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Today is day 2,443. And lately, I’ve been thinking… My nametag (for some strange reason) has always seemed to invite negative comments, snide remarks, criticism, hatemail, angry people and even a few death threats! I know. I don’t get it either. I’m trying to make the world friendlier for God’s sake! That’s why I always remember what Albert Einstein said, “If at first your idea does not sound absurd,…

People say sorry WAY too often. Especially when they didn’t do anything wrong. For example, have you even apologized to someone: For your art? For the weather? For your identity? For being candid? For being yourself? For telling the truth? For following your dream? For it being your first day? For crying during a movie? For taking too long in line? For not believing what they believed? Unnecessary. HERE’S…

I don’t know why I put it off so long. Facebook rocks! (Actually, I think I like it better than my MySpace page.) *Please feel free to poke me here. *I’ve started (yet another) blog on Facebook called QREATIVITY. I’ll be posting a thought provoking question every day. *OOH! And I started a Facebook Group called Make a Name for Yourself. If you make a living producing, writing, speaking,…

Have you ever bought a book, read it, then threw it on your shelf and never thought about it again? Yeah. Me too. It’s OK. Everyone’s done it before. SO, HERE’S THE CHALLENGE: how do you read a book … effectively? ANSWER: by using three different pairs of eyes. First, your Superficial Eyes. They don’t require much. All you have to do is, um, read the book! You don’t…

(I’m in Leysin, Switzerland for the next two weeks working with YPO, and I thought this post was appropriate…) In The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron explains, “When people meet you, they often want to check out your creative passport to make sure your skills have been stamped in all the right places.” Have you ever met someone like that? Someone obsessed with approval? Someone who felt they needed to…

On May 7th, 2003, I received an email that changed my life. “Scotty, I love the nametag idea! I actually wear a nametag all the time too – it’s part of my sales training outfit. Anyway, I hear you want to become a speaker. Give me a call. I think I can help. Sincerely, Jeffrey Gitomer.” Of course, I had no idea who Jeffrey Gitomer was. So I checked…

I’ve been playing guitar since I was 12. Can’t read music. Don’t know theory. Never took a single lesson. “You only need to know three chords: G, C and D,” my dad said. “The rest you’ll figure out on your own.” So I did. I learned by practicing every day. I learned by writing my own songs. I learned by going to lots of concerts. I learned by listening…

PICTURE THIS: you just secured an interview on the local news station. Or in your town’s daily paper. Or on CNN. Or in a trade publication. Or on the local morning radio show. Congratulations! Now all you have to do is remember ONE word. L-E-V-E-R-A-G-E!! Without leverage, your interview never really happened. Without leverage, you may as well be winking in the dark. Without leverage, you limit the potential…

Harry Beckwith, bestselling author of Selling the Invisible, said it best: “People hear FROM bad companies, they hear ABOUT good companies.” LESSON LEARNED: about, not from. See, when customers hear FROM you, it’s usually via: Cold calls. Direct mail. Advertising. Email spam. Fancy-schmancy, four color brochures. Which usually means: 1. No value has been given. 2. No credibility has been established. 3. They feel like you’re “selling” to them….

1. About, not from. 2. And, not or. 3. Ask, don’t tell. 4. Attract, don’t look. 5. Authenticity, not charisma. 6. Beliefs, not facts. 7. Boundaries, not walls. 8. Boutiques, not mega-marts. 9. Business, not hobby. 10. Cherish, don’t squander. 11. Childlike, not childish. 12. Convinced, not conceited. 13. Curiosity, not curriculum. 14. Curiosity, not judgment. 15. Dialogue, not debate. 16. Discipline, not luck. 17. Discretion, not snobbery. 18….