It’s never too late to…

A few months back I wrote a post that encouraged readers to complete the following sentence:

“It’s never too early to…”

The responses were AWESOME. And I wanted to keep that same spirit alive in today’s post by asking you to complete the exact opposite sentence:

“It’s never too LATE to…”

Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:

It’s never too late to … be happy!
It’s never too late to … change old habits.
It’s never too late to … be who you might have become.
It’s never too late to … become creative.
It’s never too late to … build a customer-focused organization.
It’s never too late to … call inactive accounts.
It’s never too late to … call off the firing squad.
It’s never too late to … call someone you love.
It’s never too late to … get an education.
It’s never too late to … get healthy.
It’s never too late to … get rich.
It’s never too late to … get your brain in shape.
It’s never too late to … go after your dream job.
It’s never too late to … go green.
It’s never too late to … have a happy childhood.
It’s never too late to … heal.
It’s never too late to … learn how to communicate.
It’s never too late to … learn.
It’s never too late to … love a computer.
It’s never too late to … move for health.
It’s never too late to … organize your finances.
It’s never too late to … procrastinate.
It’s never too late to … save.
It’s never too late to … start exercising.
It’s never too late to … start learning something new.
It’s never too late to … start over.
It’s never too late to … start singing a brand new song.
It’s never too late to … stop smoking.
It’s never too late to … succeed.
It’s never too late to … turn your life around.
It’s never too late to … write that book you’ve got inside you.

It’s never too late.

What are YOU waiting for?

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Finish this sentence in five different ways: “It’s never too late to…”

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Post your lists here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

…only 5 more days until NametagTV.com goes ON AIR!

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

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

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It’s never too early to begin…

It’s never too early to begin
… basting that turkey.

It’s never too early to begin
… being really, really successful.

It’s never too early to begin
… being useful to the world.

It’s never too early to begin
… bending the ears of smart people.

It’s never too early to begin
… building word-of-mouth into your ideas.

It’s never too early to begin
… career exploration.

It’s never too early to begin
… chronicling your adventures and lessons learned.

It’s never too early to begin
… contributing.

It’s never too early to begin
… creating a positive context for your life.

It’s never too early to begin
… developing a professional portfolio.

It’s never too early to begin
… developing yourself.

It’s never too early to begin
… financial education.

It’s never too early to begin
… getting really, really smart.

It’s never too early to begin
… giving back.

It’s never too early to begin
… giving money.

It’s never too early to being
journaling your thoughts.

It’s never too early to begin
… laying the foundation of self-preservation.

It’s never too early to begin
… managing expectations and outcomes.

It’s never too early to begin
… meditating.

It’s never too early to begin
… networking.

It’s never too early to begin
… planning for International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

It’s never too early to begin
… retirement planning.

It’s never too early to begin
… teaching kids about character.

It’s never too early to begin
… thinking about internships.

It’s never too early to begin
… thinking about usability.

It’s never too early to begin
… validating your existence.

It’s never too early to begin
… writing out your goals and dreams.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Finish this sentence five times: It’s never too early to begin…

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Post your thoughts 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!


What’s YOUR resume?

The problem with your resume is that YOU wrote it.

Which means it’s kind of biased.

You may as well call it a resu-MEE.

Because that’s what it is: ME saying why ME is so great.

If you want to persuade potential employers, prospects and customers to hire you, remember this: your resume is most effective when someone OTHER than you writes it.

In fact, the word resume comes from the Latin resumere, which means, “to sum up.”

So, your resume is anything (or anyone) that sums up why you rock so hard.

For example:

Your resume is your Google ranking.
Your resume is your comments section on your blog.
Your resume is your testimonial page on your website.
Your resume is your media room on your website.
Your resume is your book review section on Amazon.com.

Your resume is what people are saying about your name.
Your resume is what people are saying AFTER your name.
Your resume is what people are saying behind your back.

Now.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with having an actual, traditional resume.

It’s still a valuable professional tool.

JUST KEEP IN MIND: it’s almost 2008.

If someone wants to hire you, she’s going to validate your credibility from multiple sources.

Not just from one piece of paper that YOU wrote.

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

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Next time someone says, “Send me your resume,” send them a link like THIS.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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

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Things I’ve recently unlearned, part 2

(Read part 1 of this post series here!)

6. People don’t care what you know or (even) what you’ve done. They care ABOUT, are interested BY and want to learn HOW … you think. Period. That’s the key differentiator.

That’s why your clients keep coming back AND telling their friends about you. Because of the way you think. Because you Have a Beautiful Mind (ahem, top three books I read this year.)

Which means that ideas are your greatest source of income. Which means you better recognize your own thinking patterns. Which means everything you know should be written down somewhere.

7. Principles, not techniques. Techniques, seven-step systems, formulas and tactics can (and will) fail. And many of them are manipulative. And people don’t like them. And people can oppose them AND because they CAN come off as contrived and choreographed.

Principles, on the other hand – that is, universally accepted truths – are more effective tools for getting your point across.

And, as usual, are less threatening.

8. Seekers beware. My mentor/friend Arthur Scharff says, “Seeking leadership destroys the journey.”

So, don’t worry about whether or not you’re a leader. Instead, focus on being passionate.

And as a result, people WILL follow you. Hell, they may even call you a leader!

9. The Smarty Pants Wins. Consultants, trainers, speakers, authors, experts … forget about it. All commodities.

Companies don’t want to hire consultants.

They want to hire cool, smart people who happen to do consulting. Or speaking. Or training. Or recruiting. Or financial planning. Or whatever.

LESSON LEARNED: be cool and smart.

Stop boxing your value in with some stupid role or job title.

Don’t be “Dave the Consultant.”

Be “Dave That Really Smart, Creative, Cool Guy Who Always Has Awesome Ideas That I Think Owns His Own Consulting Firm.”

10. That, not what. For example: it doesn’t matter WHAT you write, it only matters THAT you write.

It doesn’t matter WHAT you create, it only matters THAT you create.
It doesn’t matter WHAT you laugh about, it only matters THAT you laugh about.
It doesn’t matter WHAT you do when you’re together, it only matters THAT you’re together.

You get the point. That, not what.

(Read part 3 of this post here!)

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!


Things I’ve recently unlearned, part 1

The only thing cooler than learning is UN-learning.

Changing past programming.
Reconditioning your brain.
Rethinking old-school assumptions.

So, here’s a list (part 1 of 3) of some things I’ve recently UN-learned:

1. Don’t create FOR. Not for anyone or anything. Just create. Detach from outcomes. Be autotelic, not exotelic. And stop trying to label everything. Just do stuff for the purpose of doing stuff. Do it because you love doing it.

This will lower your inhibitions and enable your natural creativity to flow organically.

Heck, you’ll probably create some pretty cool stuff in the process.

And eventually, (hopefully), the “for” will appear on its own. It will be a nice added bonus when someone wants to buy your work. (However, even if they don’t, at least you enjoyed making it!) It’s a win-win.

2. Don’t get, CAUSE. Whether it’s sales, management, creativity or facilitating a group discussion, don’t “get” people to buy. Or listen. Or participate. Or ask questions.

Instead, cause them to do so. Maintaining a “get” mindset creates a pushy attitude.

“Causing,” on the other hand, sounds a lot less threatening.

3. Don’t make your website scream, “Hey! Look at me!” Instead, make it scream, “Here’s exactly what you were looking for!”

I’ve recently realized how the user-generated, “My” Culture created by Google, YouTube and Tivo proves that THEY (meaning customers) call the shots. Not us. (Thanks for this one, Seth Godin)

4. Effective speakers don’t always have to speak. This isn’t just about making powerful pauses; this is about audience engagement. After all, their combined knowledge is probably greater than that of the speaker.

And ironically, the longer amount of time a speaker has to speak (one hour vs. half-day session) the LESS the speaker should be speaking. Weird.

5. Environment, not people. You can’t control people. You can only manage the environment in which they interact.

So, your challenge is to create a healthy, organic, friendly atmosphere that is conducive to whatever you’re trying to accomplish.

(Read part 2 of this post here!)

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!


The three types of mentors

Who are your mentors?

Notice I said mentor(s), not mentor.

That’s because there are three types: casual, formal and indirect.

The word mentor first appeared in Homer’s Odyssey as character who served as a wide advisor.

My first “wise advisor” (other than my Dad) came in the form of a high school English teacher named William Jenkins.

It started with the occasional after-class discussion.

Mid-semester, it blossomed into a friendship.

By the time I graduated, he was my full-time go-to guy for advice on college and relationships.

And by the time I entered the Real World and started my career as a writer, he became the professional resource I needed to further my career.

That’s an example of a CASUAL mentor.

You chat informally.
You meet on an as-needed basis.
You have lunches, hang out and take walks together.

They talk; you listen.
They share ideas; you write them down.
They ask tricky questions; you spend months pondering the answers.

Then there’s a FORMAL mentor.

You meet on a regular basis.
You have structured discussions.
You set goals, parameters and expectations for the relationship.

They give you assignments; you return with homework.
They expect a certain degree of commitment; you do what they say.
They (sometimes) charge a fee; you gladly pay them for their wisdom.

Lastly, there’s an INDIRECT mentor.

You rarely meet in person.
You learn by reading and gleaning.
You might not even know each other.

They write books; you read, highlight and learn.
They do stuff really well; you watch, take notes and relate.
They set the standard in your industry; you follow their lead.

Three kinds of mentors. Three kinds of wise advisors.

Casual, direct and indirect.

And you need them all.

Because one mentor is no longer enough.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How many mentors do you have?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Tell us about them here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag


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Lowest common denominator thinking

Call it optimism.
Call it glass half-full.
Call it a positive attitude.

Because at the lowest common denominator, there’s always ONE thing you can get out of everything.

This represents a sort of “takeaway attitude” you need to have about business, about life, about everything.

I call it Lowest Common Denominator Thinking.

For example, let’s say you just spent the last three hours reading the latest best-selling marketing book.

And you thought it sucked.

Ask yourself, “Did I at least get ONE nugget, ONE idea, ONE quotation, ONE thing from that book?”

If the answer is yes, congrats! You’ve just discovered the Lowest Common Denominator. Which, when remembered, written down and applied, should be worth the price of the book and the time you spent reading it.

Here’s another example. Let’s say you just finished attending a lecture at your local college campus.

And you thought it sucked.

Similarly, ask yourself, “Well, it might have been boring, but the one thing I still took away was…”

If your answer is a worthwhile idea that wouldn’t have popped into your mind without attending that lecture, good on ya! You’ve discovered the Lowest Common Denominator.

One final example.

You crawl into bad at about 11:30 PM.

And you thought your day sucked.

Ask yourself, “Yeah, but did I at least do ONE thing that was cool, help ONE person get better, accomplish ONE highly valuable activity or experience ONE moment that validated my existence?”

If your answer is yes, prepare to sleep well. Because you’ve discovered the lowest common denominator.

Here are a few more Phrases That Payses to enhance your LCD Thinking:

“Well, if anything, at least I learned…”
“The one thing I got out of that was…”
“Although it wasn’t my favorite, I still found a way to…”

Call it optimism.
Call it glass half-full.
Call it a positive attitude.

Because at the lowest common denominator, there’s always ONE thing you can get out of everything.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your takeaway attitude?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your philosophy here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag


Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

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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?

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

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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?

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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