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“If you get paid for being crazy, I call that sane.” Yesterday I learned that my nametag topped the list of the worst tattoos in the world. I have to say, I’ve never felt prouder. Not because my ink got ink, but because every day that passes, the joke gets funnier. The audience gets bigger. And guess who’s laughing the hardest? That’s the greatest magic trick you could ever pull….

“I’ve broken the sharing seal.” I’ve been writing music for twenty years. But it wasn’t until last year that I finally released my work into the world. Partly because I wanted to keep my art to myself, and partly because I was scared of sharing my deepest feelings publicly. What’s interesting is, once the musical floodgates opened, the sharing has only gotten deeper. Since then, I’ve taught songwriting classes, performed at…

“It’s not okay with me that I don’t understand that.” Seth Godin made a great point about being a noticer during yesterday’s presentation. I can relate. There’s this relentless mechanism inside of me that demands to know things. Like when the cashier at the clothing store asks me what kinds of things I plan to do in my new shorts. I need to know why she asked that question. Was…

“People that are like batteries to your creative endeavors.” The ones who answer how with yes. The ones who spark your productivity by proximity alone. The ones who don’t make you feel stupid for speaking up. I love these people. Thanks to them, instead of your ideas solely living and dying in your imagination, they’re able to grow up and reach the world. Inspired by Kevin Smith’s description of…

“This is why I don’t have goals.” For years I promised myself that if I could just accomplish this, then I would be happy. But despite checking off goals on a weekly basis, the list kept growing and growing. Like a regenerating monster. And the hunger was never fully satisfied. Until one day, it hit me like a slow, hot wind. Holy shit. I’ve done enough to be okay with myself, I realized….

“There’s a breed of nerd that’s become a bully.” Awesome interview with Jim Jeffries about the evolution of nerds. One one hand, all the nerds who grew up in the seventies and eighties have become successful. On the other hand, all the nerds who grew up in the nineties and beyond have now become trolls. To the point that they’re using the Internet to bully each other. What happens when…

“Fill the silence with ideas.” The first step in creating value is taking initiative. Literally, the first step. Only when you physically move your carcass out of our chair can you truly contribute. That doesn’t mean you have to be right. That doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. Nor does it mean you have to be loud. But if you wait for people to tell you what to do,…

“The emotional center of my customer is the most magical data I could have.” I spoke at a business conference yesterday along side Gary Vee. Loved his philosophy on research. Real research. Not quant. Not sentiment analysis. Not fabricated consumer profiles. But the excavation of actual human feelings, usually compressed into something as small as a single tweet, that provides insight into their world. That’s the drop of iodine…

“I’ve learned that I need to give it the first energy of the day.” I’m fascinated by human routine. If I could host a television show, I would interview happy people and find out exactly what they do in the first three hours of their day. Then I would broadcast the show into university cable stations, require all students to watch weekly episodes in groups, and then discuss with their…

“When you get to the reception, you’re fired.” Encouraging words from our wedding emcee, Beth. She’ll have the event under control, she explains. Our job is to stay in the moment and have fun. What a selling point. Forget about the songlist, music is just the functional benefit. What you’re paying for is the freedom to not to think. To be able to enjoy your own party. If more entrepreneurs positioned their services…