Blog

One of the ways that I gain perspective and control is by keeping inventory.  By that, I mean any system that gives me an objective account of everything on my mind and in my life. Any tool that helps me assess things immediately within the context of everything I do. This keeps me from being overwhelmed at any given time.  For example, there’s my meaning inventory, which is a list of…

I overheard a fascinating conversation the other day.  Two friends were having coffee, reminiscing about their college days, when one of the women said, I was looking for people to tell me that my dreams were crazy so I could abandon them and make it other people’s fault, not my own.  That broke my heart. In fact, part of me wanted to walk over to their table and scream, why…

I understand you’re comfortable with your current level of success.  I understand scary to let go of what’s working.  I understand it’s painful to walk away from a process that’s been good to you.  But if your work is the same that it was two, three or even five years ago, you’re doing something wrong.  Reinvention is a fundamental requirement of the entrepreneurial journey. It’s what keeps you alive…

After I finished writing the book Prolific, which was an intellectual property development system, I decided to create a series of case studies on my blog, deconstructing my favorite moments of conception from popular movies. Each post contained a video clip from a different film, along with a series of lessons we can learn from the characters.  When In Doubt, Commit is the second volume of those case studies. Each chapter…

All creativity begins with the moment of conception. That little piece of kindling that gets the fire going. That initial source of inspiration that takes on a life of its own. That single note from which the entire symphony grows. That single spark of life that signals an idea’s movement value, almost screaming to us, something wants to be built here. And so, in this blog series, I’m going to…

Mogensen was an industrial engineer and authority in the field of work simplification and office management. In the early thirties, he popularized business flowcharts and was remembered for coining the term, work harder, not smarter.  Which made perfect sense in the world of factory management and maintenance. But in the entrepreneurial world, especially in the early stages of a new venture, we rarely have enough experience to know what smart…

Carlin famously said that in any given career, we will have detours off our main lines that we’re not completely thrilled with. But because we learned from them, because they gave us perspective that we couldn’t have gotten anywhere else, we accept them as part of our journey.  I spent the first twelve years of my professional life working for myself. Freelancing as a writer, consultant, strategist and public…

It’s lonely when we make a commitment not to take a check from anyone above us. Living on an unpaved road, hoping to find beauty at the end, can be a solitary existence.  However, while loneliness is most common ailment of the modern world, it’s also the most curable. Because the reality is, we’re never alone in this world unless we want to be. We are the only ones…

There is nothing that can’t be leveraged. Every experience can be used as a catalyst for creating value, generating opportunity, stimulating growth, deepening education, accomplishing goals, achieving realization, even activating transformation.  It’s simply a matter of framing experiences and redirecting them to meet your objectives. Leverage, after all, is the bridge between occurrence and opportunity. And those who ask intelligent questions as they cross it, arrive to the other side…

The great creative discipline is simply knowing what season it is. Developing an exquisite understanding of your own timing. And not just of yourself, but of the world you live in.  That’s why I love the beginning of the new year. There’s just something fresh and clean and energizing anytime nature zeroes out its annual board. Intention is set, action is taken, change is made and momentum is built….