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Weird has become the new cool. Thanks to the simplicity of creation, the ubiquity of connection and the disappearance of permission, our culture is fetishizing authenticity and sanctioning individualism. Escaping the normality trap has become our country’s national pastime. It’s never been easier or more popular­­ to be yourself. Which I can’t help but applaud as a lifelong nonconformist. The challenge is, uniqueness is a binary construct. The idiosyncratic part…

Makers are people who have skills as opposed to credentials. Fascinating insight from Aaron Dignan. So I couldn’t help but wonder. What’s the difference between the two? The word credential comes from the Latin term credentialis, which means, “letters entitling the bearer to certain confidence.” People with credentials get degrees and earn certifications and win awards and have titles use designations. It’s a permission-based experience. They’re valuable through the endorsement of…

Successful people integrate. That’s a big word for me, integrate. It literally means, “to render something whole.” And the people who master this art––actually, it’s more of a way of being, really––bring substantial value to those around them. The challenge is, integration can’t be taught. There’s no formula or system or seminar. But it can be modeled. Consider these examples: Zapponians are encouraged to bring unrelated passions to the…

My obsession with taking notes has very little to do with writing. From an existential perspective, taking notes brings me joy. It gives me energy and makes me feel like I’m a productive, purposeful and useful citizen of the world. I always say that I can rationalize almost any activity or experience, as long as I write down at least one interesting thing I heard. Sentences are my spiritual…

My first book went viral before viral was viral. The website got over a million hits in one day, emails began pouring in from across the world and the nametag story spread like wildfire. My career was officially launched. And to my surprise, that media storm lasted for nearly two years. You can’t pay for that kind of coverage. Looking back, I estimate my advertising value equivalency to be…

Being the finest doesn’t count as much as being the first. If the goal of our interactions with people is to delight and surprise and bring value and create moments worth remembering, the best indicator of success is hearing them say the following magic words: “Wow, nobody’s ever done that before.” These moments, these firsts, happen a thousand times a day, in every industry, in every country. The veterinary…

Fall in love with your work, but don’t make it your soulmate. I made that mistake for a long time. Like many entrepreneurs, I found something I loved and it loved me right back. Of course I gave it everything. Isn’t that how soulmates work? It certainly seemed romantic and noble and meaningful at the time. The prospect of treating my business as my first mate, first priority and…

One of my favorite hobbies is keeping tabs on humanity. Listening to what our culture is up to, watching how our society is evolving and documenting where our species is heading. At current, here’s how I feel about it: I am so goddamn excited to be alive right now, so hopeful for the advancement of our species, so thrilled to be living in the greatest time in human history,…

Love means changing our pronouns. Understanding that every action we take has an equal an opposite reaction on someone else. Remembering that most decisions can’t be made unilaterally. And letting go of a life that’s solely focused on executing our own will. In short, surrendering to the alchemy of we. It’s a scary change. Maybe the scariest. Especially when all of our routines and behaviors and activities were perfectly…

Solitude is seductive. It’s easier because we don’t have to think about anyone else. It’s cheaper because we don’t have to listen to anyone else. And it’s faster because we don’t have to wait for anyone else. So we retreat. We go it alone instead of sharing the journey. We lock ourselves in our own little world and rejoice in the ability to do whatever we want, whenever we…