Why Read A Lot

Garth Beyer

Reading has a lot of benefits: you learn a different way to think, you learn important facts, you learn new things, blah, blah, blah.

Now, the real reason to read, is because reading is the best way to connect with an author. And if you can connect enough with an author, you will eventually come across something that you know that that author will like. Then, if you share it with that author, you will have created a stronger connection. Or you can ask the author a question. Or you may, if participate enough, stand out and the author will contact you.

See, sure reading is good, you get a lot from it, but to get the absolute most out of it, you need to connect with the author. With that there are two simple tactics to use.

1. Read current authors. It’s hard to talk to an author over a cup of coffee who is dead.

2. Only read what you truly enjoy. (This is where the exception of current author comes in.)

 

Stay Positive & If You’re Going To Read, Get The Most Out Of It

Garth E. Beyer

It’s More Than Just PR

Garth Beyer

Businesses, I want to emphasize before I continue, businesses – not people, not small groups, not just customers – but entire businesses are slowly finding ways to connect with people.

Prior to this current era of connection economy (coined by Seth Godin) that we are in, businesses stayed away from political movements, from activist groups, from “the touchy subjects” that spread across America.

Now, we are seeing businesses – who employ thousands of people – take a stance. Most recently for gay marriage. These businesses understand that customers are no longer customers, they are friends, and friends stick together. And when you have a group of friends, friends bring in more friends to the group. Whereas, customers rarely do.

When businesses become more human than industrialistic, not only are profits made, but something miraculous happens – public change.

There has never been a better time for businesses to take a stand for what they believe in, to show they are human, to forget trying to appeal to the mass and connect with the smaller association of people who provide 80% of their profits anyway.

It will probably piss some people off, but anything important and worthwhile usually does.

What Learning Is

Garth Beyer

If you read and become aware of your reading, you will notice that after each word you are already thinking of what the next word is. Learning is what happens when we can’t predict the next word, the next idea, the next statement, peanuts.

 

Stay Positive & Don’t Stop Learning

Garth E. Beyer

Freelance Vs. Entrepreneur

Garth Beyer

I just left a freelancing job after six months (technically a  year, I’ll get to that in a moment). It was an exceptional experience, I wrote almost 100 articles on any string of the money management spider web you can imagine.

I got to write and was paid when I delivered. Freelancing at its finest.

After six months, I reached my learning capacity , enjoyment, and acceptably high skill level toward writing to this specific audience. [By “learning capacity,” I mean I got out 90% of what I believed I could from the position] Instead of quitting, I decided to become an entrepreneur.

I remembered the saying that freelancers get paid when they ship, and entrepreneurs get paid when they sleep. (HT Seth Godin)

So I hired some writers to do the work that I once was. I positioned myself as the boss and editor. I made the hiring process as legitimate as possible. Candidates emailed resumes, we met for an interview, I gave them test articles. I pushed them to do their best, get creative, and take the reigns. Being boss – to put a less professional tone to it – was awesome.

I didn’t make much money from being an entrepreneur for six months, but it’s not often I’ve gotten so much experience from something so temporary.

To think, I could have just left my freelancing position and moved on. It’s a decision that many freelancers forget they have.

 

Stay Positive & Maybe It’s Not “Vs.”, It’s An Optional Transition

Garth E. Beyer

Too Much Intake Pt. 2

Garth Beyer

Those who say they have nothing to do are liars.

Every day there is a constant stream of to-do’s, of tasks, of obligations. Keeping busy is the easiest thing in the world. Our inbox’s are filling as I type this. We’ve got more notifications and distractions than ever before. Oh, did your phone just vibrate too?

Plain and simple, we’re damn busy. Of course, “busy” is commonly misinterpreted.

This intake of lights, noises, beeps, buzzers, reminders, flags, dings, ticks, and notification symbols is a great way to trick us into thinking that responding to them is a form of output. That being busy is the same as producing something that matters.

Let’s remember that not all things that come in are worth taking in. Let’s not confuse busy with meaningful. Let’s make sure not to devote too much time to intake when what matters is output.

Hey, intake will be there whether you are too, or not.

Output, on the other hand, only shows up when you do.

 

Stay Positive & Go Do Something (that matters more than responding to that txt)

Garth E. Beyer

 

 

Too Much Intake Pt. 1

Garth Beyer

There was a time that I was information-crunching. I was spending every moment of the day taking in information, knowledge, lessons, and Ted talks. I was underlining, highlighting, and dog-earing pages. I was recording, bookmarking, and clipping. This went on for about a week and a half. Constant intake.

Then I felt I reached my limit and it was time for output. However, by then half of what I read, I forgot. All the soundbites I collected, well, it was hard to build on a perfect statement. Some of the passages I highlighted, I had no clue why I highlighted them. And of course, the scribbles in the spines, I couldn’t even read them.

There was once a time that you took in all you could, perhaps before you started writing a paper for one of your classes. Once you read up on everything, only then did you have the OK to go.

No more.

Intake and output is a daily balance, no longer is it weekly, monthly, or yearly. Becoming successful in any part of your industry is about balancing the amount of intake and output each day.

 

Stay Positive & It’s A Daily Thing (Learn → Apply)

Garth E. Beyer

You Have A Follower

Garth Beyer

If fear follows you home. You didn’t work hard enough.

Of course, by hard enough, I don’t mean that you left too early. You just didn’t give fear a good enough fight. You didn’t win. You didn’t beat the lizard brain.

And I know you can. I know you know that you can too.

 

Stay Positive & Fight Back

Garth E. Beyer