The Brand Called You That cross-trainer you’re wearing — one look at the distinctive swoosh on the side tells everyone who’s got you branded. That coffee travel mug you’re carrying — ah, you’re a Starbucks woman! Your T-shirt with the distinctive Champion “C” on the sleeve, the blue jeans with the prominent Levi’s rivets, the watch with the hey-this-certifies-I-made-it icon on the face, your fountain pen with the maker’s symbol crafted into the end … You’re branded, branded, branded, branded. It’s time for me — and you — to take a lesson from the big brands, a lesson that’s true for anyone who’s interested in what it takes to stand out and prosper in the new world of work. Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. It’s that simple — and that hard. Behemoth companies may take turns buying each other or acquiring every hot startup that catches their eye — mergers in 1996 set records. It’s influence power.
The Practicality of Pessimism: Stoicism as a Productivity System This is a recent 5-minute presentation I gave at Google I/O Ignite called “The Practicality of Pessimism: Stoicism as a Productivity System.” In it, I discuss the two most effective productivity techniques I’ve found since 2004, both borrowed from Stoicism. I include personal usage examples, as well as several from Seneca and Cato. Ponder this: could defining your fears be more important than defining your goals? Suggested and related posts:Fireside Chat at Google with Timothy FerrissThe Secrets of Super-Productive CEOs – QA with Timothy Ferriss (Inc. For those who’d like to taste the various approaches to this format, here are all of the Ignite videos in one uncut sequence.
Murder Your Worst Habits By Doing This Old habits die hard. Which means if you want to kick butt and knock those bad habits out cold, you need some serious ammunition. Yup, it’s buh bye bad habits and hello new life. Or in the words of Die Hard hero John McClane (Bruce Willis): “Welcome to the party, pal.” What’s Your Poison? Who’s your guest at this habit busting party? We all have our favorites. Glugging away time on social mediaForgetting important tasks (e.g. keeping feeds updated)Obsesively checking emailUsing sugar (okay, chocolate) instead of exercise to boost my energy Time to get brutal. Knowing your enemy is your first task in defeating it. Brutal honesty with yourself is the only way you can see what’s wrong. Alternatively, you can ask a friend. You’ll still need to be honest with yourself. Your Habit Busting Arsenal Now you know what you’re facing, what’re you going to do about it? Here are a few of your options. Cold Turkey. Check out our advice on detoxing. A Guardian Angel. Body Busting. Get A Dummy. Avoid Temptation.
What if pricing your art isn’t about feelings of adequacy? | Crystal Clear Money Management for Small Business Pricing your art seems to be clouded in mystery. It’s one of the hardest parts of business for some people. We hear how it’s a matter of being clear about what we offer and having confidence in ourselves, so we’ll be able to charge the right price. What if pricing has nothing to do with feeling adequate or inadequate? By art, I mean the widest sense of the word. How do we put a price on blood, sweat and tears? Here’s what we run up against when we try to put a dollar value on our art: Education and opportunity cost can be measured in terms of money spent or made; heart and soul can’t be. We think about time other people trade for the money we are asking and we feel guilty. We get benefit from doing what we love. Our society values logical work over artistic work. Not everyone values our art. When we trade our heart and soul – our art for enough money to buy a tank of gas, it feels unbalanced; our heart and soul are worth more than a tank of gas. We can’t see our art objectively.
Updates: The Get Off Your Ass Manifesto: How to Motivate Yourself to Actually Achieve Your Goals By Thorin Klosowski Starting something new is hard. It can even be a little terrifying. Maybe you don’t know where to start, or maybe you’re scared of failure. But the only way you’ll ever get anything done is if you just get up and do it. We all have unfinished projects, and a lack of motivation is one of the biggest reasons we don’t accomplish them. (1) I don’t know how, (2) I can’t afford to pay someone else to do it, (3) I have to do it, (4) hey, that wasn’t so hard! Getting off your ass and getting things done is not easy—nor will it ever be—but it doesn’t have to be hard. Find your goal: You don’t even have to do anything—just sit and think about what you want to do.Research: The more research you do, the easier the task in front of you is going to be. The whole process of getting off your ass and motivating yourself really is that easy. Find Your One Goal and Write Your Manifesto This is where the manifesto comes into play. Research What You’ll Need Set Deadlines and Stick To Them
Your Body's Best Time for Everything 3 Lies I Have Been Told About Being A Successful Artist. « Sabina Giado Bismillah ir Rahman ir Raheem Assalam alaikum wr wb, peeps. So I’ve been on this radical rest trip. Of the many things I wanted to do (see a LOT of movies. No chance of success. That means that no one will see my work and tell me it’s wonderful. This is a highly emotionally fraught belief I have about my work. But I continued to write anyway, focusing on the outcome, this time not of success, but of failure. So I wrote a poem, a far-too-personal, far-too-esoteric, far-too-emotional poem about my husband. I continued to read an incredible book on characterization and did some of the creative exercises. In adulthood, study is considered a waste of time unless there are monetary rewards. But the true reward of study is putting what you learn into practice – when the surgeon saves a life, when the graphic designer designs a book, when the journalist publishes a controversial world-changing new story. This makes studying in adulthood really arduous. I have had a false sense of entitlement.
7Life System: The Simple Structure That Will Change Your Life Today I have been given the honor of sharing with you a simple system that I have found to be an excellent way of structuring goals into an achievable format. It’s easy to follow, doesn’t take long to implement and is flexible enough to work around your life. If you keep an open mind, commit to trying the system for a few weeks and are diligent in its application, I am confident it will help you greatly… it might even change your life. Learning How to Eat Elephants We have all, at some point, fallen prey to “New Years Resolution” death bug, where the ambitious goals we set in January are already a distance memory by February. They say if you want to eat an elephant, break it down into small chucks. What Will This System Do For You? Many of you have no doubt heard of Pareto’s Law, which states that “20% of all input will account for 80% of all output” This system ensures the individual reduces the time wasted on things that are not important or core to their dreams and goals in life.
- StumbleUpon Lilach Lilach is the founder and driving force behind Socialable, and highly regarded on the world speaker circuit. Forbes and Number 10 Downing Street have even been graced by her presence! In a nutshell, she’s a hugely connected and highly influential serial entrepreneur – the embodiment of Digitelligence.Listed in Forbes as one of the top 20 women social media power influencers and likewise as one of the top social media power influencers, she is one of the most dynamic personalities in the social media market, she actively leverages ethical online marketing for her clients and for Socialable. After launching her first business within three years of becoming a mother, her financial success was recognised by being a finalist at the Best MumPreneur of the Year Awards, presented at 10 Downing Street. When Lilach isn’t working she enjoys spending time with her family and is an avid fan of Zumba.
How to be annoying & actively repel opportunities. We live a great portion of our lives online. We flirt, and tweet. We chat, and Skype. We hire, and fire. We make announcements. We tell our stories. Some are well-versed in the art of the Ask. Others make requests with an air of entitlement, absurd urgency or lack of common sense.These people hear a lot of NO’s. I’ve been on both sides of the ol’ Asking Fence, innumerable times. This post is not intended to be mean-spirited, nit-picky or nay-sayery. Unfortunate Scenario #1: The “Urgent Deadline” HOW TO BE ANNOYING :: Request a guest post, interview, or contribution for your special telesummit, blog feature, e-book, compendium…with an “urgent deadline” of less than 2 weeks away. REALITY-CHECK :: People are busy. Unfortunate Scenario #2: The Anonymous E-Blast HOW TO BE ANNOYING :: Send out an impersonal (and unsolicited) email requesting promotional support for your new “21-step Guide To Blah-Be-Dee-Bloo” that begins, “Hey, Bloggers…” Try this, instead: “Hey there, #name#. UH, HELLO?
How to Become a Writer: 18 steps Edit Article Becoming InspiredTransforming Inspiration Into WordsNitty-Gritty Rules of ThumbWriting Help Edited by Steve McConnell, Ben Rubenstein, Alex, Nath and 63 others The translation of human experience into an artful literary presentation is the art of writing. Ad Steps Part 1 of 3: Becoming Inspired 1Figure out what you want to write. 8Address financial issues. Part 2 of 3: Transforming Inspiration Into Words 1Arrest the reader. 4Consider Point of View: In total, there are 9 different points of view. Part 3 of 3: Nitty-Gritty Rules of Thumb
5 reasons you’re getting REJECTED…and how to start hearing more HELL YESes! & HALLELUJAHs! You wrote, but never heard back. You heard back, but it wasn’t good news. You called, but nobody answered. You followed up, but Lord knows if they care. Rejection! Rejection feels foul. Here are 5 reasons you’re getting the frosty-cold shoulder . . . and 5 tips to shift your approach, and your ‘tude. 1. You’ve never published so much as a Craiglist personal ad, and you’re pitching The Huffington Post with an op-ed column? Should you seal up in hermitage and bemoan your fate? 2. If a potential employer says “no phone calls, please” — they mean it. 3. Think about how many emails, text messages & tweets you screen through, every day. If you’re reaching out to a hella-busy human, it’s quite possible your missive fell through the cracks — or (gasp!) If you suspect you got skipped, wait a reasonable amount of time (at LEAST a week) and then swing back with a follow-up. It’s also possible that your message was simply deemed “not a priority.” 4. Mass email blasts. 5. It’s The Goddess Circle!
The Art of Meditation / Stop Being a Zombie! A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except thoughts. So he loses touch with reality, and lives in a world of illusion – Alan Watts Tweet This Have you ever driven your car or bicycle and suddenly you wake up somewhere down the road and can’t remember how you got there? And so did I when I first started meditating. So before I continue I’d like everyone to experience this to understand what I’m talking about. Did you do the two minutes? There’s a lot been written on meditation, and to be honest, I ain’t got anything new or groundbreaking stuff to tell. What is Meditation? Meditation is the act of training the mind. Why Meditate? The Buddha said: don’t blindly believe what others say, see for yourself what brings serenity, clarity of thought and inner peace. I myself find it really hard to explain what meditation has done to me. How to Meditate? There are different forms of meditation and its beyond the scope of this article to treat them all. Picture by eldave