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Creativity

Why We’re So Susceptible To Bad Advice

It was a Wednesday in 1997 and I was required to go to Bat Mitzvah practice. For the uninitiated, Bat Mitzvah practice is an archaic tradition that requires preadolescents to memorize songs in ancient Hebrew for several days a week for an entire year. It’s supposed to teach you about your religion, but like most things in (…)

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This Beauty That I See

When Ann Patchett has an idea for a book, she says it whirls around her like an “oversized butterfly whose wings were cut from the rose window in Notre Dame.” She’s. So. Good. That’s exactly what it feels like when inspiration strikes. That moment when your idea is so beautiful, you have to sit with (…)

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What Do You See?

One of my favorite scenes in all of literature is from Raise High The Roof Beam Carpenters, Seymour an Introduction by J.D. Salinger. Who TF approved that title, I will never know, but remind yourself that a book with that title was published the next time you’re feeling down about your own prospects and you (…)

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Something A Little Different

You know when you eat too much cheese and you turn into a human blob of bloating and immobility? I feel like we’ve all eaten too much cheese. We’re encumbered. Some of us are encumbered with children or spouses, others encumbered with silence and stillness. They’re two sides of the same coin. You can’t have (…)

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Remote Bartending Is A Thing Now

Few years ago, I had my own column at Inc. Inc sold my email address to some company named Meltwater that has since distributed it to every bad PR company in the Western Hemisphere. No matter how many requests I make to be removed (and how many years go by that I am no longer an Inc (…)

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Will You Write This For Us?

This week an old friend asked if I’ve been thinking about how we’ll look back at this period in 5-10 years. I laughed at him. No, I am not. But if you’re finding yourself in a position to proactively reflect, I hope you’re also spending some of that time keeping a record of what you see right now. (…)

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How To Poke A Hole

This week a friend of mine quit the online business world, quit self-help, and quit thought leadership. I encouraged his quitting because I don’t believe you should do things that aren’t aligned with who you are. But some of the reasons he cited for quitting were disturbing because they’re the same reasons I often want to bail (…)

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Slow Down

One of the greatest American contradictions is, “more is better.” We know it is not. We know, “a greater variety of choices actually makes us feel worse.” Schwartz, Barry. The Paradox of Choice, pp122-3. It’s why the best retailers, merchandisers, and marketers all seek to reduce your options. Choose this one – is the message at the heart (…)

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