Good Examples
I used to think Eddie Murphy was fearless. I mean think of him at his peakā¦ He was a badass. A comedy legend. Full of bluster. The coolest cat in town. This guy: Fearful? No way! Then, I saw him on a 2019 episode of Jerry Seinfeldās Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee andā¦ Eddie said…
I was 9 years old when Henry Aaron broke Babe Ruthās career home run record. I watched him hit number 715 on TV with my brother and my dad. We celebrated the feat. I didnāt have a clue what heād gone through. Even some of his teammates now say they didnāt knowā¦ …He received tons…
When I was a younger business person, I never thought much about mindset. Meditation? Not for me. Visualization? No, thanks. Self-affirmation? Not a chance. I think it was Stuart Smalleyās fault. Remember him? He was a recurring character on Saturday Night Live in the 1990s. Al Franken played the part before he left SNL to…
Remember that movie with Mel Gibson playing a male chauvinist pig who magically acquires the superpower to āhearā womenās thoughts? I just heard a real-life version of that story. Both the real-life and Hollywood versions reveal a ton about marketing. The real-life story features a marketing guy named Ben Settle who, like Gibsonās character, has…
My business is growing so Iām hiring. Last night I posted a job opening for a software developer to assist with several projects. I described the projects, but only in vague terms. Applications flooded my inbox. Most applicants told me they had EVERYTHING it takes to tackle the projects. One applicant, Noah, said this: āLetās discuss more…
For three years, I never opened my mouth when I smiled. That was from 1978 through 1980. Those were the Braces Years, the period when my mouth was full of metal hardware and my parentsā checking account was shrinking. Itās tough being a 13- to 16-year-old — especially when your pearly whites are covered with stainless…
Once upon a time, I tried to cook a batch of paella. It didnāt go well. The mussels were chewy. The chicken was dry. The rice was a sticky mess. So frustrating! I fancy myself a decent cook. But decent doesnāt cut it when you strive to master a complicated dish. Today, aspiring home chefs can…
Itās raining here in St. Louis, MO, USAā¦ …which reminds me of the time my twin kiddos summoned a drought-ending thunderstorm with a rain dance. We were at my inlawās farm in central Missouri. It was bone dry for weeks. But (finally!), we adults could smell and feel the rain coming. As the wind picked…
My friend Cabanne Howard (a great marketing strategist) sent this picture to me the other dayā¦ It’s a closeup of this Duraflame log… Cabanne thinks itās a great example of story-powered marketing. And sheās right. Feeble marketing focuses on features. Better marketing focuses on benefits. The best marketing — story-powered marketing — promises transformations. A Duraflame log features sawdust…
Last week, I had one of those days when nothing went right. It made me grumpy. And as I grumped around, I focused more on feeling sorry for myself and less on staying focused and productive. That made it worse. I got past it, but it made me think about how easy it is to…