rejection is part of the process

“Another one for the hook…” I’m paraphrasing the punch line of a great story told by Stephen King in his book, On Writing. Back in the day, he’d work his day job and submit stories and book ideas on the side. And he’d get letter after letter back – no. So he hung a hook…

Read More

can’t find the friggin’ spoons

In my house, we have a game. I call it, “Where will I find X today?” X could be a spoon, a dish towel, a spare roll of TP, maybe a light bulb. No matter where it is, it will definitely NOT be in the last place I saw it. And I am actually neither…

Read More

creating good problems

What if, instead of freaking out whenever problems pop up (as if we’ll ever solve ALL the problems)… We focused on creating good problems? It’s a different way to look at the same challenge, but it’s a critical distinction. Rather than focus on lack or overwhelm, often a shift to opportunities created can open your…

Read More

making a masterpiece of the leftovers

I grew up with a single mom, as one of three kids. And one of the things my mom was REALLY good at was stretching every dollar well beyond its breaking point. That meant a lot of buying in bulk, grabbing the clearance meat and throwing it in the freezer, and a LOT of easy…

Read More

now what?

John had THE big idea. He invented the Facebook for golf lovers, and he just KNOWS he’s on track to rake in millions of dollars in the next couple years. All he needs are some investors and some beta users and a little buzz/word of mouth, right? It sells itself. So he starts on the…

Read More

get out of your house (and by house, I mean head)

Last week I did something fun…  I launched (more like softball lobbed, but eh… ) my first ever product. Like a lot of people in marketing and sales… I know how to sell a product. Give me a product (that’s not snake oil or absolute garbage), and I am confident I can sell the ever-loving…

Read More

so there I was with my eyes glued shut…

So there I was, laying on a table with my face mask on… Eyes glued shut, Ride of the Valkyries playing in the background. It’s been a long time since I felt quite that silly, but damn… I really wanted to jump on a motorcycle and go rescue some people. That song is so EPIC. …

Read More

the root cause of resistance

I’ve got a problem… one that I think is pretty common, and one that you might recognize. I overcomplicate the SHIT out of EVERYDAMNTHING. Somewhere in my life, I became convinced that “it can’t possibly be that easy”… and ever since, the name of the game has been “how elaborate can I make this plan?”…

Read More

misadventures in podcasting

I’m currently in the middle of taking a podcast workshop from Seth Godin. For years now, especially after I’d speak on stage at events, people would come up to me and tell me I needed to podcast. But I never knew what I’d talk about, at least until I started writing my book. It’s called…

Read More

assume positive intent

Here’s an observation – especially in today’s world of frayed nerves and insta-snark kneejerk replies at anyone who’s even perceived at being “out of line”. What if the person reaching out to you didn’t intend it the way you interpreted it? We’d all go a lot farther by giving folks grace and assuming positive intent.…

Read More