The Nametag Manifesto — Chapter 11: The End of Disconnectedness

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“Everyone should wear nametags, all the time, everywhere, forever.”

That’s my thesis, philosophy, dangerous idea and theory of the universe.

My name is Scott, and I’ve been wearing a nametag for past four thousand days.

And after traveling to hundreds of cities, a dozen countries, four continents, meeting tens of thousands of people, constant experimentation and observation, building a enterprise and writing a dozen books in the process, I believe, with all my heart, that the societal implications of wearing nametags could change everything.

This is my manifesto:

11. The End of Disconnectedness

If everybody wears nametags, we’re all plugged into the social network.

A nametag is an act of humanity in a moment of distance. And these acts allow us to feel a little more connected. Now, we have a constant spark for human contact. We are plugged in without a cord or a signal. We’ve found a way to mitigate loneliness and interact with people face to face in a way that actually resonates with their soul, not just their homepage.

This is the real social network. No matter where you go, you never have to feel alone for more than a moment. Because there are always people who know your name; there are always people whose names you know. It’s a constant reminder that nobody is the odd one out.

We don’t need friend requests because we’re all in this together, always, forever.

If everybody wears nametags, no more fear of missing out, no more eating alone and no more cliques.

# # #

You can read The Nametag Manifesto, in full, for free, right now, here.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your manifesto?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the list called, “10 Ways to Help Your Customers Know You,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012 – 2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

Customers Don’t Know What They Want Until You Show Them

If we’re too busy listening to everybody, we’ll never hear the sound of our own voice.

Yet another great dilemma of the entrepreneur.

On one hand, we could listen to what people say they want. Do market research and focus groups until we’re blue in the face. And then launch something that predictably fits into their nice little box.

It’s the safe path that pleases people, satisfies their expectations and challenges the competition for a while.

On the other hand, we could figure out what people are going to want before they do. Give them what they don’t realize they need. And hope that they get to a point where they can’t live without it.

That’s the bold path that changes people, captures their imagination and erases the competition forever.

Steve Jobs rarely gave the customers what they wanted. He believed people didn’t know what they wanted until somebody showed them.

So he spent his career showing them.

And the entire world watched in awe.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What do you need to decide?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “12 Ways to Out Service Your Competitors,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

What Nobody Tells Us About Our Dreams

There’s nothing more painful than being patient with a dream.

Even if we do cast a vision, enlist support from every angle, hustle while we wait and take small, daily steps to move the pile forward, the dream still feels miles away.

And in the process, our expectations get crushed.

It takes longer than we like. Nobody tells us that when we answer the call to adventure, we might be placed on hold for a year.

It feels harder than we predicted. Nobody tells us that arriving to a new world is just as demanding as thriving in it.

It aches more than we thought. Nobody tells us that when we decide to play a bigger game, chest pains and anxiety attacks come with the package.

It changes more than we imagined. Nobody tells us that when we take the plunge, we have to leave parts of our former selves behind to stay afloat.

Turns out, waiting in line to get tickets for the game is just as important as the game itself.

But the upside is, all the prework to the dream, all the battles and pains and tears and doubts, are essential in building our resilience for when the dream finally comes true.

Because by that time, we’ll be so beaten up that resistance will back down. It will know we mean business, and it will get the hell out of our way.

And the dream will have no other choice but to come true.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How long are you willing to wait?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “10 Reasons Your Business Doesn’t Really Exist,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

“After investing in your mentoring program, I’ve become centered on
who I am and what I have to offer. Now, I am attracting clients I want
to work with. Life is great and I just wanted to thank you from the
bottom of my heart.” —-Melanie Jatsek, Diet Busters

Rent Scott’s Brain today for 2 hours, 30 days or 3 months!

The Nametag Guy Live — Hire Yourself

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What’s your nametag?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “11 Ways to Out Google Your Competitors,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

Excuse Me, But Nothing Just Happens

Six years ago, my left lung collapsed.

When I woke up in the recovery room with tube in my chest,
the first thing I did was ask the surgeon why this happened to me.

He said it was spontaneous.

Spontaneous. Really. That’s your diagnosis? That’s the best
you can do? Surely there must a more biological reason behind this physically
traumatic episode.

Not really. It just happens, he said.

Excuse me, but nothing just happens. Especially not the
sudden failure of my primary respiratory function.

So instead of accepting what the doctor said, I spent the
next week in the hospital making a diagnosis of my own.

My lung collapsed because I got too successful, too fast,
too early. My lung collapsed because I didn’t have a healthy relationship with
my breath. My lung collapsed because I allowed my career to take priority over
my health. My lung collapsed because I didn’t possess the physical, emotional
and mental constitution to manage my own chaotic life.

I told myself a lie because I knew the truth wouldn’t be
enough for me to change.

And it was the best decision I ever made.

Sometimes dishonesty is the best diagnosis.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What are you unwilling to accept?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “11 Ways to Out Market the Competition,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

Rent Scott’s Brain today for 2 hours, 30 days or 3 months!

Out With The Meh, In With The Amazing

It’s hard to turn down food when we’re
really hungry.

Whether it’s a down economy, a struggling enterprise or a lonely love life,
desperate times activate the primal instinct to say yes to whatever satisfies
our hunger.

So we settle. We give our love, our attention and our resources to the highest
bidder, accepting opportunities that are more meh than they are amazing. And
before we know it, mediocrity settles in like an unwelcome dinner guest.

I’ve had multiple periods of meh in my life, both personally and
professionally. Turns out, even though it kept my heart afloat, kept my
business churning and kept my ego from whining, meh ultimately left me feeling
unfulfilled and resentful.

But thanks to a few honest jabs from a compassionate mentor, I made a decision.

Take a sledgehammer to
as much mediocrity as possible.

So far, the pile of rubble is shaping up nicely.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What meh do you need to destroy?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “9 Things Every Writer Needs to Do Every Day,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

Rent Scott’s Brain today for 2 hours, 30 days or 3 months!

The Profitability of True Exclusivity

People don’t want duplicate happiness.

It’s only when we help them experience a joy they can’t have
in other areas of their lives that we create a real, lasting and profitable
connection.

It’s only when we offer them a one-time, limited edition, never
before/never again moment that actually captures their imagination, that we win
their hearts forever.

It all depends on our embodiment of three powerful words:

And nowhere else.

True exclusivity.

Sun Studios offers this kind of joy to their session
musicians. Anybody in the world can sit down in the most famous booth in the
world, actually play music with the very instruments Elvis once used, and feel
like real rock stars – if only for three and half minutes.

True exclusivity.

And nowhere else.

It’s rare, and that’s precisely why it’s remarkable.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What type of exclusivity does your brand offer?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “27 Affirmations to Prepare Yourself to Listen,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

Rent Scott’s Brain today for 2 hours, 30 days or 3 months!

The Nametag Guy Live — No Labels, No Limits

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What’s your nametag?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “23 Ways to Make Your Fans Super Happy,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

How Long Are You Willing to Stick Around?

I didn’t invent the nametag.

But I certainly took it farther than anyone expected it
could go.

Myself included.

Either way, now it’s mine. I own it. Forever. Not just on
the search engines, but anyone I meet will never think about a nametag the same
way again. And that level of mindshare is a priceless asset. One that most
companies would pay millions of dollars for.

The point is, we don’t have to be the first. We don’t even have
to be the best.

We just have to refuse to go away.

Twenty years ago, Pearl Jam was just another garage band
from Seattle. Sixty million albums later, when the rest of the plaid-wearing
rockers had either overdosed, broken up or broken down, Eddie and the boys are
the only surviving members of the early nineties grunge scene.

Because they refused to go away.

If we can be the last one standing, the only person or
product or company or brand left after the rest of the world has fallen to the
wayside, we win. If we can be patient and persistent enough to take something
farther than anyone else would dare, no matter how often they ask, “So, how
long do you plan on doing this?” we win.

It all depends on long we’re willing to stick around.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What does your performance provide?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “205 States of Being That Matter Most,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

The Nametag Manifesto — Chapter 10: The End of Cultural Barriers

[ View the infographic! ]

“Everyone should wear nametags, all the time, everywhere, forever.”

That’s my thesis, philosophy, dangerous idea and theory of the universe.

My name is Scott, and I’ve been wearing a nametag for past four thousand days.

This is my manifesto:

10. The End of Cultural Barriers.

If everybody wears nametags, we all speak the same language.

It’s a passport. A guest pass that makes us welcomed everywhere. With a nametag, we’re friends with everybody everywhere, all the time, forever. Especially when you realize that everybody is the same everywhere, all the time, forever.

This enables a positive, personal and memorable experience with people of different cultures, thus crushing stereotypes and assumptions thereof. Ultimately, nametags build bridges to people who don’t speak your language.

It’s a symbol of peace, gesture of hospitality and a translator in the global language of humanity.

It proves that we all one, we’re all in this together and we’re all the same.

If everybody wears nametags, no more unnecessary wars, no more immigration laws and no more animosity.

# # #

You are now ready for chapter eleven.

You can read The Nametag Manifesto, in full, for free, right now, here.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your manifesto?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the list called, “10 Ways to Help Your Customers Know You,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012 – 2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

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Tag: the nametag manifesto

The Nametag Manifesto — Chapter 11: The End of Disconnectedness

Customers Don’t Know What They Want Until You Show Them

What Nobody Tells Us About Our Dreams

The Nametag Guy Live — Hire Yourself

Excuse Me, But Nothing Just Happens

Out With The Meh, In With The Amazing

The Profitability of True Exclusivity

The Nametag Guy Live — No Labels, No Limits

How Long Are You Willing to Stick Around?

The Nametag Manifesto — Chapter 10: The End of Cultural Barriers