Tag: working really hard

Corny doesn’t mean ineffective

Yes, all that positive attitude stuff is TOTALLY corny.

But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.

I say:

Believe in whatever makes you more focused.
Believe in whatever makes you more motivated.
Believe in whatever makes you more productive.

Because if you have a negative attitude, all the nametags in the world won’t make you more approachable.

Which means:

It’s about your thinking.
It’s about your questions.
It’s about your responses.

So, here’s a quick list of what to say (and what NOT to say) so you can attract more people, more business, more ideas and more opportunities into your life:

1. If someone says “No!” the next word out of your mouth should be “Next!”

2. Don’t say, “Ouch!” say, “Ah-ha!”

3. Enjoy, don’t compare.

4. Don’t say, “What’s going to happen to me?” say, “What can I do?”

5. Don’t say, “What if I can’t?” say, “How can I?”

6. Next time someone challenges your attitude by saying, “Don’t you ever worry that…” say “No!” no matter what.

7. Whenever something happens to you (good OR bad) ask yourself, “Now what else does this make possible?”

8. Also ask yourself, “What do I have to become to get all that I want?”

9. Next time someone tells you that something you created SUCKS, smile and say, “I respect your opinion of my work.”

Sure, stuff like this is corny.

But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Does corny mean ineffective?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Make a list of three corny techniques that work for you.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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What are you doing TODAY to increase your freedom TOMORROW?

Let’s talk about freedom.

BUSINESS freedom.

That’s what entrepreneurs want more of, right?

Right.

JUST REMEMBER: business freedom is something that needs to be EARNED.

Here’s a list of eight ways to do it:

Freedom comes from FOCUS.
If you’ve carved out a niche, a narrow slice of the market, you will earn the freedom to charge a premium and be selective about your client base.

THE KEY TO FOCUS: become THEE, not A.

Freedom comes from WRITING.
The best way to learn something is to write it. So, if you’re constantly writing down your ideas and thoughts, you will earn the freedom to speak both extemporaneously AND intelligently about them.

THE KEY TO WRITING: writing is the basis of all wealth.

Freedom comes from READING.
How many books did you read last year? If you’re constantly exposing yourself to great books, you will earn the freedom to carry on an engaging conversation with almost anyone.

THE KEY TO READING: learn how to read a book.

Freedom comes from REPUTATION.
Your reputation sells you when you’re not around. By carefully creating, improving and reinforcing it, you will earn the freedom to work less.

THE KEY TO REPUTATION: consistency.

Freedom comes from EXPERTISE.
What do you know more about than anyone else in the world? When you can answer this question, you will earn the freedom to work alongside ZERO competition.

THE KEY TO EXPERTISE: become a thought leader.

Freedom comes from POSITIONING.
When you position yourself in a unique way, you will earn the freedom to (not) have to sell so much; and instead, get business to come to YOU. You will shorten your average sales cycle and customers will self-qualify.

THE KEY TO POSITIONING: be That Guy.

Freedom comes from SELF-EVALUATION.
When you know exactly who you are and what your uniqueness is, you will earn the freedom to insist upon being yourself.

THE KEY TO SELF-EVALUATION: your philosophies and policies.

Freedom comes from HARD WORK.
Paying your dues means working hard, smart and long. For a while. And eventually, you will earn the freedom to (not) have to work so hard, or at all.

THE KEY TO HARD WORK: um, hard work.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What are you doing TODAY to increase your freedom TOMORROW?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best technique here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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Why I love trashcans

A few months ago I was giving a speech to a group of hotel employees in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

I told them about the first day I started wearing a nametag (November 2, 2000)…

On that day, I exited an on-campus seminar and noticed everyone throwing their nametags away.

So, I decided to leave mine on, just as an experiment.

And for ONE day, the response was so overwhelming positive, that I decided to leave my nametag on permanently!

As you can see, it ended up working out pretty well. I somehow managed to make an entire career out it!

That was 2,494 days ago.

Anyway, after the training session was over, a young guy approached me and chuckled, “Dude, isn’t it crazy to think that your entire career came from something you saw in a trashcan?”

Huh. Never really thought of it like that.

Which is kind of funny.

I guess some people look into a trashcan and see trash.

While other people look into a trashcan and see opportunity.

What about you?

When you look at the world…

Do you see garbage?
Or do you see gold?

Do you see waste?
Or do you see wealth?

Do you see junk?
Or do you see joy?

The choice is yours. The attitude is yours.

After all, choice and attitude are about the only things in this world you can really control.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
When you see people, what do you see?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best story of “seeing the opportunity in the trashcan.”

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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Credit will find you

DID YOU KNOW…
That Einstein’s Theory of Relativity sat in his mind (and his notebook) for ten years before it saw the light of day?

DID YOU KNOW…
That Marcian Hoff’s Intel processor took about eighteen years to come to fruition?

DID YOU KNOW…
That Gordon Gould, the inventor of the laser, waited twenty-seven years before collecting ANY royalties on his patent?

DID YOU KNOW…
That Bob Gundlach’s groundbreaking xerography technology didn’t hit the market until eleven years after the idea was conceived?

LESSON LEARNED: credit will find you.

Which explains why so many artists, inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs tend to be as patient as they are creative.

It comes with the territory.

After all, fortune doesn’t favor the fidgety.

However.

Credit doesn’t happen “just like that.”

See, credit will find you IF:

o Your material is brilliant and unique and cool and uses a creative, new approach.
o You’re constantly working hard, smart AND long.
o You’re committed and consistent.

I think Bob Gundlach (the Xerox machine guy) puts it into perspective pretty well:

“Yes, it took over a decade before my product hit the market; but it’s gratifying to know that three billion images a day are now made by my process.”

Stick it out. Experience The Dip. Patience pays off.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are you in it for the long haul?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Buy Seth’s new book The Dip: short, sweet, life-changing.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

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23 (more) ways to speed up your learning curve

It doesn’t matter how young you are.

It doesn’t matter how inexperienced you are.

You can still learn a LOT at a young age.

Because, as Indiana Jones said, “It’s not the years; it’s the mileage.”

If you want to rack up your “Melon Mileage,” consider these 23 ideas. I’ve been living and working by them for years:

1. Read lots of books. Highlight, underline, take notes and annotate. When you’re done, recopy those notes onto a Word file. Then save them in a folder called “Book Notes.” Refer back to them regularly. And never loan those books to anybody. Start with one book per week.

2. Google everything. Ideas, people, YOURSELF, information, companies, competitors, trends and the like. Do it daily.

3. Ask smart people smart questions. In person, via email, online and ESPECIALLY when you’re in the audience during a speech. Have a handful of smart, open-ended toughies ready to go for any occasion. My favorite example: “What was the biggest mistake you made in your first year of business?”

4. Take notes. Listen closely to (and write down) those smart people’s answers. Keep those ideas in a separate folder called “People Notes.” Refer back to them regularly.

5. Screw up. Big time and small time. Keep a running list called, “Things I’ll Never Do Again.” Consider partnering up for this exercise. Regularly share your list with a safe, accountable person.
6. Daily appointments with yourself. Take this morning time for reflection, journaling, meditation and thinking. This quiet time will help you listen to your intuition, which will enable you to learn more about yourself. Do it for at least 15 minutes, and do it ever-single-day.

7. Be uncomfortable. Understand, step out of, expand and LOVE your comfort zone. Daily. Because you can’t learn when you’re comfortable. Also, ask yourself, “What three situations make me the most uncomfortable?” Make it your goal to intentionally involve yourself in ONE of those situations over the next 30 days. (As long as it’s safe, legal and appropriate.)

8. WRITE. Chronicle, journal, blog, diary, (whatever … just WRITE) your thoughts, experiences, feelings, emotions, philosophies and concerns. Daily.
9. Just do stuff. Don’t talk about it. Don’t plan. Don’t take lessons. Just go. The best way to learn how to do something is to DO that something. Action is eloquence.

10. Make lots of lists. Best creativity tool EVER.

11. Eclectic education. Once a month, go to Borders. Buy a cup of coffee or a brownie. Spend an hour or two reading every magazine on the rack. Especially ones you wouldn’t normally read, i.e., Tiger Beat.

12. Hang with super smart, cool and creative people. Ask yourself, “How smart are the five people I spend the most time with?”

13. Find out where you suck. Because that’s the only way you’re going to get better.
14. Learn how you learn. Visual? Aural? Kinesthetic? Take a personality assessment if you have to. Anything to identify your learning style. This will help you better educate yourself in the future.

15. Mentors. Three types. Directly, through an official program like SCORE. Casual, with a colleague, friend or advisor. And indirectly, via books, audiotapes and online content. Mentors are GOLD. And don’t forget to take lots of notes!

16. Motivate your melon. How many books on creativity did you read last month? How many courses in creativity did you take last year? Train your brain. Daily.

17. Grill yourself. Pretend you’re on an interview. Ask yourself tricky questions like, “Who can hurt me the most?” and “If everybody did exactly what I said, what would the world look like?” REMEMBER: questions are the basis of all learning.
18. Bedtime Brain Boosting. Keep a stack of index cards and a Sharpie next to your bed. Every night before you hit the hay, think of ONE lesson you learned that day. Jot down a few words on the card. Keep them in a pile. Then, once a month, lie in bed with all your lesson cards. Take a few minutes to review everything you’ve learned.

19. Quotations. Any time you hear a great quotation, movie line, proverb, psalm or old saying, write it down. Keep a running list called “Quotations” and file it in a folder next to your “Book Notes” and “People Notes.”

20. Teach. Other that writing, teaching is probably the best way to learn. Share your notes, ideas and lessons learned with others. When you pass your wisdom on, you learn it better yourself. Teach via writing, blogging, speaking, talking or mentoring.

21. Talk. Conversations are laboratories. People are libraries. So, exponentially increate your activity level. Especially with diverse individuals. And maintain an expectation that you will learn at least ONE thing from every person you encounter.

22. Unlearn. Make a list of ten childhood assumptions taught by your parents, teachers and faith leaders … that ended up being totally bogus. Use affirmations and self-talk to reprogram yourself. REMEMBER: part of learning is also UN-learning.

23. Extract. Lessons from others, that is. For example, any time someone tells a story, follow up by asking, “So, what lessons did you learn from that experience?”

Now.

You probably noticed a few commonalities among the items on that list.

Namely, “writing” and “daily.”

Guilty.

That’s because writing is the basis of all wealth. (Gitomer)

And that’s because you can’t change your life until you change something you do daily. (Maxwell)

SO REMEMBER:

It doesn’t matter how young you are.
It doesn’t matter how inexperienced you are.

All that matters is that you’re willing to learn.

And if you follow even a handful of these suggestions, in no time you’ll start hearing people say, “How did you learn so much at such a young age?”

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How did YOU learn so much?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your list of secrets here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

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What’s YOUR On-Deck Donut?

Remember little league?

Of course you do.

Remember the on-deck circle?

Of course you do.

Remember the On-Deck Donut?

Wait. The what?

The On-Deck Donut was created in the 1950’s. This piece of heavy rubber-like material usually weighs a few pounds. Batters swing with it during warm-up in the on-deck circle.

Its original purpose was for a hitter to swing it to loosen and strengthen up. He would then take it off and the bat would magically feel lighter.

This is also known as “deceleration training.”

Interestingly, baseball magazines and message boards support an entire science around these donuts.

According Tim Nolan, creator of the Procut Hitting System, On-Deck Donuts serve several purposes:

o To build arm muscle strength
o To increase bat speed (up to 8 mph)
o To psychologically “quicken” the batter’s swing
o To make the chances of getting a big hit greater
o To increase the amount of power put into the swing
o To make the player’s bat feel lighter during the game
o To release pent-up tension in their arms and shoulders
o To condition muscles to react faster and exert force quickly

So, it’s way more than just a piece of rubber.

It’s a tool.
It’s a ritual.
It’s an essential practice for performance improvement.

HERE’S THE THING: whether or not you actually play baseball, you can still warm up your PROFESSIONAL performance with an On-Deck Donut of your own.

Stay with me here…

Let’s say you just started your new job as account executive.

And you’ve been assigned the client from HELL.

They’re high maintenance, impossible to get a hold of, and worst of all, impatient.

So, during the whole project, you’re thinking, “Why did I get stuck with these jerks? This is SO not worth it!”

Not so fast, Babe Ruth.

HERE’S THE PLAY: think of this pain-in-the-butt client as your On-Deck Donut.

Sure, they’re a little heavier and harder than what you’re going to face in the future.

But that’s good! Because:

You’re quickening your thinking.
You’re strengthening your patience.
You’re conditioning your mental muscles.

AND THE BEST PART: every other client from here on will seem easier to deal with.

Because you’ve already warmed up, prepped your body and psyched your mind.

THAT is how winners play. THAT is how homeruns are hit.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s YOUR On-Deck Donut?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Think back to the worst client you ever had. Consider how that experience paved the way for future business.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

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Focus, focus, focus, focus, focus!

You’re self-employed.
You work out of your living room.
You have no boss, no staff and no rules.

How the heck are you supposed to stay focused?

HERE’S A HINT: start mentally.

Every single morning, take between 15-60 minutes for a “Daily Appointment with Yourself.”

Read, write, relax, breathe, meditate, recite affirmations, and review your goals.

Flood your mind with creative, nurturing thoughts and images that will tap into your intuition and lay a foundation of positivity and focus for the rest of the day.

HERE’S ANOTHER HINT: continue physically.

Regular exercise (at least thirty minutes EVERY day) is crucial for mental focus. The release of endorphins saturates your mind and body with the right thoughts.

What’s more, sweating cleanses your mind and body of the wrong thoughts. Rhythmic exercise, like biking, running and swimming are ideal for focus.

However, if you don’t have much time or energy, even a ten-minute walk around the neighborhood will do the trick.

HERE’S YOUR FINAL HINT: reinforce visually.

Ever heard the phrase, “If these walls could talk”?

Well, here’s the good news: your walls DO talk!

If you allow them, that is.

A great technique for maintaining focus is to post motivational, focus driven visuals to keep you on point. Try writing a few of these questions on sticky notes or whiteboards:

1. Is what you’re doing RIGHT NOW consistent with your #1 goal?
2. What did you write today?
3. Is what you’re working on RIGHT NOW solving you major problem?

REMEMBER: focus is challenging. Especially when there’s nobody but yourself to keep you accountable!

Still, there’s no one-way to maintain focus. Use your own combination of these techniques with your own learning and working style to develop a system that works for you.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What helps you focus?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your three best focusing techniques here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

Read more blogs!
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Make a name for yourself here…

10 Critical Components of Creative Environments

Creative professionals MUST exist in a creative environment.

Here’s why:

1. A creative environment provides stimulation.
2. Stimulation creates, expands and refines ideas.
3. Ideas are your major source of income.

Not to mention, the place where you spend the majority of your time needs to be enjoyable!

If you’re looking to motivate your melon, here are 10 Critical Components of Creative Environments:

1. Appeal to your eyes. Multi-sensory stimuli stimulate more ideas. Cover your walls with beautiful art. Include visual representations of your goals, ideas, motivational words on sticky notes, past work you’re proud of, fan mail and other positive images. Blank walls are the enemy!

2. Appeal to your ears. Crank some tunes. Set the ambiance of your room or studio with the right music. Consider creating your own playlist or mix for certain times during the day, projects or moods. Music sets moods.

3. Appeal to your nose. Light candles, incense or other pleasant smelling tools. Smells, fragrance and aromas also have a direct influence on mood. Follow your nose!

4. Appeal to your mouth. Just as long as it isn’t pure sugar or starch. Stick with protein. And don’t eat too much of it, either. Creativity expert Doug Hall says, “When the body is stuffed with grub, your body is spending too much time and energy processing food and your brain in shortchanged.” Carbs are the enemy.

5. Colors. Use pink and orange sticky notes. Buy the Sharpie 36 pack. Collect ideas and information on multi-colored note cards. Colors stimulate creativity.

6. (Dis) Order. It doesn’t have to be spotless, but sometimes disorder can be helpful. Be chaotically tidy.

7. Lose the clocks. Don’t let time impose limits on your creativity. Make it easy to get lost in your ideas. Get lost in your art.

8. Insulation. No, you don’t need to soundproof your walls. But try to avoid working near distracting noise. Wear headphones all day if you have to do! Just be sure you can easily get into your zone. Get lost in your art … seriously.

9. Natural Beauty. Be sure you have quick access to some sort of natural beauty, be it plant life or sunshine. Mother nature is a great artist companion!

10. Toys. Or, anything you can play with on your break to motivate your melon.

NOTE: if you’re not one to be cooped up in a studio or office all day, no worries!

You just need to figure out where your brain thrives.

Make a list of five alternate environments for your creative success. Perhaps your art is more conducive to the park, the bus station or sitting in a public square. If so, great! Experiment by displacing yourself regularly.

Once you’ve narrowed your list down to a few options, visit them regularly. Learn to incorporate various components of creative stimulation into your “portable creative environment.”

That way you can thrive anywhere!

Whatever type of creative environment you choose to create, remember one thing: make it yours.

Customize your surroundings to best fit your learning style, creative abilities and work schedule.

And you WILL motivate your melon!

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your ideal creative environment?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Interview five other creative professionals like yourself. Find out how they motivate their melons!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

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Are you building a following?

Artists.
Authors.
Rockstars.
Cult leaders.
Presidential candidates.
American Idol contestants.

What do all these people have in common?

They’re all building a following.

HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS: so can you!

That’s the beauty (and ironically, sometimes the horror) of the Web: anyone with an idea can share it with the world and build a following around it. And they can do so quickly, powerfully and through a variety of media.

Unfortunately, the idea of “building a following” may sound too grandiose, too celebrity-ish and too impossible to the average businessperson.

“Who am I to build a following?” you think.
Wrong question.

Instead, ask yourself, “Am I being selfish with my knowledge?”

See, the dictionary defines a following as, “A group of people who admire or support somebody or something over a period of time.”

OK. Couple of key points in that definition:

FIRST: “A group of people.”
That doesn’t mean millions, thousands, or even hundreds. Don’t be intimidated by a false necessity to accumulate hordes of followers.

SECOND: “…admire or support…”
That doesn’t mean people are bowing down to you. Building a following isn’t about ego; it’s about shared values and mutual goals.

THIRD: “…somebody or something…”
That doesn’t mean it’s all about one person. It’s about an idea, a value, a movement, a cause and a vision.

FOURTH: “…over a period of time.”
That doesn’t mean you’re a fad, a trend, a hot topic or the new flavor of the month. You build a following one person at a time.

Actually, wait. That last point was wrong.

I shouldn’t have said, “one person at a time.”

I should have said, “one FAN at a time.”

Because that’s what building a following is about: loyalty.

Not just to you, but to the bigger idea.

So, if you want to get started (or continue) building a following, remember three key ideas:

1.Writing is the Basis of All Wealth
You can’t build a following around an idea if you haven’t first expanded, explored and clarified it on paper. Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, penning your thoughts is the single greatest starting point for building a following.

ASK YOURSELF THIS: If everybody did exactly what I said, what would the world look like?

This question will help you build a template for your philosophy.

AND REMEMBER THIS: Guy Kawasaki, an author/entrepreneur with an incredible following said, “It’s impossible to build community around mediocre writing.”

The more you write, the quicker you uncover your unique VOICE.

2. Fanagement
You can’t build a following without fans. The challenge, then, is creating, maintaining and staying in front of them. Here a few suggestions:

*Ask for their email. The crux of permission marketing is to get your fans to opt-in. Be sure you’re regularly asking new people in person AND online. Now, while giving someone your email address is technically “free,” there’s still the concern of getting spammed. So, be certain people understand your intentions at the onset. Respect always wins.

*Consistently deliver a value message. Whether it’s through an ezine, podcast or blog, you MUST deliver value. Remind your fans WHY they follow you. Also, ask for their input, ideas, feedback and comments. REMEMBER: the more involved they are, the more ownership they take. The more ownership they take, the more people they tell. And the more people they tell, the bigger your following grows.

*Gratitude. Because a following is nothing with out followers, make sure you regularly remind them how much you value their loyalty.

3. Be Approachable
Lastly, members (and potential members) of your following MUST have access to you and your ideas. In order to project approachability, remember these ABC’s:

*Access. Make yourself accessible through several media, i.e., email, phone and instant messenger. See, each of your fans maintains a different communication style. So it’s valuable to offer them several contact options. REMEMBER: If someone can’t come up to you, how will they ever get behind you?

*Boundaries. On the flip side, set realistic expectations and personal policies for the accessibility of your time and information. Every “yes” to one thing is a “no” to another.

*Content. Since you’re writing regularly now (right?) you need to make your content accessible for reading, downloading and sharing. This is ESSENTIAL for building a following. Post your ideas on a blog, website, even on public article databases. (NOTE: if you’re concerned about piracy, relax. Just be sure to write in a voice that is SO unique to you, that you become SO identified with; that someone wouldn’t dare steal it. And if he did, people would know it.)

THE BOTTOM LINE: building a following is not an easy task.

It doesn’t happen overnight.
It doesn’t happen without work.
It doesn’t happen without consistency.

However.

If you regularly deliver value through writing…
If you create a fanagement system for your followers…
If you maintain approachability within your own boundaries…

Then you WILL create a group of people who admire or support you and your ideas.

Even if you’re not a cult leader.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are you building a following?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best Fanagement Techniques here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

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Make a name for yourself here…

How to convince yourself that you actually have a real job

You’re self-employed.
You work out of your home.
You’re the only person at your company.

So, how do you convince yourself that you actually have a real job?

Good question.

As a Professional Fake Employee for the past five years, I’ve discovered many secrets for doing so. Let’s take a look at eight “GETS” for self-employed success:

GET UP! An hour earlier. Doing so will instill a sense of urgency and importance at the onset of your day.

GET DRESSED! After your shower, don’t crawl back into your PJ’s. Instead, dress as if you had an important meeting that day. Put on your business casual best, a three-piece suit or whatever works for you. Just remember, act as if you were the person you’re trying to become. By looking great, you’ll start to feel great.

GET OUT! Now that you look like you actually have a real job, grab your briefcase, laptop and other materials … and get out of the house. Announce to your spouse, kids, sweetie or pets, “Well, I’m off to work!”

GET A SPOT! Of course, you’re not actually going to work … yet. But, by getting up an hour earlier than usual, you’ve earned some “prep” time. So, head over to your local coffee shop. Settle down with a drink and perhaps some breakfast.

Do not read the newspaper. It’s negative, it’s crap.

Instead, use this time as your Daily Appointment with Yourself. Read positive materials, review your goals and affirmations, listen to positive music, meditate, whatever works to set the stage for your day.

GET CRACKIN! Now that you look and feel important, it’s time to “officially” start work. Leave the coffee shop and head over to the office, aka, your living room. Take a look at your goals, tasks, appointments and to-do’s for the day. Get started on whatever is most urgent.

GET VERBIAGE! As you email clients and talk on the phone with prospects, watch your words.

*Don’t say, “I’ll be at home all day.” Instead, say, “I’ll be in the office till five.”
*Don’t say, “My policy is…” Instead, say, “My company policy is.”

There’s a big difference! Also, be careful how you use the Royal We. The point of verbiage is not to refer to yourself or your job in a misleading way. Instead, challenge yourself to reframe your verbiage in an honest, authentic tone that convinces both you AND your clients that’s you’re not actually running a business in your parents’ basement while two annoying dogs yap at the mailman all day. (Hypothetically)

GET COLLEAGUES! Unfortunately, words like “coworkers” and “fellow employees” don’t exist in your self-employed vocabulary. So, focus on establishing relationships with colleagues. Find like-minded professionals who work similar Fake Jobs in similar Fake Industries as you. Force yourself to get out of the house at least three times a week for lunches, brainstorming sessions or lead sharing meetings.

GET SUPPLIES! Just because you’re the sole employee at your company and spend most of your days sitting in a La-Z-Boy recliner in your underwear, checking email via Wifi while you watch Sportscenter and play fetch with your Cocker Spaniel named Ginger (hypothetically), that doesn’t mean you can’t project a professional image.

Equip yourself with the necessary supplies: stationary, PO box, a dedicated office and fax line and an email account that isn’t ([email protected] or [email protected]) NOTE: an unprofessional email is the first dead giveaway of someone who doesn’t have a real job!

All kidding aside, these eight “GETS” of self-employed success revolve around one key idea: attitude.

Not because “attitude is everything,” but because attitude underscore everything.

Ultimately, your challenge is to think, act and present yourself in a way consistent with the person you’re striving to become.

Because eventually – if you maintain the right attitude – you will actually become that person!

And that’s the best way to convince yourself that you actually have a real job.

Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a Cocker Spaniel waiting to play fetch with me.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How do you convince yourself that you actually have a real job?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your self-employed secrets here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

Are you the luckiest person you know?

Watch Scott’s interview on 20/20!

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