Methodology

Many of you know I had an incredible opportunity to attend an invitation-only seminar by Seth Godin this morning. There will undoubtedly tons of posts to follow on this unbelievable experience, but here’s my initial reaction and my baptism into video blogging. Oh, and some breaking news about Seth’s future. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV0w4pNAwFc

Economy of Abundance ****We live in an economy of abundance. In the United States, the vast majority of people have all of their physical needs met. Many have disposable income, some have so much they aren’t sure what to do with it.  Even in the midst of economic downturns, companies like Exxon Mobil and Wal-Mart break profit records year after year. We have shifted from an economy reliant on production and manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution to a services economy chock full of consumers. No longer can this nation rely on manufacturing to provide jobs; we must now provide world-class services to compete in a global market. ...

I was talking with a friend last week who was sending out “email blasts” to clients for a part-time job. He asked for insight about a certain way of following up with someone, so for background, I asked how he got the names of the clients.  “Our company buys lists of email addresses and then we ’email blast’ them and ask if they need help with social media” ...

Last week in one of my classes, a professor stopped class for a public service announcement. He said: “I’m not going to learn your names this quarter. I’ll call you ‘this gentleman’ and ‘that lady’, but I won’t learn your name. In fact, the only way I’ll know your name is if you get in trouble. So it’s better if I don’t learn it.” Thank you for the disclaimer, prof. You’ve just earned my divided attention and haven’t garnerned an ounce of respect from that statement. ...

[tweetmeme source=”jshirk.com” only_single=false http://jshirkman.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/fools-never-start/] We’ve all heard the cliche “Fools rush in (where angels fear to tread).” It seems like sound advice, but I feel all too often “Fools never start.” We calculate, analyze, triple check, and stir over. We hypothesize, procrastinate, dream and don’t take action.  Photo provided by http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayneandd/ The problem all too often isn’t rushing in, it’s failing to start. Fools never start… …taking chances when they have a hunch. …reaching out when they know they should. …asking why when things seem amiss. …risking it all and figuring out the details later when pursuing a passion. …leading because they feel they are unqualified. …expressing their ideas because they are afraid they’ll be stolen. …rejecting the status quo for what they know is better. …taking steps to make change. …accepting responsibility and refusing to blame others for circumstances. ...

I’m currently enjoying a week of sun and fun in Fort Myers, Florida for Spring Break. It’s been fantastic, but I just can’t seem to get anything done. I know, I should be enjoying by vacation (and don’t worry party patrol, I am!), but I still have a number of things I’d like to accomplish this week. Unfortunately, a lack of motivation is stifling all productivity.  Photo provided by http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericmcgregor/ ...

I rarely condone taking the advice of musicians who repeatedly make terribly inappropriate and outlandish comments and often make fools of themselves, but Kanye West John Mayer used the stage as a soapbox Friday night in Columbus, and I agreed with him nearly whole-heartedly. A calling is a calling because it comes from a voice far away. You have to make sacrifices. You’ll have to give things up, but following your calling is the most important thing you can do. This is most certainly a paraphrase because John took the liberty of rambling and all but worshipping his guitar, but at the very core of his message, I agree with him. ...

They say winning isn’t everything. I completely disagree. If you aren’t winning, then you’re losing. And from my experience and deep amount of research: No one likes to lose. Can you learn from it? Sure. But a “loss” isn’t always a loss–many times it’s just a situation needing redefined. So let’s clearly define a victory to clear up the confusion of losing.  Photo provided by svilen001: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/svilen001 ...

What are you dreading most today? Is it that tedious project that’s hanging over your head? Or a mile-high status report for your boss? Is it getting to the gym? Whatever it is, do it first. Wake up, hop out of bed, grab your cup of joe and dive in to your worst task. Mark Twain said it best: “Eat a live frog every morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”  Photo provided by deepinon: http://flickr.com/deepinon ...

Would you rather go to a meeting or a movie? In a random poll I conduct from time to time in painful meetings, the answer is always unanimously a movie. Why is that? Movies are more entertaining. They have more drama and action. They are more engaging. Meetings are dry, boring, too long, full of updates that could be sent out in emails, and filled with PowerPoint presentations that stun you into submission. ...