People dictate taste. If they want it. Give it to them.
Month: October 2012
“Free Shrugs”
Two hours of epicness can’t even compare to the rest of my week’s excitement even if it were compounded. I decided to take a sign, write “free shrugs” on it, and go walk all over downtown Madison and campus.
The responses I got were incredible and worth sharing:
1 person asked if I read Reddit … I shrugged
5 people (4 homeless and 1 foreign) asked me what a “shrug” was
400+ is the number of times I shrugged, to say I got my workout in for the day is an understatement
3 is the number of groups of girls that I first held the sign up to that said “free shrugs,” then pointed to them and flipped the sign over where I had written “free hugs”
3 people flat-out stared at me and had no response
150+ people smiled and laughed
50+ completely ignored me and desperately avoided making eye contact
100+ people shrugged back
1 person I caught taking a picture of me
2 is the number of people I sat next to who had about 13 other signs indicative that they were protesting at the Capitol. I joined them and might have thrown off the whole bashful mood they set.
9 restaurant goers had me creeping up to the glass and knocking on it to get their attention
It was incredible how so many people were trying to sneak a glance at what my sign said instead of just reading it, and how so many people after sneaking that glance, tried so hard to hold in their laughs and act like they didn’t see a thing. Why do they feel so uncomfortable reading a sign someone is holding or making eye contact? A lot of people missed out on a free laugh today, but let’s not forget how many didn’t.
Stay Positive & Suggestions For What To Do Next?
Garth E. Beyer
Enlighten Others
What Improvisation Is And What It Can Do For You
“Improvisation is motion.” – Bobby McFerrin
Improvisation precedes the understanding of something. It’s connecting who you are with who you want to be. It’s the bridge that you get to dance across. Improvisation is calling fear to you and making it your friend. It’s how you surface courage.
I have to take after Bobby McFerrin’s example to show how powerful improvisation is. He tells his students to sing nonstop for ten minutes. They can sing whatever tune they want or make up their own, it doesn’t matter, but they must keep singing. All of his students want to stop within two minutes. They think of different reasons why they should: they start to think how dumb it is, they think how stupid they must look and sound, they start to think they are singing terribly, they start to think that everyone around them thinks they are unworthy and making a fool of themselves.
Within just two minutes it feels the world is screaming at them to stop, but they don’t. They continue singing for ten minutes everyday for three weeks and by the end, the best way I can describe it, is that they find their voice.
This exercise can be done within any realm of passion: singing, writing, dancing, climbing, drawing, or even milking cows (purple cows).
For many, success is a huge sought after factor, day in and day out.
For a select few, harmony is more important.
Improvisation leads to harmony.
Stay Positive & It Just So Happens That Harmony Leads To Success
Garth E. Beyer
Enlighten Others
How To Persuade
I’m dipping in advertising here, which I rarely do, but it’s worth telling. Here are the three themes of an effective advertisement.
1. Repeat
2. Emotion
3. Simple message
Notice how it is this collection of methods that are also effective in PR, journalism, marketing, and persuading.
It’s very effective. At least, it was for Hitler who focused on these three principles.
Maybe it’s time to reconsider how we use advertising isn’t it? Better late than never.
Enlighten Others
If Something Is Imperfect
Make it significantly imperfect.
Stay Positive & Making Imperfection Remarkable Makes You Remarkable
Garth E. Beyer
Enlighten Others
On What To Write About
Writer, novelist, journalist, whatever your title, the question always comes up, what should I write on?
For many, we have plenty of ideas to keep us occupied. However, that doesn’t always mean that our readers want the same things that we want to write about.
There is a simple solution.
I’ve recently interviewed Doug Moe, long time columnist for the Wis. State Journal. When asked about how he decides what to write on, he mentioned that he gets a lot of his ideas from his own history. Things happen to connect for him. On the other hand, he also gets a lot of suggestions from readers, friends, and people looking to be profiled.
Doug elegantly entwines what he wants to write about and what other people want him to write about, all the while making it so that each piece is loved and felt by the people of Madison.
When you can’t come up with ideas for what to write on, or your ideas aren’t appealing to your audience, don’t quit, don’t give up, don’t put down the pen. Get people to suggest stories for you and run with them like you’ve been handed a batton in the Olympics.
Every idea for your audience is a treasure, or at least it will be viewed as one when you’re done writing about it.
Enlighten Others
Dream Acheivers
I can go on and on about different ways you can advance your career, improve your life, find love, make money, follow your heart, achieve your passions, and live the life of your dreams. Wait … I do go on about all of that. I try to simplify everything and make each lesson short and focused, yet it’s still not short enough. Now there are too many quick lessons. So for all you stragglers, all you movers and shakers, all you who want success simplified, I am going to tell you the two actions you need to take.
Everything you want, your dreams, the life your heart and mind both want, can be achieved by practicing these two actions. These metaphorically-successful-twins are two actions that teach you absolutely everything you need to know about becoming a success in your passion.
The first is to make a list. Hell. Make two or three. My great friend Michelle Welsch calls it a list for dream chasers.
I’ll share my list sometime. I made it just over a year ago. One of the items is to have a book of poems published. The catch is that I want to have the same number of poems as Oscar Wilde … + one. He would respect that.
Similarly, my list of 100 things is actually 110. I’m that kind of guy.
Number 1: Make that list.
The second action is my favorite. It’s closely related to the first. It requires dreaming, fantasizing, feeling strong emotions, and getting lost in the feeling of achieving something. Yet, this second action also appeals to our amygdala, or lizard brain. It’s the single best action you can take to punch fear in its face, to kick shyness in the head, to slap hesitancy from the collection of reactions you can have.
The second action is to get/give your phone number to the opposite sex.
Yes. That means you have to talk to them, introduce yourself, find a way to connect, get them to laugh, create or give something fun and unforgettable, and make a one minute to one hour conversation remarkable.
If you have this skill – rather, collection of skills – you can get a number, you can get a buyer, you can get a partner, you can get a team, you can get a deal, you can get anything you want.
Note: Congratulations if you already have a romantic partner. That doesn’t mean you are exempt from this action. If you end up getting a number, toss it, collect it, or save it for a rainy day. (Yes that last one was a metaphor.) If you don’t like the intimate idea of giving your phone number, give your email, or business card. Make a friend, you never know what kind of connections they will have or what ideas someone new can spark in you.
Number 2: Get/give your number
If you take these two actions, practice them, make them your daily prayer, and integrate the lessons from them into any area of your life, I guarantee you will excel. I bet all my earnings, all my writings, and I’d love to also bet my soul, but someone may already have it (it could be you)
Stay Positive & Do The One Two
Garth E. Beyer