Independent souls on our own piece of ground

For us rebels, it’s in our blood to resist being what others expect us to be. 



We don’t like taking what’s given to us. We react independently just to show that we won’t be ruled. We instinctively subvert obligations we find silly and boring. And we choose to do things as an expression of our identity and freedom. 



It’s a tough way to live, but a damn good way not to die. 



Unfortunately, the rebel personality becomes a liability when that individual is thrown into highly regulated cultures. 



Germany, for example, has an abundance of laws regulating all aspects of life, from beer to exercise to traffic to trash collection. These regulations emerged out of the ruins of war. In fact, ordnungsamt is the official title they gave to the governmental department responsible for this very function, the office of order. 



No wonder my first experience in that country was so infuriating. 



When you’re the kind of person who needs to satisfy their inner rebel and quench their desire for disruption and lawlessness, it can feel suffocating to be surrounded by so many rules. 



But the oxygen that carries the rebel through the experience is awareness and empathy. 



Trusting that these rules are not a personal affront to your core values. Trusting that you don’t have to stop being yourself. And trusting that your soul won’t disintegrate if you can’t break the rules for a week. 



Don’t worry. You can still be an independent soul on your own piece of ground, no matter how many signs are posted. 


LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What are the exceptions to the rules that helped you succeed?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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Hurry up and relax

Chronic anxiety can feel like you’re stuck in a swamp. 



If you try to raise one leg out of the mud, the other one only sinks deeper. It’s like you’re stressing out trying to relax. 



And that’s the beauty of medication. It puts you on dry land. It doesn’t solve your problem; it simply gives you a higher bottom from which to begin your healing process. 



I will never forget when my physician first prescribed a low dosage of an antidepressant to help treat my irritable bowel syndrome and stomach pain. Feelings of fear and shame and failure welled up inside of me. I didn’t want to be the kind of person who had to take a pill every day to feel better. 



But as my doctor helped me understand, the pharmacological approach isn’t the sole path to healing, it’s just helpful start towards relief. But it’s also not a panacea. It’s not a get out of jail free card. You still have to do the work, he said.



And so, other stress management strategies like journaling, therapy, meditation, mindfulness, yoga, exercise, support groups and the like, these things are built on top of the foundation of dry land that the medication lays. 



The goal, then, is not to start popping pills, but to find a strategy that gets you on dry land. 



To raise your bottom so that the healing journey might commence. 


LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you limiting how your growth can happen?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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Becoming true to the best that is within me

Brooks wrote a brilliant book on the deeper values that should inform our lives. 

His research found that a person of character is someone who has achieved a settled philosophy about fundamental things. They possess an impressive inner cohesion. Instead of leading fragmented, scattershot lives, they are integrated and grounded. 

What he forgot to mention is, when you make yourself moral, when you become a person of great character, you isolate yourself. 

Because many people have a bad reaction to good habits. As a lifelong sober person, a fear of mine has always been the negative repercussions of refusing the alcohol and drugs that are offered to me. 

Here are a few of the codependent questions that might run though my head: 



Will saying no hurt someone else’s feelings? Will saying no result in other people’s judgment and disappointment? Will saying no alienate me from the group? And will saying no lose points with these new people with whom I seek to make a positive impression

The short answer is, yes. Because all those things have happened to me, multiple times. That’s the purchase price of holding the line on my habits. 

But the longer and more meaningful answer is, my sanity and health are more important than pleasing whoever is offering what I should not have. 

Being a person of character, crafting a life that matches my vision of principled living, that’s job number one. It might not be a top priority for others, and that’s okay. No judgments. 

But for me, becoming true to the best that is within me is high on the list. Making a practice to take full responsibility for my character is something that brings me fulfillment. 

Think of it as my version of byob. bring your own boundaries. 


LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Who is violating your moral code?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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Give them the gift of caring

It’s tempting to go overboard in helping others do things that they need to do for themselves. 

Nothing beats the satisfaction of being the caped crusader who swoops in and saves people from their problems. It makes us feel strong and important and useful. 

But that’s not being a leader, that’s being codependent. One is a compulsion, the other is a privilege. And if we truly want to become a force for change with our team, we must remember this. 

Caring doesn’t necessarily require us to intervene. We can still create a foundation of support through trustworthy and everlasting arms, right where we are. 

No need to step in, no need to call a meeting. Just let people know that you acknowledge their genius, that it matters to the team, and that they should keep moving forward with the ideas. 

That what leaders do. It’s not about motivating you. It’s about encouraging you to tune into the real you. It’s about supporting you in being true to yourself. 

And it’s about inspiring you to light a fire under your own ass. 


LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Whose encouragement quickened your will to live?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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The joy of going to sleep with a contented heart

Getting a good night’s sleep doesn’t make us boring people. 

There’s nothing lame or uncool or weak about giving our body the respect and rest it deserves. After all, our bodies and minds and spirits produce real symptoms that demand dedicated attention, and each of us must do whatever is necessary to be restored to sanity. 

Popova said it beautifully in her reflection on nine years of curating her inventory of a meaningful life. 

We tend to wear our ability to get by on little sleep as some sort of badge of honor that validates our work ethic. But it’s really a profound failure of priorities. What could possibly be more important than your health and your sanity, from which all else springs? 

Of course, sleep is only one of many examples. There’s a bigger picture at stake here. 

This is about making reasonable demands upon ourselves. 

This is about our decision to bring quality energy to the world. 

This is about unwillingness to shortchange ourselves and the others. 

This is about pacing ourselves so we don’t break down and burn out. 

Most workaholics learn this lesson the hard way. Because we’re obsessively driven. We over schedule our lives, race to beat the clock, fear that we will get behind, and binge work in order to catch up. And as a result, we rob ourselves of the enjoyment of conclusion and rest. 

We wouldn’t know the joy of going to sleep with a contented heart if it climbed into bed and sat on our face. 

Do not turn a cruel eye to your body. Or your mind. Or your spirit. Or your relationships. Slow down and honor your need for balance. 

Remember that your own serenity is the best gift you can give to others. 

And accept that true humility is being at rest. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How will you take your first step back to sanity?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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The inner feeling of release from the bondage of compulsion

Our journey out of compulsion into freedom is a fascinating one. 

Because initially, whatever it is that we’re addicted to, eating, drinking, working, fucking, it’s done from a place of obsession. As a coping mechanism to avoid intimacy with our feelings. We have convinced ourselves that the behavior is about stopping the pain. 

But in reality, it only creates more. And over time, that compulsion soon spins in a circle and takes our energy without giving any back. 

Unless we make the decision to turn to a more nurturing and healthy menu of activities. To redistribute our time in ways that would be more satisfying. 

That’s where the freedom piece comes into play. Because once we retrain ourselves to do things from a place of meaning, with a posture of joy and towards a purpose of fulfillment, everything changes. 

We can work without being a workaholic, meaning we know how to set boundaries and clock out at the end of the week. 

We can love without being a love addict, meaning we can see reality on reality’s terms without the aid of unrealistic romantic fantasies. 

And so, the art and practice of making meaning and living our life purpose choices may include working and loving, but those things are no longer the sole arbiters of our identity. 

Indeed, the inner feeling of release from the bondage of compulsion is a glorious one. 


LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you learning to define freedom in different ways? * * * *

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!


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I don’t give a shit, I’m not in the shit business

Here’s an unfortunate reality of business. 

It doesn’t matter how much work we’ve done to not achieve something. 

Any number multiplied by zero is still zero. You don’t get credit for cleaning up your own mess. 

And so, if we diligently followed up six times with the prospect and they still haven’t called back, that certainly shows solid persistence, but ultimately, it doesn’t count. Because it didn’t put any points up on the board. 

You can’t pay the bills with persistence. Only with money. 

It’s like my boss once reminded our team during an annual meeting, we’re not paid to try, we’re paid to succeed. 

This was difficult for me to wrap my head around. Because as someone who quantifies almost nothing in his life, being in the results business isn’t exactly my specialty. My belief has always been that my good comes from the giving of service, not the measurement of its results. 

Good luck explaining that to the executive management team. 



LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you good at persisting but not winning?

* * * *

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!


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Furiously reaching into your briefcase of bullshit

Here’s the great realization about productivity. 

Time management is not the issue, energy management is. 

Because that’s something we can actually control. Energy is a real, living, breathing thing. Unlike time, which doesn’t exist. 

The sad thing is, some people are virtuosos at crafting brilliant explanations for why they can’t do things. You can’t get a straight answer from them. It’s exhausting and annoying. 

The story of woe they tell about their inability to execute is air tight. And the more we push back against them, the deeper they dig. Like a defense attorney furiously reaching into his briefcase for yet another piece of evidence.

The point is, there is no reasoning with them. There is no telling them that the number of calories they burn on avoiding the work could be actually be rerouted into a meaningful direction. Because in their mind, the problem will always be the external force of time, not the internal fuel of energy. 

It breaks my heart. 

People have so many great ideas. But far too many of those ideas stay in idea form forever. 


LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What’s your favorite way to justify procrastination?

* * * *

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.

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Your day snaps into alignment with your dreams

My favorite computer command is called snap to grid



Here’s what happens when
this feature is enabled. 



The mouse moves a layer or an image or selection of
text. Next, the grid points magnetically pull on the object when it approaches.
And within a second, you’re assured to have all the images perfectly lined up
without trial and error. 



Ask any designer, this feature is enormously useful
for accurate placement of image elements. Especially if you’re the kind of
person who likes structure, order and efficiency. 
There’s a moment of sweet
satisfaction every time that grid snaps. 

Interestingly enough, this feature
isn’t limited to software. We can enable a similar snap to grid moment on the
user interface of our lives. 

Take mission statements, for example. They might
be hokey, but they work. Because every time we recite them, we gain a deeper
understanding of who we are and what we want. And with that knowledge, the
magnetic force of our grid grows stronger and more accurate. 

And then, whenever
a new meaningful object comes into our orbit, it simply snaps into place. 

Without trial and error. There’s no hesitating or hedging. It just lines up. 



Take a mandate for seismic change

As a new employee, here are a few questions to ask yourself. 

Are you in a league of your own doing a task? Can you bring something to the work that nobody else offers? And will you take the risk of initiating something new that not everybody likes? 

If the answer isn’t yes yet, that’s okay. But you have to start now. You have to make a plan to take yourself to the next level. 

One approach for doing so is called elevating your frame. Here’s an example from my own career. 

After transitioning from the entrepreneur world, then to agency life, and finally to startup culture, it occurred to me that my talents were being under harnessed. Used, but not in a collaborative manner that had broader organizational impact. 

And so, I made a conscious decision to elevate my frame. To enlarge the scope of results my actions could produce. Not by creating any one thing, but by creating a new frame that guided all things. 

And what did that elevated frame look like? Here’s a before and after picture. 

Instead of merely crossing off every item on the to do list, create a focused initiative and turn it into a catalyst with wider impact on the whole company. 

Instead of piggybacking off of other people’s hard work, go build and operationalize something original that guides innovation. 

Instead of draining valuable company resources while contributing next to nothing, take a mandate for seismic change and execute against it confidently. 

Instead of hiding in the back row trying not to get noticed, become the person that someone who cares can’t live without. 

By elevating your frame in this way, showing up to work every day becomes a completely different experience. 



LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What will you change to get to the next level?

* * * *

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.

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