What Are You In It For?

I’ve seen it over and over. People enter agencies and use them as a stepping stone to what they really want.

Then there are those who go into an agency knowing it’s where they want to be.

Thing is, everyone knows why you’re there too.

It benefits all to go where you want to be. Find a way to be there instead of using another place as a stepping stone.

It’ll be worth whatever trials you go through to get there.

 

Stay Positive & Don’t Settle For Baby Steps

Subjection

Subjection

I thought earlier today at work how I’m learning more things that are difficult to communicate to people who haven’t experienced what I have.

A lot of what I write can be read as a short cut for you. You can skip all the frustrations of going what I’ve already gone through to reach the same conclusions. Right? …I hope not.

Rather then taking the short cut, I hope you are inspired to take the journey, encouraged to subject yourself to failure, to being uncomfortable, to thinking about things differently.

I’ve made it out alive, so can you.

Sometimes I forget it’s not the finish line that makes the race, but the run all the way to it. It is nice to know there is a finish line, though, and that’s why I write, why I share so many “finish line realizations” about life, about marketing, about public relations, about connections and art.

A finish line isn’t worth it without a marathon before it, and a marathon isn’t worth it without a finish line at the end. We have to take pleasure in both.

One of the toughest questions to answer when we are on a mission of success is what does success look like?

For me it’s getting you to subject yourself to things you wouldn’t have had you not read my writing. And, hey, along the way you may do things a bit differently and reach better, bigger, brighter conclusions than me. Sounds sort of exciting doesn’t it? (it is)

 

Stay Positive & Perhaps YOU Will Start Blogging Daily

Owning It

Peculiar vocabulary, owning is.

You can lead a project. You can tag along with one. You can be the pack-mule to one. But owning it establishes an entirely different perspective, a more difficult set of responsibilities.

When was the last time you owned something?

 

Stay Positive & Are You Waiting For Your Turn? (I hope not)

Selling Feelings

At a grocery store the other week I got in line with my cart of food, which included organic bananas. When the cashier grabbed the bananas, he said, “you know that it’s dumb to pay extra for organic bananas that are genetically identical to regular bananas, right?”

I had no clue how to respond.

You know those “I should have said…” moments, when you think of the perfect response after the fact? It was one of those situations.

If I could rewind time I would have reminded him we don’t purchase things because of what people label them with, not directly anyway. We pay for products and services to feel a particular way.

Organic bananas and regular bananas may have the same genetic compound and benefit my body in the same way scientifically, but they make me feel completely different.

I feel cleaner eating organic bananas, and thus happier, more content with my choice. I feel like my body benefits more with organic bananas: I have more energy, a fuller stomach, better poops. And perhaps it’s just my mind, but I think organic bananas taste better too.

When we challenge, doubt, and write off everything, when we settle for the generic and the banal, we also sacrifice the benefits that come with ignorance, that come with placebos, that come with just feeling good!

I’ve been known to say, “It feels good, to feel good.”

I won’t let a know-it-all cashier stop me from that. Organic Bananas, always.

 

Stay Positive & He’s Bananas

In The Box Podcast

Episode 3: Robots vs. Humans 2, Customer Service, Disruption And More – Podcast

On this episode of In The Box Podcast, we continued the conversation of robots versus humans, we chat about bad customer service, start a narrative around masculinity, explore the value (or lack of) of Instagram and play with disruption.

Episode 3: Robots vs Humans 2, Customer Service, Disruption

Instagram — What is the value of Instagram?

Robots over humans in service industry — Do you see robots or computer programming dumbing down the service experience of a business?

Bad customer service — Tell me about a bad customer service experience … what would you have done?

Alcohol in Madison — Best place to enjoy an adult beverage in Madison

Narrative around masculine strength — How courage is portrayed in relation to masculinity?

Disruption — Best time for it? worst time for it?

 

Stay Positive & Find A Way To Disrupt

Unlocking Potential #16: Q&A With Chris Brogan

chrisbrogan-2014-Credit via Raul Colon

I have to admit, I squealed a bit when Chris’s assistant emailed me back stating Chris would be game for a Q&A as part of my Unlocking Potential series.

Chris is full of wisdom, insight, and complete passion when it comes to marketing and living life to the max. His way of working and writing has gotten me to expand my mindset to be a bit more okay with being a bit more weird.

As Chris would agree, weird is good.

Without further ado, please welcome, Chris.

Q: What’s your story in three sentences?

I started out by writing a blog that got more popular. I helped many businesses figure out how to be human at a distance. I continue to help people find ways to build their business by understanding where they belong and how they can better serve those people.

Q: Alright, that was rude of me. Use some more words to explain. How the heck did you build such a strong tribe?

I rarely need more words. The people who I’ve surrounded myself with are people who seek to be of service and who seek to connect others. Growing capabilities and connections. It’s an easy model.

Q: What have you come to find are the two or three most effective ways to get people to share a product, a story or a blog post with one another?

I find that people share what they feel resonates with them. Where most folks get it wrong is they seek numbers, not resonance. Why try to get “everyone” to see what you do? Share it with the folks who feel they belong in the circle with you. They are who want the information in the first place.

Q: What are three qualities you think every person aspiring to be a successful entrepreneur need to have? Why these three over all the other qualities?

I think entrepreneurs need to be service-minded, need to be brave, and need to be eager to share their resources at every turn where it makes sense. I think these three are great because they set up a simple framework for persistent growth of the self and of one’s networks.

Q: I asked John Saddington, who was my 11th Unlocking Potential interview, this same question. What is the biggest challenge you’re seeing today’s entrepreneurs facing?

I think most of the people calling themselves entrepreneurs are actually just people trying to make and sell things without the mindset of serving a particular group of people. They lead with the question “How can I make money” instead of “how can I help someone else succeed?”

Q: Would you tell about the most recent time you had faced a huge challenge yourself and how you did or didn’t overcome it?

I face challenges daily. I think the theme recently is, “Be willing to be even more humble and learn what you aren’t fully understanding.” That lesson keeps being introduced to my life, so I’ll keep learning.

Q: What are you afraid of? Really. Emotionally.

I’m afraid of sharks. I’m afraid of not being able to provide. I’m afraid that my ability to serve will somehow miss the people who most need what I can do to help.

Q: What are a few habits you’ve developed that were essential to your success?

I’m an expert communicator, so that serves me well. I’m very driven to produce. I’m very disciplined. Those really all help.

Q: What is something you haven’t shared with your tribe yet about yourself?

It’d be really hard to figure out what I haven’t shared. I’ll talk about anything. Poop. Sorrow. Depression. Whatever. I’m a fairly open book.

Q: Right now, in the present moment, what would you do or create if you had unlimited resources and time?

Another universe.

Q: Where can people find your remarkable work and what is the best way for someone to reach out to you?

I’m pretty easy going. chrisbrogan.com is a good enough place to start. Grab my newsletter and hit reply. I write back. 🙂

 

Stay Positive & Learn What You’re Not Fully Understanding