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I have a colleague who spent twenty years in the marketing department of a global telecommunications company.  Part of his job wad dealing with marketing agencies on a daily basis. And in many cases, he would watch his budget and business objectives take a back seat to that agency’s enthusiasm to make their mark creatively.  It’s no wonder he went on to start his own firm and land clients…

Altman’s book on living kindness reminds us that true generosity does not leave us feeling cheated, elated or superior, but joyful and alive in the giving moment.  That passage was especially painful for me to read. Because I’ve been guilty of misguided generosity on a several occasions.  Years ago, I gave a sizable amount of money to someone to use for a down payment on her house. All the while,…

Work is part of the way we evaluate ourselves.  It’s an essential symbol that confirms our place in the world.  And for many of us, it’s the primary medium through which we become a person.  It’s no surprise, then, that workaholism has become such a widespread phenomenon. Even though there is no generally accepted medical definition of this condition, it still affects millions of people around the world everyday. …

One of my favorite psychologists explained that people fall into the trap of believing that things are supposed to go well.  And so, when we make a mistake or a difficulty comes along, we assume that something must have gone horribly wrong. But it didn’t. It’s simply life doing what it does. And we need to accept the fact that, along with nine billion other people on the planet, we’re flawed…

If we say no to this, then nothing else will come along and we will go broke and die alone.  It’s classic scarcity mentality.  Buying into the belief that life is limited. Trying to hold onto everything as if it were ours and we owned it and without it we are nothing. Allowing ego and vanity to convince us that saying yes to every request means we’re somehow saving…

Sadness is an inherent part of the human condition.  Even if the modern happiness industrial complex is bent on eradicating melancholy, selling us shiny new technology to eliminate suffering in all its forms, the reality is, truly happy people are not somehow immune from feeling sadness. They actually embrace it.  Moore had a great phrase for this.  Shrouded in a cloud of melancholy.  What a perfectly poetic and visual reminder that sadness,…

What if strangers never stared at you again?  What if glittery greeting cards cleaned your house?  What if we turned ocean pollution into fertilizer?  What if you had a molasses covered groin?  What if seals copulated without destroying beaches? In this episode of Steal Scott’s Ideas, Brittany, Conrad and Kate gather in Brooklyn for some execution in public. **Sponsored by Applyd Execution Lesson 108: Creating the company that houses your…

I have a friend who ran a successful jewelry business for many years.  She schlepped her wares to craft fairs, developed her brand presence, built a solid customer base, got her art featured in key industry publications, even opened a small brick and mortar shop to grow her company locally.  But like many entrepreneurs who turn their passion into a business, it was a heaping shit ton of work….

We cannot fathom having no excuses.  It’s what separates us from rest of the animal kingdom. Human beings possess the unique ability to pick up their blame throwers and abdicate responsibility for their work.  But in nature, it’s much different. Beavers and squirrels rarely surrender accountability for their actions. Because they’re not professional victims. They just do the work building dams and collecting nuts or whatever else woodland creatures…

Instead of assuming something is wrong with you for feeling a particular way, understand how this moment gives you options.  Learn to say to yourself, I look forward to the disruption this will bring.  Here are a few of my greatest hits.  Exhaustion? That’s a signal that you are getting closer to an important understanding.  Stuckness? That means you have moved through all the easy stuff.  Fear? That’s proof…