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There’s no such thing as a motivational speaker. Not even Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Jim Rohn, Norman Vincent Peale or Napoleon Hill were motivational speakers. Sure, those were five highly motivated dudes. And sure, those guys definitely spoke about the topic of motivation. BUT REMEMBER THIS: the only person in the world who can motivate you is YOU. As an author, speaker an entrepreneur myself, I’ve become skilled at…

So I just came across a book from 1959 called Ideas That Became Big Business, by Clinton Woods. It was a buck. How could I not buy it? I finally finished it today. And it might be the most fascinating book on creativity I’ve ever read. Ever. Among Woods’ 100+ examples, nine stories stood out in my mind. Each had several valuable lessons within. This will be the first…

A is for ATTITUDE B is for BREAK PATTERNS C is for CONSISTENCY D is for DISCIPLINE E is for EVOLUTION F is for FRIENDLINESS G is for GOOD WITH NAMES H is for HAPPINESS I is for IDEAS J is for JOY K is for KNOWLEDGE L is for LAUGHTER M is for MUNDANE N is for NAMETAGS O is for OFF BUTTON P is for PAINT YOURSELF…

The other day I overheard a lady talking about her company website. “That’s why I don’t list my ‘real’ email on the contact page,” she said, “I don’t want to deal with all that spam.” Here’s why that comment irked me… See, I get about 50-100 SPAM emails a day. What happens is, spam comes in. Gmail nicely organizes them into my spam folder. And the end of the…

People communicate in three different ways. (Well, actually, people probably communicate in a thousand different ways, but…) It’s usually visually, auditory or kinesthetic. And although most people have some combination of all three, one in particular is usually dominant. As a result, match your own words and speed to appeal to their communication style: 1. If you meet someone who is a visual person, they will use pictures, images…

Over the years I’ve had so many lunches with so many people, I can’t even keep them straight. My guess is, it’s probably somewhere around the 300’s. Many of these invitations come via email or phone; often from people who: (a) sat in one of my audiences, (b) bought one of my books, (c) stumbled across my website or (d) read about me somewhere. I’m always honored to receive…

Confident communication comes from winning small victories first. Here are 4 techniques to help you gain the edge… 1. Avoid starting your responses or conversations with hedging phrases and immediate personal discounters. These fillers give off the impression the you’re hiding behind your words and refusing to commit. They also have the power to negate whatever you say next. Examples include: “I was just going to say…” “I’m not…

A is for ATTITUDE B is for BREAK PATTERNS C is for CONSISTENCY D is for DISCIPLINE E is for EVOLUTION F is for FRIENDLINESS G is for GOOD WITH NAMES H is for HAPPINESS I is for IDEAS J is for JOY K is for KNOWLEDGE L is for LAUGHTER M is for MUNDANE N is for NAMETAGS O is for OFF BUTTON P is for PAINT YOURSELF…

1. Does a lower fee make you more affordable, or less attractive? 2. A lot of people I meet ask me questions like, “So, is this all you do?” “Does speaking and writing actually pay the bills?” “Do you actually make a living doing this?” and “So, do you have another job?” Questions like these are rude, presumptious and demeaning. However, since people ask, I always give them my…

Typical O’Hare. Always causing delays in other cities. Since my flight was delayed 2 hours last night, I stopped by TGI Friday’s in DFW before returning to St. Louis. My server threw down a coaster, introduced herself as Erin and asked, “So Scott, how much time do you have before takeoff?” “Oh, uh…plenty. I’m on a 2 hour delay.” “Cool, then I’ll start you off with a drink. What’ll…