Tag: working really hard

Here’s the story … of two inventors …

During the late 1800’s, two inventors had almost identical ideas for this AMAZING new transmitting device called “The Telephone.”

You can probably guess who ONE of those inventors was.

Alexander Graham Bell, of course.

But here’s a name that you might have heard before: Elisha Gray.

See, he actually recorded his schematics the telephone about six weeks before Bell did.

SO, YOU GOTTA WONDER: “Why is it that nobody remembers that guy?”

Well, Elisha Gray received a lot of criticism for his telephone invention.

Believing speech transmission to be a waste of time, the top technical journal of the industry, The Telegrapher, put down his idea.

“It is NOT a new idea,” claimed the publication, “…the telephone is an invention with no direct practical application.”

According to the (awesome) book They All Laughed, even Gray’s colleagues were unimpressed.

So, under the weight of criticism, he slowly started to give up on the idea that the telephone was a moneymaking enterprise.

Now, he didn’t give up totally. But he DID continue his research with heavy doubt.

Meanwhile, a determined young man named Alexander Graham Bell was still cooking up his idea for the same invention.

AND HERE’S THE CRAZY PART: although he had no affiliation with Gray, Bell’s initial sketch of the telephone was almost identical to his counterpart’s.

SO, YOU (STILL) GOTTA WONDER: “If Elisha Gray had the idea for the telephone first, why does Alexander Graham Bell always get credit for the invention?”

Well…

After constant legal struggle between the two inventors, the idea of the telephone was eventually deemed fair game for both parties.

So, on the morning of March 7th, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell walked into the Patent Office and secured his name as the official inventor of the telephone.

AND HERE’S THE BEST PART: later on that same afternoon, only two hours after Bell walked out with his patent, guess who walked in the door hoping to do the same thing?

You guessed it: Elisha Gray.

Too little, too late!

See, Elisha Gray didn’t show up in time, because he didn’t BELIEVE as much as Bell did.

He allowed criticism to stunt his creative momentum.

And as a result, he forfeited the opportunity to be recognized as one of the most influential inventors in modern history.

Two hours. That’s all it took.

What are YOU waiting for?

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What is your biggest creative regret in 2007?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Post it here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Consultants. Bah.

No systems. No formulas. Just someone who listens, asks KILLER questions and facilitates creative breakthroughs.

Rent Scott’s Brain today!

Things I’ve recently unlearned, part 3

(Read part 1 of this post series here!)
(Read part 2 of this post series here!)

11. Well-roundedness is overrated. Let go of your past programmed, liberal education mindset. Instead, just get really, really good at one (maybe two) specific things.

THEN, be known for them.
THEN, be the first hit on Google for them.
THEN, let them become your leading attributes.
THEN, keep doing more OF and getting better AT those things.
THEN, let them become your number one income generating activities.
THEN, delegate or outsource the rest.

You have better things to do.

12. You don’t have to please everybody who comes to your website. If you get an angry email from an 81 year-old WWII vet who’s having trouble reading the articles on your website, and that type of person is NOT your target customer, who the hell cares?

Let it go. Just please the people who PAY.

13. You don’t have to prove yourself every ten seconds. This was a BIG realization for someone like me, who tends to be the youngest person in the room.

Let your actions and credentials do that for you. Don’t be so intentional. Relax. People will (eventually) discover how smart and cool you really are. Unless you’re a putz.

14. You don’t have to use all your bullets. For example, you don’t have to ask people questions every ten seconds. They might get the feeling you’re interrogating them. Or that they did something wrong. Or that you’re too lazy to think of anything good to say.

See, effective questioning is about the questions, yes; but it’s also got a lot to do with timing.

Two perfectly pitched questions usually beats five rapid-fire questions.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What three things have you recently UN-learned?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Post them here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Enjoy this post?

If so, perhaps I could help on a more personal, one-on-one basis.

Rent Scott’s Brain today!

More content = more value

Let’s say you publish one article.

And someone reads and enjoys it.

Odds are, that person will think, “Wow, that was a great article!”

Cool.

OK. Now, let’s say you publish a couple HUNDRED articles.

And someone reads and enjoys them.

Odds are, that person will think, “Wow, this guy is brilliant!”

Very cool.

See, they’re no longer complimenting the PIECE.

They’re complimenting the CREATOR.

LESSON LEARNED: more content = more value.

Now, this isn’t just about writing articles.

This is about contributing to a body of work.

A HOT body of work. Your greatest resource as a Creative Professional!

So, let’s explore a list of why content is KING:

The more content you have … the better the search engines rank you.
The more content you have … the better an authority you will be.
The more content you have … the bigger your reservoir will grow.

The more content you have … the deeper your expertise will go.
The more content you have … the easier and quicker it will become to compile your projects.
The more content you have … the greater your opportunity for client diversity.

The more content you have … the higher the perception of your expertise.
The more content you have … the higher your average sale will be.
The more content you have … the higher your number of subscribers will be.

The more content you have … the less likely you are to be viewed as a commodity.
The more content you have … the less likely you are to be viewed as a one-trick pony.

The more content you have … the more equity you maintain.
The more content you have … the more hits you will get.
The more content you have … the more money you will earn.
The more content you have … the more options you will have.
The more content you have … the more pre-qualified prospects will seek YOU out.
The more content you have … the more your website will come up in organic searches.
The more content you have … the more the media will come to you.
The more content you have … the more value you can provide.
The more content you have … the more likely customers will find you
The more content you have … the more advertisers will come to you.
The more content you have … the more you can customize every encounter.

The more content you have … the more you will develop and perfect your voice.

The more content you have … the smarter you look.
The more content you have … the stronger your portable sales force is.
The more content you have … the stronger your web presence is.

That’s what happens when you accumulate a HOT body of work.

Because more content = more value.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How hot is your body of work?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Brainstorm a list of your three biggest advantages to having more content. Post it here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Enjoy this post?

If so, perhaps I could help on a more personal, one-on-one basis.

Rent Scott’s Brain today!

Get rich slowly

The other day I saw an advertisement for this intense, three-day Wealth-Building Seminar.

The headline read, “Become a millionaire in ONE WEEKEND!”

And my initial reaction was: Wow, are people really THAT impatient?

But I guess it’s not entirely surprising.

After all, that’s our world: a hyperspeed, A.D.D., instant gratification culture.

So, here’s my counterintuitive thought of the week:

Get rich slowly.

I first heard someone say these three words a few months ago. And they really stood out in my mind.

Get rich slowly.
Slow down. Take your time. Practice impossible patience and let wealth (not money) accumulate.

Get rich slowly.
Not quickly. Not within 18 months. Not by the end of the year. When you’re ready.

Get rich slowly.
Make the transition from “making a lot of money” to “making a contribution” and “growing your business.”

Get rich slowly.
Earn money incidentally, not intentionally. Detach from outcomes and focus on serving, solving and providing value. Don’t worry; the money will come.

Get rich slowly.
After all, if you’ve got something cooking, something worth waiting for, something worth talking about, it’s only a matter of time before you become rich. May as well spend a few years getting your shit together first.

Get rich slowly.
Install long-term, efficient business systems, master your craft and perfect your voice. That way when you DO become rich, you won’t blow it all.

What’s your rush anyway?

It’s only a matter of time.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are you getting rich slowly?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best “get rich slowly” technique here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Enjoy this post?

If so, perhaps I could help on a more personal, one-on-one basis.

Rent Scott’s Brain today!

Detach from outcomes, pt. 2

(To read part 1, click here.)

When you detach from outcomes…

You relax more.
Which lowers your guard.
Which lowers other people’s guards.
Which enables you to produce better quality work.

AND HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS: this principle can be applied to various disciplines.

In the world of SALES:

o DON’T focus on … persuading, manipulating or reaching quota.
o DO focus on … serving, solving and delivering value.

And you WILL sell a lot.

In the world of CREATING ART:

o DON’T focus on … perfection, recognition or even selling your work.
o DO focus on … finding flow, being yourself and listening to your Muse.

And you WILL create great stuff.

In the world of MARKETING:

o DON’T focus on … being cool, interrupting people or manufacturing a need.
o DO focus on … broadcasting your uniqueness, telling a remarkable story and building community.

And you WILL spread the word.

In the world of CONVERSATION:

o DON’T focus on … networking, controlling or influencing.
o DO focus on … establishing comfort, maintaining authenticity and growing bigger ears.

And you WILL make valuable connections.

So, whatever you’re doing, do it for the process. The journey. For the love of the game.

Detach from outcomes.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How do you focus on process, not product?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best tip here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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You don’t need lessons, pt. 2

(Read part one of this series here!)

Vincent Van Gough took ONE art class during his entire life.

The rest was self-taught.

Pretty shocking, huh?

Similarly, many notable innovators have agreed that lessons weren’t critical to the successful execution of their ideas.

Take Edison, for example.

He went to school for only three months. His teacher thought he couldn’t learn because he had a mental problem!

From that day forth, Edison realized, everything he needed to know about science would be learned from reading books and tinkering with chemicals and telegraph equipment.

Lessons, shmessons!

Now, I don’t mean to reduce the value of having a solid foundation in your area of study. Inventors, innovators, artists and entrepreneurs still need to be brilliant at the basics.

The challenge is to maintain balance.

I like what pacemaker inventor Wilson Greatbatch said:

“I don’t think the problem is too much training. The problem occurs when your training is too narrow and you get yourself on a rigid path of thinking and lose flexibility. Me? I got a masters degree, but the rest was osmosis.”

I also like what Apple founder/creator Steve Wozniak said:

“Teachers were largely a negative influence on me. I read very widely when I was a small kid, and that had the greatest influence on me. We live in a culture that makes it difficult for creativity to express itself properly. I believe in life long learning and self-education. After all, if you could solve all problems with textbooks, there wouldn’t be any real invention.”

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How do you balance lessons and being self-taught?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
You don’t need lessons. Just go.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

Read more blogs!
Rent Scott’s Brain!
Download articles and ebooks!
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21 ways to get (really) good at writing

1. You get (really) good at writing by writing a lot.

2. You get (really) good at writing by being willing to suck at the beginning.

3. You get (really) good at writing by reading good writing.

4. You get (really) good at writing by reading bad writing.

5. You get (really) good at writing by studying the architecture of pages.

6. You get (really) good at writing sharing your writing with people who are smarter than you who rip your writing apart.

7. You get (really) good at writing by reading everything Julia Cameron has ever written.

8. You get (really) good at writing by writing for the sake of writing, instead of writing for money, fame, increased traffic or sales.

9. You get (really) good at writing by writing every day.

10. You get (really) good at writing by doing your Morning Pages.

11. You get (really) good at writing by (not) planning and just writing.

12. You get (really) good at writing by blogging.

13. You get (really) good at writing by regularly expanding and challenging your creativity.

14. You get (really) good at writing by becoming a better thinker.

15. You get (really) good at writing by discovering your voice.

16. You get (really) good at writing by writing about stuff you like.

17. You get (really) good at writing by learning how to addict yourself to writing.

18. You get (really) good at writing by posting your work on the Web and letting the world be your editor.

19. You get (really) good at writing by observing the world through your creative filter.

20. You get (really) good at writing by not making a big deal about writing.

21. You get (really) good at writing by recognizing that procrastination isn’t about laziness, it’s about fear.

22. You get (really) good at writing by posting a sticky note on your computer that says, “What did you write today?”

23. You get (really) good at writing by posting a sticky note on your computer that says, “Is everything you know written down somewhere?”

24. You get (really) good at writing by journaling every day.

25. You get (really) good at writing by admitting that writing is the basis of all wealth.

26. You get (really) good at writing by remembering that if you don’t write it down, it never happened.

27. You get (really) good at writing by making lots and lots of lists.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How did you get (really) good at writing?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Finish this sentence five times: “You get (really) good at writing by…” Post your answers here! I’m trying to get the list up to 500 so I can create a free ebook called “500 Ways to Get (Really) Good at Writing.” (Full credit will be given for all contributions.)

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

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On being unarguable

I was walking down the Las Vegas Strip one day when I saw the coolest t-shirt of all time.

A teenager was wearing it. The front was emblazoned with the New York Yankees logo.

Right above it in big, bold letters, it said: DO THE MATH.

It took me a second, but eventually I figured it out.

See, you can talk all you want about how much you hate the Yankees.

BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS: if you really sit down and do the math, you’d realize that the Yankees are clearly one of the greatest organizations in sports history.

Which makes them unarguable.

Undisputed.
Undeniable.
Unquestionable.

And this doesn’t just apply to sports, either.

In business, your goal is to become unarguable.

With your IDEAS.
With your BRANDS.
With your RESULTS.
With your COMPANY.

See, when you’re unarguable, THREE things happen:

FIRST … you disarm customers of their preoccupations.
This leaves them nowhere to go except in your direction.

SECOND … you prove to customers that you have a track record of success.
This reinforces their confidence in working with or buying from you.

THREE … you remind yourself that haters, naysayers and other forms of resistance can say all they want, but nothing can take away the fact that YOU are successful.
This just makes you feel good!

Interestingly, the word “argue” comes from the Latin arguere, which means, “to make clear or demonstrate.”

So, that’s what’s so powerful about being UN-arguable.

The value is self-evident. No explanation needed.

Now, it’s also important to note another thing.

The New York Yankees originated in 1904.

But they didn’t win their first World Series title until 1923.

That’s almost two decades.

Two decades of NOT being the best.
Two decades of NOT being unarguable.

For The Yankees, it was two decades of paying dues.

See, being http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifunarguable isn’t something you just “decide” to become one afternoon.

Anyone or any company that wants to be referred to as unarguable must do a few things:

PAY their dues
That means sucking for a while in the beginning.
That means taking the time (and paying the price) to uncover your unique voice.

ENDURE the criticism
That means ignoring it if it comes from ignorant sources.
That means embracing it if it comes from validated sources.

OBSESS about it
That means projecting unquestionable commitment.
That means eliminating the words “finish line” from your vocabulary.

STICK it out.
That means choosing to do the brave thing by staying in the longer line.
That means having the patience to compound thousands of little activities.
That means becoming the best at what you do by not quitting while everyone else falls by the wayside.

Pay, endure, obsess and stick. That’s how you become unarguable.

OK, one final point.

Being unarguable isn’t for everyone.

Only the dedicated, committed, and (oftentimes) crazy individuals need apply.

However.

If it IS for you, and if you ARE willing to pay the price, here’s what you can expect:

People will still resist you…
People will still not like you…
People will still say whatever they want about you…

…but in the end, when they do the math, they’ll either:

1. Smile and embrace you, or
2. Curl up and realize they can’t do anything to you.

Because, like ‘em or not, you gotta respect the Yankees.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are you unarguable?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best example of someone (or something) that’s unarguable!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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Be willing to suck in the beginning

I’ve been writing books since I was 21.

But, I didn’t find my true author’s voice until I was about 25.

It comes with the territory. Whether you’re a rock star, a artist or a business owner, you’ve got to “get the shanks out.”

LESSON LEARNED: be willing to suck in the beginning.

Dare to do it badly.
Seek progress, not perfection.
Spend some time paying (or playing) your dues.
Invest some sweat in creating work that isn’t very good.

Because when you do, here’s what happens:

After a while, say a few years or so, you start to get good. You begin to discover your voice, your groove, your unique style, your “thing,” your sound, your approach.

And eventually, once all the shanks have been disposed of, you start to ROCK every time.

Not that you don’t mess up. Or make some junk here and there. Or create something that isn’t amazing. (Even U2 writes a weak song every once in a while.)

The point is:

Because you paid the price, you developed patience.

Because you developed patience, you got the shanks out.

And because you got the shanks out, you made room for the good stuff.

REMEMBER: your most valuable ideas, projects, notes and words are just DYING to come to the surface.

But sometimes, you might need to dig through a few layers of junk to find them.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are you willing to suck in the beginning?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Go through a stack of old creative work and find something that was TERRIBLE. Post it on your bulletin board as a reminder.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

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Make your mind your friend

1. Hang with it. Keep daily appointments with yourself. Clear it. Set aside time to just think. Encourage your mind to get better by doing creativity exercises.

2. Feed it. Read more books; watch less TV. Go for more walks. Exercise rhythmically for 30 minutes a day to flood it with endorphins and expand its idea-generating prowess. Have regular conversations with super-smart, creative people.

3. Listen to it. Figure out what it’s trying to tell you. Write every single day. Do Morning Pages. Listen to your intuition. When you get a bad feeling, act upon it.

4. Understand it. Learn how you learn. Learn how you think. Take several personality, learning style and action style assessments. Clarify your philosophies and policies.

5. Relax it. Meditate daily. Oxygen = Wonderful. Flood it with positive affirmations. Do breathing exercises. Take breaks every 50 minutes.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How do you make your mind your friend?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best techniques here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

Read more blogs!
Rent Scott’s Brain!
Download articles and ebooks!
Watch training videos on NametagTV!

Make a name for yourself here…

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