Allowing the loudest voices to dominate
Man is it hard to not allow the loudest voices to dominate our emotional responses and our actions. But is that a good idea?
If you feel a little squeamish about your marketing...
...you should probably trust your gut. This means you're doing it wrong.
This short article is a good reminder that there's two kinds of marketing:
The pushy car salesperson who is trying to get you to drive off of the lot that day in one of their cars no matter what they have to say to you
The complete opposite of that
Always trust your gut when it comes to marketing. The bad kind of marketing is like pornography. It can be a little hard define. But you always know it when you see it.
Article: Dana Fonteneau on why freelancing is not a dirty word
Garrett Hope's Porfolio Composer blog featured a guest post by Dana Fonteneau about freelancing which is a really good read.
Dana first talks about what many "real jobs" actually entail above and beyond what we might expect and then eloquently makes the case for being a freelancer and entrepreneur.
"As an entrepreneur, you are your own boss. THERE ARE NO GATE KEEPERS BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR DREAMS.
YES, freelancing can have a lot of instability and volatility at first until you learn how to create systems that create stability and take you out of that “feast or famine” cycle. These are not hard to do but require discipline, focus, and long-term planning. There is NO LIMIT to how much you can do and earn, IT’S UP TO YOU!!!!
It takes a lot of work, but then again, what doesn’t?! If you’re going to be busy and work really hard, you might as well be doing what you LOVE!"
—Dana Fonteneau
You should definitely read the entire article. It is well worth it!
Article: "I Used to Think That Freelancing Was a Dirty Word Until…" by Dana Fonteneau
If you haven't heard it, don't miss the conversation I had with Dana for Episode 85 of TEM.
Article: Godin on the correlation between price and satisfaction
Seth Godin's daily blog post was particularly good today. He talks about the relationship (or lack thereof) between price and satisfaction and includes this nugget about being sure you charge enough:
"Price is unrelated (in creating satisfaction), except for one thing: Charge enough that you can afford to actually keep your promise. The thrill of a low price disappears quickly, but the pain of a broken promise lasts a very long time."
I highly recommend taking 60 seconds to read the whole post.
You're behind. So what?
"Quitting merely because you’re behind is a trap, a form of hiding that feels safe, but isn’t. The math is simple: whatever you switch to because you quit is another place you’re going to be behind as well."
—Seth Godin
Yet another truth bomb from Seth Godin.
You are always behind so using that as the primary reason to bail on something is just an excuse. Try to get to the heart of why you don't want to continue so you can decide if that is in fact the best thing for you moving forward.
Don't fall for the trap.
Where did you go to school?
"You are not your resume. You are the trail you've left behind, the people you've influenced, the work you've done."
—Seth Godin
Translation: No one cares that you went to Juilliard (even though that is quite impressive.)
What have you done with that education?
Article: How to get motivated
Daniel Pink is one of my favorite authors and thinkers.
Here is a piece he did a number of years ago for oprah.com on how to get motivated.
It is short and worth the two minutes!