1.31.2012
12 Ways To Beat Your Critics.
Everybody has an opinion. Sometimes you wish other people kept their opinion to themselves. Criticism hurts. No matter how thick a skin you have, it’s hard not to get worn down by other people’s negative opinions. You can spend weeks, months, even years
1.30.2012
“No” Focus.
We are reluctant to say “no”. It’s abrupt. It’s final. It seems like the end of possibilities. But maybe that’s just because of how we’ve come to understand the word. Growing up, when you wanted something really badly, the last
1.27.2012
It’s Not About What You Do.
Business experts will tell you that if you think hard enough and plan long enough that you can generate ideas and strategies that avoid obstacles and end up leading to your success. But that’s just not reality. And you shouldn’t
1.26.2012
Creating Angry Mobs.
There’s always a reason to complain about something. There is always a big guy picking on a small guy. A monster doing depraved things to unsuspecting victims. These plot lines run through our business speak on a daily basis. It’s
1.25.2012
Avoiding Accidental Awfulness.
It’s easy to excuse away mistakes that you make. Especially when someone gets hurt. “It was an accident” you find yourself saying. And magically, because you claim that it was an accident, everybody around you is supposed to be okay.
1.24.2012
Better Than Them.
You’re already better than them. You are. They try a little and you try more. They win sometimes and you win more. They’re smart, but you’re clearly smarter. It’s clear. You’re better than them. Which brings up a bigger question: Who
1.23.2012
Emotional Choices.
The politics of business are all emotional. The “biggest” player in your industry isn’t necessarily the company with the largest advertising budget or the company with the latest technology advancements. Is something a little more subtle. The company controlling the
1.20.2012
Unseating the Experts.
There’s a tendency to believe that the experts know your industry more than you do. It’s easy to assume that with them writing white papers and holding webinars and being asked to speak at all the popular trade shows in
1.19.2012
Warrior Speak.
The idea of success has changed over the years. Our idea of conquest, triumph, and challenge have changed with the evolution of our advancements. Our purposes have become confused. Our tactics are no longer simple and focused. We’ve forgotten how
1.18.2012
Their Rules Are Bad.
Right now, the decisions you make are a result of what you believe in. Whether you realize it or not, you’re playing by a set of rules. And they’re probably not your rules. Chances are, you’ve never defined the rules.
1.17.2012
When It’s Too Late.
You can’t fix today’s problems tomorrow. Tomorrow has problems of its own. It’s natural to hope that by avoiding hard problems that they go away eventually. That if you ignore what scares you most, your problems will lose steam and disappear.
1.16.2012
Ending the Conversation.
You can end the conversation anytime you want. It’s your decision. You can let everyone around you know that your critics are wrong, unhappy customers just don’t “get it” and that your advisors don’t understand. All you have to do
1.13.2012
Comparativity.
Staying focused requires that you keep life in perspective. There is no up without a down. There is no happy without a sad. There is no more without less. There is no satisfied without confusion. There is no inspiration without
1.12.2012
Uncrushing Crushed.
Change always creates friction. You can’t run against the establishment without creating conflict. Sometimes lots of it. So, you need to have a plan for managing the damage that comes your way. It is safe to assume, and wise to
1.11.2012
Divine Rights.
There are rights that we argue to be so important that they are owed to us not as constituents of a government but as creations of a divine creator. Freedom. The pursuit of self-interests. Fairness. These rights wise man have
1.10.2012
The Difference Love Makes.
A deaf and blind Helen Keller made the ironically insightful observation that: “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” Which somehow we inherently know. We
1.9.2012
Irrational Acquiescence.
What comes naturally is to smile and nod instead of forcing yourself to think through the decision that you’re making at the time. It is fanciful to assume that just because you have a goal and work really hard that
1.6.2012
How Yesware Rethought Amazing.
Yesware presents an interesting case study about the business pursuit of getting it right. About starting. Rethinking. About finding success. It seems like it has been several years since I had my first conversation with Matthew Bellows. It’s actually been a
1.4.2012
Soul Listening.
It’s not good enough to care about what you do. Being passionate will help you overcome a lot of the obstacles in your way. But it also creates another problems for you. You become a jerk. You’re so busy talking
1.4.2012
What Doesn’t Matter.
So what if it hasn’t been done before. Be the first. So what if you get it wrong a few times. Reinvent yourself. So what if you don’t have a college degree. Be curious. You’ll learn more. So what if
1.3.2012
The Secret Attitude of Super-Stars.
Giving buyers more value than they pay for is the most effective way to create a delightfully memorable buying experience. To illustrate this point more clearly, think about the opposite of this. Think about the last time you felt ripped
1.2.2012
Radical Resolutionaries.
Perhaps our tendency to make resolutions we never intend to keep is more about how we view our inadequacies than about our inability to perform. We aim small believing that we are unable to be amazing. The answer isn’t to stop making
