoever
you’re waiting for, she tells the young apprentice, they’re never coming back.
The belonging you seek is not behind you, but ahead. Feel it. The light,
it’s always been there. Let it guide you.”

This scene brought tears to my
eyes. Because each of us hears a similar call. Some earlier than others, some
louder than others. But everyone hears it. 

Sadly, not everyone answers it. Only
those who have the audacity to cut loose from the dead hand of the past, swing
forward with all of their might and see what the future has in store. 

That’s
the thing about the mundane world. It has tons of sneaky ways of making us
stay. Usually through projected feelings of guilt and shame and obligation. The
chorus of community voices threatens us with the claim that we’ve grown too big
for our britches and forgotten where we came from. 

Look at you, mister big
stuff. Who do you think you are? 

But the past is never coming back. We don’t
have to regret it or shut the door on it, but we do have to stay focused on the
future to keep growing. 

I once heard an interview with a highly successful
screenwriter whose life, not
unlike many successful artists, had grown more luxurious than his origins. And
when asked if he ever went back to visit his hometown, here’s what he said:

You
can never really go home. It’s not there anymore. The landscape is different.
The people who defined it are no longer around. And when you return, you feel
like a ghost. A skeletal version of yourself. 

It’s certainly dramatic and
morbid, but still accurate. 

And so, if you’re still looking for something in
you past to fulfill you; if there’s something you notice yourself reaching back
for, hoping it will return, don’t hold your breath. 

The past is never coming
back. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Do you have any survivor’s guilt because you’ve outgrown your origins and have changed directions proudly?
* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

It’s the world’s first, best and only product development and innovation gameshow!

Tune in and subscribe for a little execution in public.

Join our community of innovators, artists and entrepreneurs.

Toffler once wrote in his bestselling book that change is avalanching upon our heads and most people are grotesquely unprepared to cope with it. 

That was fifty years ago. These days, it seems as if change is not coming, it is here, and things are only going to get changier. 

The question is, how can we come to enjoy change as an opportunity for renewal? What do we need to do to be ready for these changes? 

One tactic is replacing expectation with appreciation. Finding ways to become grateful for the ongoing flow of change. Even if that means making a list of all the gifts that are shrink wrapped inside of this change. 

The second tactic is surrendering. Letting go of yesterday’s winning formula that used to work, but is no longer producing suitable results today. Even if that means holding a burning release ritual in which we set fire to all of our no longer welcomes. 

I’m reminded of a comedian did a routine about how his new year’s resolution was for everyone else to get their shit together. The crowd roared. Because who doesn’t believe that everything would be fine if only someone else would change? 

But this is no joke. Each of has been gifted with full responsibility for our own development. Each of us must put the burden on our own shoulders where it belongs. 

That way, we can bravely step into a rushing river of change that will take us to new places. 

And if our boots and clothes get soaked, so be it. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Do you still think your life would be better if other people changed? 
* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

It’s the world’s first, best and only product development and innovation gameshow!

Tune in and subscribe for a little execution in public.

Join our community of innovators, artists and entrepreneurs.

Vandik’s enlightening book about calming the emotional storm was written specifically for people who find it difficult to understand, express, and process intense emotions. 

One of the key insights the cognitive behavioral therapist shares is what the actual definition of what an emotion is. 

An emotion is a full system response that includes physiological reactions, which are changes in body chemistry and body language, thoughts, which are triggering images and memories and action urges, as well as the actual feeling we’re experiencing, like sadness, anger and anxiety. 

Simply reading that definition was a blessing for me. Because nobody had ever explained the complicated idea of emotions in such a holistic way before. 

My misconception, probably like a lot of people, was that my feelings and emotions and thoughts were one in the same. But they’re not.

The challenge is, how do we make the essential discrimination between our stories and our living experience? Here’s a useful technique. 

When an event happens, try staying at the sensation level of your experience. Your literal, simple bodily feeling. Because it’s very hard to find a problem there, unlike immediately escalating straight to the interpretive level, where your emotions and thoughts run rampant and find problems that aren’t really there. 

For now, simply observe your biology. 

Twitchy stomach. Sweaty back. Flushed skin. Tight chest. 

Notice it. Accept it. Thank it. Walk around it. Wonder about it. Even love it. Whatever you do, just stay with that sensation. 

And know that it’s not about whether it feels yucky, but whether you relate to your experience with fundamental kindness. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What healthy things have you done in the past that helped you get through difficult situations? * * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

It’s the world’s first, best and only product development and innovation gameshow!

Tune in and subscribe for a little execution in public.

Join our community of innovators, artists and entrepreneurs.

One of the great unexpected advantages of being the world’s foremost expert on nametags is that complete strangers not only start conversations with you, but also send you bizarre gifts in the mail. 

Apparently there’s an entire cottage industry of nametag related paraphernalia. After eighteen years, my office is now collaged with these fine items. 

Cups, belts, shirts, pens, coasters, cocktail napkins, buttons, onesies, full body costumes, ties, business card holders, and, believe it or not, boxer shorts. 

You heard right. Strangers. From around the world. Fedex me underwear. And there’s always that little personal note included. 

Scott, this package made me think of your package. Enjoy! 

Hello, my name is awkward. 

But behind the absurdity is a little nugget of value. Think about this. 

What word do you own? What idea automatically reminds people of the work you do? After interacting with you, what is the one thing people will never think about the same way again? 

If you can answer these kinds of questions, you win. It doesn’t matter how small or silly the thing is. As long as it’s yours.

Give yourself permission to pioneer in obscure areas. Own whatever little world you investigate to a great, high level. 

Do the work to occupy a unique niche in people’s minds. 

And your little badge can become a global brand. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What’s your nametag?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

It’s the world’s first, best and only product development and innovation gameshow!

Tune in and subscribe for a little execution in public.

Join our community of innovators, artists and entrepreneurs.

Imagine you just got fired after working somewhere for a year. 

Boss says your performance simply wasn’t cutting it, and she simply has to let you go. 

It totally sucks. You feel angry and rejected and helpless. As you perfectly should. 

But in a few weeks after those feelings fade away like the weather system they are, you have an opportunity to recognize that for every failure, there are many sources of victory. It all depends on how you choose to interpret your experience. 

Did you have fun? Did you learn new skills? Did you grow as a person? Did you add new work to your portfolio? Did you create value for others? Did you build real connections with new people? Did you learn new insight about yourself that you couldn’t have gained any other way? 

Outstanding. The more of these questions you can positively answer about your failure, the better. I

t won’t make your experience not a failure, but it will prevent your failure from having power over you.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you treating failure as an outcome or a tool?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

It’s the world’s first, best and only product development and innovation gameshow!

Tune in and subscribe for a little execution in public.

Join our community of innovators, artists and entrepreneurs.

In the cinematic world of screenplays and protagonists and hero’s journeys, rule number one is as follows. 

Each scene must bring in something that advances the narrative, adds new threads to plot and propels the character forward. Otherwise the story isn’t worth telling. 

Strangely enough, career journeys work in a similar fashion. Because your body of work, everything you create and contribute and affect and impact, is not unlike that collection of scenes. 

It may not be as tidy, thrilling or cinematically satisfying as what you see on screen. But there’s still a narrative. And if you’re willing to take the long view and contextualize your career through that lens, it’s always a story worth telling. 

Pressfield’s inspiring memoir on his fifty year writing career explores dozens of his scenes. Many of which are failures, false starts and straight up flops. But the way he synopsizes the story of his career especially touches me. 

Each incarnation is an apprenticeship, if you live it that way. Just forgive yourself. It’s okay. It’s all part of the journey. 

Reading that passage during my own career transition helped reaffirmed even the faintest glimmer of optimism in my failing spirit. 

Steve’s story reminded me of how we get so engrossed in fighting the frustrations of our career that we forget to see the bigger picture. 

Even if it makes us bleed, it still makes us who we are. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How will you find grace and harmony in places others overlook? * * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

It’s the world’s first, best and only product development and innovation gameshow!

Tune in and subscribe for a little execution in public.

Join our community of innovators, artists and entrepreneurs.

Plants have fascinating methods for moving their seeds. 

Wind dispersal is my personal favorite. Because it’s rooted in acceptance and faith and surrender. 

The seeds are released and blown about and land in all different kinds of places. And to help their chances of landing in a place suitable for growth, plants have to produce lots and lots of them. 

But there’s no guarantee. All the plants can do is trust the elements to do their work. 

It’s a simple, natural and beautiful process. Thoreau actually wrote an entire book about this phenomenon, and how the ecological succession of plant species through seed dispersal was a metaphor for life. 

Henry wrote:

“To understand a seed was to understand more than a forest or any plant, but to deeply comprehend the world and understand how you came into this garden we are commanded to keep and renourish by our commitment to the seeds we seek to plant and nourish.”

Here’s a workplace example most of us can relate to. 

Delegation. It’s the productivity secret everyone knows, but few people implement. Why? 

Because it requires acceptance and faith and surrender. The tasks we release into the corporate wild are like the seeds of the dandelion. 

There’s no control, only trust that they will land in a place suitable for growth. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What emotional barriers are keeping you from delegating?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

It’s the world’s first, best and only product development and innovation gameshow!

Tune in and subscribe for a little execution in public.

Join our community of innovators, artists and entrepreneurs.

Every time I give a presentation to a group of businesspeople, somebody inevitably asks me how many books have been sold. 

And of course, I have no idea. Inventory management isn’t my thing. 

Besides, since so many thousands of copies have been given away, stolen and downloaded over the past sixteen years, it’s literally impossible to quantify. 

But that’s not my concern. I am in the business of making art, not measuring it. 

Doctorow published a captivating essay about this very issue. His theory is:

“Creators should think like dandelions. The dandelion doesn’t follow all its seeds to make sure they get steered in the right direction and have their mittens and a packed lunch with them. Almost every seed a dandelion tosses into the wind is going to die without taking root, but that’s not what matters to the dandelion. They don’t care that every seed survives, they care that every opportunity to take root is exploited. A successful dandelion is one colonizes every crack in the sidewalk, not one that successfully plants all its seeds.”

And so, our job as creators isn’t to worry about having a single, central repository for our works so we can easily count copies and figure out where they’re going. Because dandelions don’t keep track of their seeds. 

But once we learn to get past the vanity of knowing exactly how many copies have been made and sold and shared, and find the zen of knowing that the reproduction will take care of itself, we’ll attain dandelionesque contentment. 

Proving, that the best way to have a great idea is to have a lot of ideas. 

Aim for volume, not victory. And trust the process to take care of itself. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you in the business of making art or measuring it?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

It’s the world’s first, best and only product development and innovation gameshow!

Tune in and subscribe for a little execution in public.

Join our community of innovators, artists and entrepreneurs.

Boredom is a beautiful thing. 

It’s a necessary part of balance that keeps our brains sharp and keeps our souls hungry. 

But when our days are filled with too much formlessness, too many empty spaces and thundering silences and social voids and three day stretches where we don’t even use our mouths and interact with other human beings, that’s a recipe for sadness. 

Schumer’s memoir on her journey as a young comedian says it best:

Talking about yourself all day long leaves you with a kind of emptiness that’s hard to describe. 

That’s no joke. The paralyzing fear of having nothing to lean against, the futile journey of trying to find meaning on an island, it’s existentially exhausting. 

What’s more, obsessing about the quality of our life actually degrades the quality of your life. And unless we find multiple ways to release ourselves from the burden of self, we’ll only dive down deeper into the murky pool of emptiness. 

It’s like our landlord told us when we first moved to the neighborhood. 

Everything that’s great about this city is outside your door. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you growing tired of your long empty days?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

It’s the world’s first, best and only product development and innovation gameshow!

Tune in and subscribe for a little execution in public.

Join our community of innovators, artists and entrepreneurs.

Thanks to our brain’s inherent negativity bias, it’s easier to notice what makes something suck than to see what makes it great. 

But that brief exposure to what we don’t want to can create a powerful energy source that can be channeled into positive executional directions. 

That’s why occasionally listening to shit music and reading bad books and seeing dreadful plays is a useful endeavor. In the moment it might make us want to gouge our eyes out with a rusty fork, but in the long run, it might also inspire us to do great work that makes a real difference in the world. 

And so, next time you come across a work of art or a product or a service that is so bad it makes your teeth cry, remember that every emotion, negative or positive, is still an energy source, which means it can be converted. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you exposing yourself to enough bad art?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

It’s the world’s first, best and only product development and innovation gameshow!

Tune in and subscribe for a little execution in public.

Join our community of innovators, artists and entrepreneurs.