Walks of My Life

There are tens of thousands of businesses making many millions a year in profits and still haven't ever heard of twitter, blogs, or Facebook. Are they all wrong? Have they missed out or is the joke on us? They do business through personal relationships, by delivering great customer service and it's working for them. They're more successful than most of those businesses who spend hours pontificating about how others lose out by missing social media and the latest wave. And yet they're doing business. Great business. Not writing about it. Doing it. I'm continually amazed by the number of people on Twitter and blogs , and the growth of people (and brands) on Facebook. But I'm also amazed by how so many of us are spending our time. The echo chamber we're building is getting larger and louder. More megaphones don't equal a better dialogue. We've become slaves to our mobile devices and the glow of our screens. It used to be much more simple and, somewh...

~Hugh MacLeod

Dictionary.com defines this word as informal but equates it to initiative, aggressiveness, and resourcefulness. To me it means just a little bit more. To me it is a word that my grandfather might say and as such, carries with it the feeling of an older time. Gumption is what our grandparents had. Gumption is the ability to do  what is needed in order to succeed at any cost. We seem to forget that as technology has advanced this fundamental idea has not  changed. There are plenty of people jumping on the social network bandwagon. These people are in most cases hardworking people and truly want to succeed. What they fail to realize is that  social  networking and free valuable content are all necessary to earn a reputation and ultimately build a sustainable customer base. Although the tools have changed we need to have the fortitude to keep forging ahead. One good blog post will grab a readers attention. That reader has never heard of you. He might stop back ...

Have you ever wondered who’s behind that little voice in your head that tells you, “you’re in this by yourself, one person doesn’t make a difference, so why even try?” His name is Fear . Fear plays the role of antagonist in the story of your life. You must rid yourself of him using all necessary means. We’re often impressed by those who appear to be fearless. The people who fly to the moon. Chase tornadoes. Enter dangerous war zones. Skydive. Speak in front of thousands of people. Stand up to cancer. Raise money and adopt a child that isn’t their flesh and blood. So, why are we so inspired by them? Because deep down, we are them. We all share the same characteristics. We’re all divinely human. Until Fear is gone, (and realize he may never completely leave) make the decision to be courageous. The world needs your story in order to be complete. ~Anne Jackson

The 19 E’s of Excellence 1. Enthusiasm! - Be an irresistible force of nature! 2. Exuberance! - Vibrate—cause earthquakes! 3. Execution! -  Do it! Now! Get it done! Barriers are baloney!  Excuses are for wimps! Accountability is gospel! Adhere to the Bill Parcells doctrine: “Blame no one! Expect nothing! Do something!” 4. Empowerment! - Respect and appreciation rule! Always ask, “What do you think?” Then listen! Then let go and liberate! Then celebrate! 5. Edginess! - Perpetually dancing at the frontier, and a little or a lot beyond. 6. Enraged! - Determined to challenge and change the status quo! Motto: “If it ain’t broke, break it!” 7. Engaged! - Addicted to MBWA/Managing By Wandering Around. In touch. Always. 8. Electronic! - Partners with the world 60/60/24/7 via electronic community building of every sort. 9. Encompassing! - Relentlessly pursue diverse opinions—the more diversity the merrier! Diversity per se “works”! 10. Emotion! - The al...

When the economy tanks, it’s natural to think of yourself first. You have a family to feed a mortgage to pay. Getting more appears to be the order of business. It turns out that the connected economy doesn’t respect this natural instinct. Instead, we’re rewarded for being generous. Generous with our time and money but most important generous with our art. If you make a difference, people will gravitate to you. They want to engage, to interact and to get you more involved. In a digital world, the gift I give you almost always benefits me more than it costs. If you make a difference, you also make a connection. You interact with people who want to be interacted with and you make changes that people respect and yearn for. Art can’t happen without someone who seeks to make a difference. This is your art, it’s what you do. You touch people or projects and change them for the better. This year, you’ll certainly find that the more you give the more y...