“Any Kind Of Misery You Want”
Check out this weird little video I put together for you. It’s not about “marketing” exactly, but it will challenge a lot of ideas you might have about making money online.
Roger Ebert Killed My Blog! (not really)
Well, I MEANT to do a “quick little video” talking about my experience having Roger Ebert MURDER my blog with his tweet (not really.)
But then I rambled on a bit.
But in a good way.
Anyway . . .
In this video I cover . . .
* Why this whole experience had me feeling like Sara Palin at a bumper car convention (huh?)
* How to talk to a wall (and have the wall scream bloody murder back at you) . . .
* Long Copy Vs. Short Copy . . . (and why I’m a babble mouth.)
* Why folks who come LEAPING to Roger’s defense are actually insulting the hell out of him.
And more.
Check it out.
You (Can’t/Won’t/Don’t Want To) Read This Blog Post
Eh, you didn't really want a pony anyway.
Quick little language hack today . . . let me know what you think:
Are you a “can’t” person?
I know I am (or at least I used to be . . . I’ve gotten a lot better over the last few years.)
Faced with challenging, unpleasant or “Scary” tasks or even opportunities I’d often find myself saying or thinking “Oh, I *can’t* do that. I’ve got to much to do/I don’t have time/etc.”
Which is really, uh, bullshit.
Because generally when I say I “can’t” do something (whether it be helping a friend move or dropping everything to go on a crazy, stripper-filled trip to Vegas) I don’t mean I “can’t” do it at all . . .
I mean that I won’t do it . . .
Or I don’t WANT to do it . . .
Or I’m SCARED to do it . . .
Or I don’t know HOW to do it . . .
Or, heck, I just have something else already on my calendar that I’d RATHER do.
But I just don’t want to take the actual responsibility of saying so.
(OK, there are certainly things in this world that I’m physically, mentally or emotionally completely incapable of actually doing. I will never dunk a basketball. I will never seduce a goat. OK, I probably COULD seduce a goat but I DON’T WANT TO . . ugh. What am I talking about again?)
If you think about it, you’ll probably realize that saying “I can’t do that” is a bit of a get out of jail free card (and a dangerous one at that.)
It’s a way of deflecting an ambition or a request without taking any personal responsibility at all . . .
(Heck, I’ve got an Aunt who holds onto the word “Can’t” like a particularly fuzzy and warm teddy bear, keeping her safe and free from actually having to break out of her comfort zone and really do something with her life. Harsh but true.)
So how about instead of saying you “Can’t” do something, you ditch the BS and just say what you actually MEAN . . .
So “I can’t help you move on Sunday” becomes “I don’t want to help you move on Sunday.”
“I can’t quit my job and start my business” becomes “I’m SCARED of what will happen if I quit my job and PETRIFIED to find out that I’m not actually good enough to make my crazy idea work.”
And “I can’t take 2 weeks off to go do yoga in Thailand because I have too much work to do” becomes “I’M REALLY LAME.”
Anyway, you get the idea.
I’ve been playing this game for a few weeks now and, honestly, it’s scared the bejeezus out of me. I’ve suddenly started noticing a LOT more areas of my life where I’m limiting myself or taking the “easy route” instead of going after what I actually want.
And I’ve started, inch by inch, to eliminate those areas, take some responsibility and live a bit more.
So, can YOU eliminate “can’t” from your vocabulary?
Whatever you do, don’t tell me that you “can’t.”
Later.
The “I Like Who I Am” Game
Hey folks,
Something a little bit *different* today . . . (And kind of scary.)
In the video above I describe a simple exercise you can do to blast by negative thought patterns, focus on what you actually LIKE about yourself (and realize just how MUCH there is to like in the first place) and generally live a happier, healthier, more fulfilling and more awesome life.
Below you’ll find two documents that should compliment this video pretty well.
The Dance
A client just put a postcard under my nose and asked me what I thought of it. I took a look, scanned through the copy, noted the lack of a headline and then said “Well, there’s a whole lot wrong with it, but the big thing is this: You never ask for anything. You never tell the reader to call you. Instead you’ve just got your phone number up there in the corner hoping that some kind soul might notice it.”
And then I gave him “The Dance Analogy.”
It goes like this: Just having your contact info up there and assuming somebody will use it is a lot like walking up to a girl at your seventh grade dance and saying “dancing is fun.”
And then just standing there, waiting for her to do something and hoping your fly is zipped.
If you want to get out on that floor, you’ve got to ask. You’ve got to say “Do you want to dance?” and stand there and take the answer.
Otherwise, why did you show up in the first place?
