GarthBox

One of the best feelings in the world: seeing someone you know.

It’s what powers conference attendance.

But it requires one thing: you have to have met someone already.

So the challenge of any organizer is to decide: are you building something that connects people who don’t know eachother? or connects people who do?

So the challenge of any attendee is to decide: am I here to connect with someone new? or to connect with people I already know?

Oh, how we forget that one leads to the other.

Let’s not.

And I forgot to mention another best feeling in the world: connecting two people who you know but don’t know eachother.

Stay Positive & What Connecting Will You Do Today?

Watching the sun rise results in more than your belief that the sun is rising. It’s uplifting, positive; it changes your perception of the day. You’re a bit more optimistic.

Seeing ant and cockroach chemical spray bottles from the drive through window did more than make me believe there was a pest problem; I haven’t been back to the coffee shop since.

A messy house sends a signal. A website sends a signal. The gift you send sends a signal.

And the thing about signals? They ignite emotion.

It’s on us to make sure they ignite the emotions we want.

Stay Positive & What’ll You Show Today?

How much you make doesn’t matter as much as how much you spend.

Brushing teeth for two minutes actually makes a difference rather than one minute.

Washing the car, vacuuming, polishing, regularly now will lead to a greater trade in or resale value later.

The thing about thinking and the importance of it is that nearly always what’s most important is some long game, future-benefit that makes the present action actually matter.

Stay Positive & Think Ahead

Reckless isn’t as bad as we’ve framed it up to be in our heads.

Sure it means a reckless person is unconcerned about the consequences of their actions.

But it’s not that they are unaware of them; it’s actually the opposite.

They are so aware that there is no concern. They’ve learned to dance with the fear and still move forward.

Stay Positive & Go Ahead, Be Reckless

When it finally hits 60s after being freezing for so long, there’s extra energy; an interest in what’s possible or to come; a passion to make the most out of that window of time before the temp drops again for the night.

Now what happens if we treat our next project like it’s the start of spring?

Stay Positive & See What Happens

Here’s the thing about having people feel involved: they don’t have to actually do anything if they don’t want.

What people desire is that they’ve been considered, acknowledged, appreciated, valued.

If you’re planning an event, ask them for ideas.

If you’ve got tough decisions to make, ask them their opinion on the right choice.

If there’s an idea you want to chase, ask them for feedback.

Regardless of what you act on after involving them, there is one guarantee: they’ll be more okay with it if you involved them from the git-go than if you didn’t.

Stay Positive & Who Are We Missing?

At it’s finest (in the sense of the microscopic, the near undetectable, the heart of it) marketing sends signals.

An email sends a signal even if it goes unopened.

A hand written congratulations note may not be called for with a minor achievement, but it sends a signal to the recipient when they get it about where your heart is.

The flow of your website even before a word of copy is read sends a signal.

At it’s finest marketing is about sending a signal.

And the signal doesn’t always have to be positive? It can produce constructive tension. But even that is a signal.

The more signals, the more power marketing has.

And when signals are consistent – both in emotion and in cadence, that’s when marketing works.

Stay Positive & When It Works “Overnight”