Rodriguez’s memoir about the twenty something kid who became a major player in the film world reminds young artists of something important:

No matter how many people you drag in with you to create that safety in numbers feeling you’re going for, at some it’s going to be all up to you, and you need to be prepared for that. 

And not that teamwork and collaboration aren’t important and necessary for doing great projects. But we must be smart about advocating for ourselves. In fact, we might consider not factoring in anybody helping us at all. We should expect that people aren’t here to facilitate our work. And we should never wait around for some magical mentor to materialize on our doorstep to guide us into the promised land. 

At least, not in the early stages of our endeavor. 

Campbell’s myth of the hero’s journey comes to mind. In act one, when our protagonist commits to her quest, her mentor magically appears. This supernatural figure presents the hero with some kind of artifact like a ring or a necklace or a light saber or ruby slippers that will aid her later in the quest. 

This relationship makes for an amazing movie. And as audience members, it inspires hope in each of us that someday our mentor will come.

But let’s not idealize our own journey too much. Let’s not harbor the romantic expectation that we deserve to have our own personal mentor show up on our doorstep and send us on a journey of living happily ever after. 

It’s a goddamn lonely road, especially during the first few hundred miles. And if anyone is going to champion the powers that our unique organism brings into nature, it’s going to be us. 

Just start building it, don’t expect anyone to come, and see if you can find joy and satisfaction and meaning in that alone. 

That way, everything else that shows up will be an extra spoon of salsa on the enchilada. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What is it about your work that will allow great mentoring to happen?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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Anytime we believe that we are broken, sinful and full of mistakes, we are operating from a core belief of unworthiness. 

And it’s simply not true. Because contrary to popular conditioning, we are not broken, and we do not need fixing. There is nothing wrong with us because there is nothing wrong. Wrongness and rightness, goodness and badness, these are all stories other people have sold to us. 

And so, if we want move from our condition of brokenness to wholeness, we must start by accepting where we are. We must work towards the realization that there is nothing to fix about ourselves. Whatever this bug is, whatever major malfunction we keep trying to get tech support for, it’s not a problem to be solved, it’s an experience to be savored. 

Just imagine how many calories we burn trying to fix things that aren’t even broken in the first place. We could power a small village in a third world country with that wasted energy. 

And besides, even if there was something wrong, which there isn’t, what do we think is going to happen once we’ve fixed it? Do we really believe that this little project will be enough for us and we’ll stop forever, or is this fixing another level down the codependent rabbit hole that we never come out of? 

Here’s an interesting question:

Who were we before we defined things as good or bad and right or wrong?

It’s probably hard to tell. Because that was a long time ago. But there was a point in our lives when our first impulse wasn’t to fix, save or treat ourselves. 

And now we finally have a chance to get back to that place. To drop our tool belts and stand firm in our own worthiness. 

You know, it’s funny, we’re always told that any relationship based on one person trying to fix the other is doomed to failure. And yet, we fail to apply the same logic to the relationship we have with ourselves. 

So say it with me. There is nothing wrong with you because there is nothing wrong. 

It’s all yours. Make yourself own that for a moment. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Where in your life are you running the sprinkler while it’s raining? 

* * * *

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

Most of us are highly impatient and don’t trust the natural rhythm of change. 

And so, we sometimes attempt to change too many things at once. Because that seems faster more efficient. 

Unfortunately, that amount of change can overwhelm us and backfire. Which leads to frustration, which leads to beating ourselves up for falling short, which leaves us worse than when we started off. 

It’s like the passionate but hurried person who tries to become healthier by eliminating meat, dairy, gluten, nuts and sugar from their diet, all in the same week. 

Their commitment is admirable, but it’s a lot at one time. And scientifically, it’s harder to discover symptom triggering foods with such a blanket approach. 

It reminds me of a mantra that helped build my trust in the natural rhythm of change. 

“You don’t need the whole world on the first day.”

The impatient high achiever in me could have used that advice in college. And my twenties. And most of my thirties. 

Because my tendency is to take on the whole of my life’s problems all at once. To go on a quest to fix myself. 

When the reality is, some of my problems will be dealt with later, and some will solve themselves. 

For now, it’s best to just pick one and get to work. 

Easy does it. One bite at a time. That way, you might actually taste something. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Do you still believe solving all of your problems will automatically mean you’ll have what you want? * * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

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

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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In the modern workplace, there is nothing wrong with wanting to receive validation in exchange for talent. 

What team member doesn’t want to be told that they’re doing a great job? 

But there’s a balance. If we show up at the office each day with the expectation that our bosses will endow us with boundless reassurance and infinite hope, then a tsunami of disappointment is on the horizon. 

Ellis explores this experience is his book about overcoming resistance during therapy sessions. After forty years of sitting across the couch, he concluded that patients are not crazy for desiring to achieve their aims, but rather, for insisting that it is necessary that they achieve them. 

He says that the danger is when we escalate our normal wishes and preferences for feedback into absolutistic musts and demands for praise. 

This tendency plays out in the workplace on a daily basis. Especially for those of us who are people pleasing codependent nice guys who want nothing more than a seat at the grownup table, our interactions with bosses can play into our need to make daddy happy and feel like a good boy. 

We can become hyper agreeable, hanging the stability of our souls and the fullness of our hearts and constant positive reinforcement. 

Unless, of course, we learn to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. We grow beyond our need for kudos. And we trust that our sense of strength, efficacy and validation can be self generated. 

Yes, it still feels good when they stroke us, but it doesn’t make us any more whole than we already were. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Have you abandoned your frantic pursuit of an external object of validation?

* * * *

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

Steal Scott’s Ideas, is my new product development and innovation card game.

First it was a spreadsheet. Then some blog posts. Soon a series of corporate workshops. Later came the podcast.

And now there is a home edition.

 

This box was designed with a few questions in mind. 

First, how can we create shelf value? 

Let’s design this small box in a way that creates joy and intrigue for users before they even open the product. 

That’s why there are two bogus customer testimonials on each side. 

It’s hard to look away from a product like that. 

The second user experience question we asked during the design process was:

How can we make the packaging so entertaining, that even if people never opened the box to play the game, they would still feel like they got their money’s worth and be glad to own it? 

And that’s why the opposing side from the testimonials includes a series of absurd warnings. 

Who wouldn’t be proud to possess something like that? T

he final question we asked was:

What would most game creators never put on their box for fear that customers wouldn’t take them seriously? 

And so, on the top of my game, right below the logo, there’s a callout box that reads the following. 

Based on the hugely unpopular podcast and business book. 

Which is absolutely true. And also funny. Because if you want to make your audience smile, be radically honest when most people would say nothing. 

Overall, our user experience, our preshow efforts, so to speak, is what makes the game memorable and engaging. The package sets the stage for users. 

After a few seconds, users know exactly what kind of game this is. One that prides itself on its absurd unreality. 

The best part is, if the audience buys in through the experience of the box, they’ve given themselves permission to consider ridiculous, offensive or cruel ideas they might otherwise not accept while they play. 

Lesson learned, if you’re designing any kind of user experience, use the power of anticipation to frame people into the picture you want them to see. 

Only $50! To buy your copy, text me personally at 314/374-3397.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you a master of the choreography of attention?

* * * *

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

Cynics and skeptics have an insidious way of crippling the noblest intentions in even the strongest of minds. 

It’s this toxic thing that negative people do. Out of fear, they start scrambling. Infecting everyone around them with their soul stank. And if you’re not fully equipped with air tight boundaries, they can suck you down into their vortex of despair where you will be slowly digested over a thousand years. 

Sarlacc’s got nothing on a cynic.

The key to overcoming this dynamic is a solid combination of discernment, trust and focus. 

Discernment is figuring out what’s yours and what’s theirs. Listening for where you end and they begin. And separating your inner feelings from the feelings elicited by the behavior of others. As my mentor used to say, projection is people seeing in us what is actually operating within them. 

Next is trust. Meaning, knowing who you are. Knowing what you’re about. Remembering what is of prime importance to you. And having touchstones nearby remind you what is true. Like the one or two people you can always call who will mirror your genius back to you. 

Finally, focus. Which is your ability to stay awake, stay intentional and stay in touch with your core values no matter how reactive the people around you become. A friend of mine has a great mantra for this. Bring who you are, not what they want. That’s the holy combination for handling skeptics and cynics. 

Discernment, trust and focus. 

It’s the single best use of your time right now. 

As opposed ruining your whole day trying to teach negative people lesson. That move only works in the movies. 

Godin broke it down in his award winning blog. He wrote that people who sabotage your best work or undermine your confidence for selfish reasons, it’s not worth your time trying to prove them wrong. Because they don’t care. They won’t learn. They will stay cynics. They will ignore your success and go on to become skeptical of something else, dampening the enthusiasm of whoever else stands in their path. 

Next time you feel someone else’s negativity welling up inside of you, take a breath and tell that feeling to piss off. It’s not who you are. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Where are the toxic waste dumps in your emotional environment? 

* * * *

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

Creative people choose projects with the potential to galvanize them, but true innovators choose projects with the potential to galvanize others around them.

That’s the kind of person every organization wants to hire. Someone they can build something around. Someone who can be a rallying point for others. Someone who can cast a compelling vision that the rest of the team eagerly runs towards. 

My experience working at a tech startup taught me this in spades. Because our founders knew that all organizations flourish when people think entrepreneurially. Our manual even had a saying. 

Don’t wait to be asked what you’re up to. 

Meaning, surprise the team with your initiatives. Make grand announcements about your new projects and experiments. Talk to your coworkers in a way that invites action, and you will open the door for helpful contributions. People will come out of the woodwork and conspire to help you reach your goal. 

My first project, as an example, was to build a proprietary, content driven, interactive, value forward, three dimensional curriculum on air passenger rights. It was an entirely new program that expanded our ability to engage customers and employees. And the best part is, it only cost a few hundred bucks to launch. 

What’s more, once the pilot program went live, no pun intended, several other employees with backgrounds in film production and animation raised their hand to help expand it. They stepped into the vision’s reality and made it better than any one person could have done alone. 

And within a few months, our videos broke company records for the highest website traffic on record. 

Long story short, we formed an entirely new team, we were awarded a monthly budget and got the green light to go forward with the company’s full support. 

Remember, when people are afraid, they don’t innovate.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you someone we can build something around? 

* * * *

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

Have you ever worked with someone who always seemed to have do not a disturb sign hanging on their brains? 

You know the type. These are people who deeply resent anything even resembling a new idea. People who are allergic to taking risks and running experiments. People who pay lip service to the concept of innovation because their main goal is to not get fired. 

It’s like the openness has been conditioned out of them through the corporate geology of pressure and time. 

And it’s not like they’re being asked take morally or physically hazardous action, either. Only to try something new. Something that might now work. 

But my thought is, since loyalty is a joke, since seniority is a line item, since job security is a mirage, and since most companies won’t hesitate to fire any employee at the drop of a hat for any reason that fits their mercurial business needs, why not go down swinging? Why not get kicked to the curb fighting the status quo instead of embracing it? 

At least then you can walk away with a story you’re proud to tell. 

Look, you’re already naked. The reason you have nothing to lose is because you had nothing to begin with. 

And so, even if you do work in an environment where expressions of creativity and open mindedness are perceived as signs of weakness that are quickly preyed upon, suffocated, swallowed and shit out, there’s still hope. 

You can make a law for yourself. Anytime you come across someone’s mental door with that do not disturb sign hanging it, simply scoot down the hallway until you find an opening somewhere else. 

And if you don’t, make one. Drywall is softer than it looks.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What is your openness legacy?

* * * *

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