Hello, World!

Just wanted to say hi after all this time. Maybe I’ll bring this blog back.

John

Trailblaze

(Some) people take comfort in the fact that whatever they want to do has been accomplished before. They think, "Great! Someone else has already done this, so it isn't impossible." They are happy to follow a path thats already been set for them.

Others aren't. They gain their motivation from the fact that they are the first (ever) to do this particular thing. They believe it's possible and they're the ones to do it. They don't care if they're ridiculed or mocked while they (currently) fail. They understand that barriers are there to keep the first group out. Not them.

The first group succeed more often than the second.

But the second group have their names in textbooks.

Go.

You will never get today back. Go make the most of it.

Shoot for the moon

Start something, now. Go make something and show, give or sell it to the world. Could you fail? Of course.

But the only things that really succeed and make a splash are things that could've gone south.

I use the analogy of target shooting. Most people shoot at the ground directly in front of them. They get predictably mediocre results, every time. You will hit the ground 100 times out of 100 that you shoot for it. Successful people, however, shoot for the moon. Will they hit it every time? Nope. They might not hit it within the first two thousand times.

But that one time they do, they're set for life.

If you knew...

If you knew you were Bill Gates or Timothy Ferriss or Rihanna, and no one else knew it yet, what would you do? Would you do the same things or go to the same places everyone else does?

Or would you act, think and be different?

If you were special, I think you would be starting a business, or writing a book, or promoting yourself. I imagine you would be doing amazing things.

None of these people started out extraordinary. They are extraordinary because they do extraordinary things. Not vice versa.

So, why not be spectacular, brilliant, and original? Why not start something that could fail?

Why School Misses The Point

When you write, do you try to drag it out as long as you can? Do you fill the reader with useless information before getting to your real point? Of course not. Why do schools teach us this is the way to write?

I have been blogging and freelance writing for about 5 months now and I've had to unlearn everything I was taught. I don't need 1,200 words to get my point across. I need 300. I respect my reader's time, and therefore will not waste it writing a 1,200 word essay. Another thing, I don't do any prewriting. I don't sit down and chart out everything I want to say. I just write. There's a reason I get things done in 24 hours when other people need a week.

Don't get caught up in closing sentences, or making sure that your paragraphs are indented. Just write something people want or need to hear, and everything else works out.

Why talent gets overlooked

When you see someone street performing, do you ever stop and listen? Do you ever say, "Hey, this guy is good! I think I'll stop and listen." to yourself? You generally have somewhere to be when passing by, but I don't believe this is why most people don't listen. Too many times we let talent go unnoticed or even worse, discouraged. It's because they truly can't tell when someone is (or is going to be) talented.

I see talent (and the potential for talent) everywhere. Does that mean that everyone who has the potential for making great music will make it? No. But as long as you recognize when someone is passionate about their art and striving to get better you'll be able to appreciate talent in the rough. In the wild. Before the mass market rewards this person for doing what they do so well. And that takes imagination.

Imagination is a virtue. Not everyone has it, but every child does. That's why all the children were trying to stop and listen to Josh Bell when he played in that subway in Washington D.C. Most of the adults didn't, but a few had enough imagination to listen for a few minutes. Obviously, most people don't have enough imagination to see talent in the wild. That's why when Micheal Jordan was in tenth grade, he was cut from the varsity team. Same reason Tim Ferriss was rejected by 26 out of 27 publishers.

Even when whatever they're doing isn't the best now, it totally could be. They are creating. Art isn't created from safety. It's created "out on a limb", says Seth Godin and I agree. It's easy to be a critic when there is nothing on the line. Critics aren't creating, and all they do is judge those who do. There is no such a thing as a world class critic.

Next time you see someone doing art on a small level, use your imagination. Think about where they could be, not where they are. See their drive, their passion and their talent. Then encourage them. Tell them what they could maybe work on, and what you really enjoy. What they go on to do might even surprise you.

Become skilled

Become skilled in areas that will push you ahead. But be picky about which skills you hone.

You don't want to be well-rounded. Well-rounded only means mediocre in a plethora of categories.
You want to be sharp.

Image by Vlado

Focus on things that are: (1) Difficult to do, and (2) in high demand.

If you do this, the economy won't have you looking for jobs. The economy will have jobs looking for you.

Believe it or not, people still get job offers in a down economy. Why's that?

Because the people who are looking for jobs don't have skills.

Be relevant

If you aren't relevant, why do you spread your ideas? 

Answer: You probably don't.

Attention is so difficult to come by, so precious, there is hardly anyone spreading non-relevant  advice. 

There is such a huge tsunami of information out there, most (even the free stuff) is extremely timely and relevant. 

So be relevant or be silent.

Plug your ears

Know who you shouldn't listen to.

Here's the test. If they aren't (or won't soon be) where you want to be, disregard anything they have to say on the subject. No matter how good intentioned they may be, they obviously don't understand how to get there.


You might just be better off doing the opposite. Let's use olympic swimming as an example. If I want to be an olympic swimmer, I'm not going to listen to my mom on how to get there. Because she's not an olympic swimmer. I'm going to listen to Michael Phelps. Same goes for success.

If this person is telling me to go to school and they're $100,000 in debt, I probably shouldn't listen to them  if I want to be successful. If Bill Gates tells me to go to school however, I should probably get my a** to class. (Sorry, I had to.)

Just remember that while they may have good intentions, plug your ears when (in my case unsuccessful) people give you advice.

4 ways to be productive (on the go)

Being productive is hard to do when you are constantly moving. Being mobile can really put a damper on your productivity levels. If you'd like to enjoy and be productive, you just follow these tips.

Mark a certain time - When you have Wifi is ideal, because you (likely) won't have it all the time. Focus on the times that you do.

Touch it once -  I totally stole this from the ultimate sales machine by Chet Holmes. The principle still applies and I believe that you could benefit from it. Whenever you start something, you finish it. This way you only touch it once. (i.e. don't check your twitter while your working on that term paper.)

Attack the most important things first - Of course. If you don't have time to work on that ebook, you certainly don't have time to check your email.

Focus on downtimes - Rather than feel guilty for not getting to tracking your finances while you're on that roller coaster, feel guilty during the layover between flights. Much more gets done.


If you do these four things, you'll end up with a lot more finished when you have to move again. Or get on that flight. Just remember to have fun.

Because sometimes having fun can be the most productive thing that you can do.

Steve Jobs: The Diamond Cutter

Steve Jobs was more of a diamond cutter than all-out revolutionary innovator.

Why's that, you ask?

He didn't really come up with much first. He saw things in the wild, perfected them and sold them to the mass market. The mp3 player was out long before the iPod. The tablet computer was with us some ten years before the iPad. The cell phone came before the iPhone.

He saw diamonds in the rough, cut them into rare beauties, and sold them. He read the words that weren't on the page. He (and his team) had the foresight to see what was coming and create it. That's why they never relied on market research.

He said, "It's not the consumer's job to know what they want."

So true.

Estimate Accordingly

Whenever estimating anything, there's probably going to be (a few) variables that you aren't considering. Also, since people don't often estimate unimportant things, you're going to want your estimates to be as accurate as can be.

I utilize this little trick whenever I estimate anything, and I can't tell you how many times it has saved me.

I always estimate against myself. I put on the most negative point of view I can, and I use the 20% rule. The 20% rule goes like this; "Since every variable cannot be taken into account, one should add 10% to every figure against them, and subtract 10% from every figure for them."

Basically it goes like this.

Let's say I'll need $500 to go on a trip. And I have $500. Good, right?

Maybe. But to be sure, your calculations should go something like this.

Instead of saving $500, I should save $550. Instead of having $500, I (act like) I have $450. So, I should end up with $600.

In simpler terms, just add 20% to every expense.

Now, 20% doesn't sound like much, but in many cases that's all it takes to hedge against disaster.

Tim Ferriss' new book

So, you guys all know that crazy 4 Hour Workweek/4 Hour Body guy? Well, his name is Tim Ferriss (two s') has a new book on Amazon that I think should be checked out. I am pre-ordering a copy, and you should too.

In everything this phenomenal man does, he breaks everything down to the core and tests everything. He's a world class tango dancer, Princeton guest lecturer, and just a great all around guy. He's one of  the smartest, classiest, most creative people I've ever come across.

Ladies, I think he's taken, so sorry.

(Also I may or may not be getting a Kindle Fire from this post, so keep that in mind. As you should too, by going to the link, here, and posting on Facebook)

Enjoy

Enjoy yourself for one day. Just do everything you want today. Not everything you should do, or everything other people expect of you. Just everything you want, whether or not you can afford it. Even if it scares you. Because you should.

If you don't enjoy it, don't do it today.

Watch sunrises, take a walk, laugh, get lost, exercise (if you like & if you don't, don't), climb a tree, or make a connection with someone.

Just enjoy yourself today. You deserve it.

Be the Man

Instead of utilizing someone else's program, make your own. Don't buy a franchise, create one. 

Instead of being the middle man, be the Man. Why?

There's more money in it, and more publicity.

Sure, it's harder to create McDonald's than it is to buy a McDonald's franchise. But that's also why it's better and more fun and more profitable.

So go out, be the Man, and start creating.

Lessons learned from Carlos

Carlos Slim Helú is the world's richest man by Forbes' last count. There's a reason for this. He focused on an emerging market.

Carlos didn't just have shares in emerging markets. He owned the market. Mexico's telecommunications is dominated by one man. That man does very well because of it. Therefore, rather than trying to start a small photo shop in Iowa, you should find something that's already successful in America and take it somewhere else.

When you start a business in an emerging market, it's like a boat and tide. The tide is the economy, and the boat is your business. Even when your business isn't growing too much, the economy is. When the tide comes in, all the boats rise, including yours.

You can call the shots in another country much easier than the US. You could control a monopoly in India, and command your industry there.

Unscripted (& genuine)

How unnerving is it when you call the customer support line and you get a recording? How much worse does it make the situation when they tell you how "important" your call is to them?

It's scripted, fake, and automated.

Why is it so annoying when you get a recording? Because it's not genuine. If your call was really that important there would be a real person to handle it. And not one of those low paid call center people. An executive. Maybe the CEO.

Now I'm not saying that the CEO should answer all the phones, (it wouldn't hurt) but why not do whatever you can in your business to make a true, lasting connection? What if you did that where others couldn't (or wouldn't)?

Never build a product

....without a market. Test first.

That small piece of advice could save you a world of trouble in the future.

Ship unprepared (if you must)

Whenever you're in a situation you don't like, but are afraid of getting out of, set a date. And move on that date. Or quit on that date. Just make sure you have a date and something to keep you accountable. If things are prepared for you to move or whatever, great. If they're not, still do it.

You'll grow more, learn more, and be better if you ship unprepared.