“I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.” – Edward “Duke” Ellington, Born Apr. 29, 1899. Hey, guess what? Everyone has problems. Big whoop. What do you do about your problems? Take them? Endure them? Or do you put them to work? As motivation. As fuel. If you’re not yet […]
Failure and Bad Feelings Can Be Burned as Fuel – and They Produce Powerful Work Read More »
“Folks don’t like to have somebody around knowing more than they do.” – Harper Lee, Born Apr. 28, 1926. When you’re trying to position yourself as a trusted advisor, your audience can’t ever feel like you are holding out on them. They can’t feel like you’re keeping secrets or withholding valuable knowledge for yourself. Countering
Make Them Believe You Would Tell Them All Your Secrets, And They Will Love You Read More »
“I am indeed rich, since my income is superior to my expenses, and my expense is equal to my wishes.” – Edward Gibbon, Born Apr. 27, 1737. I’m really not qualified to give anyone financial advice. But here is some unqualified financial advice. For the freelancer or entrepreneur just starting out… freedom can cost less
The Overlooked Secret to Self-employed Freedom: Live Small Read More »
“I’ve always worked on the principle that if it interests me enough to write about it, then it must interest a lot of other people.” – Morris West, Born Apr. 26, 1916. First, cultivate the ability to muster a genuine interest in absolutely any topic. Next, figure out the topics your target audience cares about.
To Be InterestING, BE interestED. Enthusiasm is Contagious. Read More »
“Not only strike while the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.” – Oliver Cromwell, Born Apr. 25, 1599. Do you write every day? I do. I could be better about writing more promotions, but hey. I’m working on it… Tomorrow. That’s not what I want to write about here, though. Today I
Always Be Working Already When the Muse Decides to Show Up Read More »
“All the best stories are but one story in reality – the story of escape. It is the only thing which interests us all and at all times, how to escape.” – A. C. Benson, Born Apr. 24, 1862. We tell stories. Stories about the reader. Stories they haven’t heard about themselves yet. The ending
Escapism Motivates: Where Will You Go When You Get Away From Here? Read More »
“If I could find anything blacker than black, I’d use it.” – J. M. W. Turner, Born Apr. 23, 1775. This one isn’t about the content of the quote, but more about the implications of it. Turner couldn’t find paint that was any blacker than the paints he used. He could never actually accurately show
Programming Imaginations With Impossible Imagery is the New Black Read More »
“A lie told often enough becomes the truth.” – Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin), Born Apr. 22, 1870. This is a statement that sounds sinister because of how specific it is. If you make it as general as it is in reality, it’s not so evil-seeming. Anything repeated often enough will eventually be believed, not just
Repetition is the Mission… Repetition is the Mission… Repetition is the Mission… Read More »
“For to tempt and to be tempted are things very nearly allied – whenever feeling has anything to do in the matter, no sooner is it excited than we have already gone vastly farther than we are aware of.” – Yekaterina Alexeyevna, Born Apr. 21, 1729. If persuasion is a fishing pole, emotion is the
The Art of Sinking Your Persuasive Fishhook Right in Your Prospect’s Face Read More »
“It is astonishing what a lot of odd minutes one can catch during the day, if one really sets about it.” – Dinah Maria Mulock Craik, Born Apr. 20, 1826. People say they don’t have time to write, or work on their business, or publish more content, or grow their audience, or shoot a video.
If You Say You Don’t Have Time to Work on Your Dreams, You’re a Liar, You Liar Read More »
