August 4, 2010

Apprenticeship, little things, and formulae for success

Summer 2008 PhotosIn old Japan, it was fairly common for a young person in the tradesman class to be apprenticed to a master. Whether it was blacksmithing, cooking, or any tradeskill, apprenticeship was just about the only way to get an education. What's interesting about old Japanese apprenticeships was the duration and work asked of the apprentice. In many cases, an apprentice would spend many years doing very menial work, like sweeping the floor of the blacksmith shop.

August 2, 2010

Reminders of past successes to power your future

Ever had a day when you felt off, when you weren't accomplishing what you needed to accomplish, or worse, felt as though you didn't have the ability or capability to accomplish?

July 30, 2010

Solving the marketing frustration of knowing too little or too much

Sunripening grapesChel Wolverton wrote a great blog post the other day about marketers spending too much time consuming, studying, and theorizing, but not enough time doing.

July 28, 2010

5 old sales tricks made new again

5 old sales tricks made new again

July 25, 2010

What the martial arts teach us about marketing basics

DJ Waldow asked:

April 23, 2010

6 minute stressbuster meditation

A few folks have lately needed to make use of this 6 minute guided meditation I made a few years ago. It's not tied specifically to any one tradition or religious practice, just a way of getting yourself recentered by using your senses and some music. Give it a try, and let me know how it works for you.

March 17, 2010

What marketing can learn from martial arts mistakes

One of the "secrets" that one of my teachers, Ken Savage of the Winchendon Martial Arts Center, says is that if a technique is not working, something in the previous step went wrong. If a throw isn't working, perhaps your footwork or positioning in the entry was wrong. If a kata (pre-arranged routine) isn't working at a certain point, rewind just one step to see if there's something that can be adjusted there, some effect that can be repaired so that the chain reaction of mistakes subsequent to the initial error can be prevented.

March 15, 2010

Ninja Mind Control Trick

So much of what we perceive is defined by subtle cues and clues. Ever heard the cliche that clothes make the man? Like many cliches, it's mostly true. The clothes you wear do indeed change the perceptions of others, controlling at least the initial impression, the blink, that you make. That's just the tip of the iceberg, though.

February 26, 2010

The reason why your personal brand sucks

Mitch Joel recently highlighted the army of clones out there that are all trying to use the same personal brand, thus more or less killing personal branding. He's dead on. Go search for the number of social media experts on Twitter to see just how much personal branding has turned into Attack of the Clones.

November 3, 2009

Sissy words and painful mirrors

Ever notice how our society and culture is slowly devaluing certain words, making them less common, making them less important, even though they're important words?