People buy what we aren’t.
If having a brand means taking a stand, then our job is to make it abundantly clear to the marketplace what we are the antithesis of. Who we aren’t, what we don’t want, what we won’t do and what we refuse to stand for.
This boundary, this stake in the ground, is the sweetest freedom available.
It makes our brand simpler by reducing the burden of choice. It gives our brand room to maneuver within the vicinity of our values. It helps our brand focus on the small corner of the world we’ve chosen to serve.
When we choose our enemy, when we become the antichrist to something, we leave no doubt in people’s minds what we stand for. We are defined by what we decline.
Franklin Covey, the leading provider of time management materials and corporate assessments, operates a few dozen stores nationwide. But if you stop by the mall on a Sunday, you’ll notice the following sign on their door:
“Closed Sundays to allow employees time for family and worship.”
Even on the second busiest shopping day of the week, they refuse to take people’s money. And as a result, they’ve lost millions of dollars each year for the past two decades.
All because they put their beliefs on the line. They know who they aren’t.
And they’re not afraid to shout it from the rooftops.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What have you declined this week?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the list called, “21 Things I Learned While Spying on Myself,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!
* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting [email protected]
What happens when you wear a nametag all day, every day, for 4000+ days?
Strangers make fun of you, mostly.
Check out Scott’s comic strip, Adventures in Nametagging!

The last American author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature was Toni Morrison, for her renowned novel, Beloved.
That was twenty years ago.
Since then, not a single winner has come from this country.
I just discovered this during an interview with Alexander Nazaryan, a member of the New York Daily News editorial staff.
“American writers are encouraged to write from their perspective, to write what they know. And because of that, the vast majority of them are almost afraid of imagination. That, to me, is frightening, because many of our great works are founded on this immense leap of faith.”
Something clicked that day. His comment crushed me like a ton of books, and I knew that I had to make a change in my creative life, for better and for always. Otherwise I’d just be just another writer without an imagination. A mechanic.
Since then, I’ve made tremendous strides in my work:
I starting using Contour, the story development software, to build outlines for future screenplays, comic books and other epic adventures.
I published The Nametag Manifesto, which reads like utopian narrative, envisioning a future in which everyone wears nametags, everywhere, forever.
I began The Scottany Soundtrack, a podcast with my girlfriend, which chronicles our life adventures and serves as a playground for human ridiculousness.
Best yet, each of these projects has kicked open creative doors to other artistic worlds. Ones I never would have gotten in touch with had I not reconnected with the purest, craziest and most essential parts of my creative soul. From music to poetry to cooking to yoga, all areas of my life are richer because of this decision to have an imagination.
And although I probably won’t win a Nobel Prize, I will win a more meaningful, more colorful and more inspired life.
Sure beats being a mechanic.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… Are you afraid to have an imagination?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS…  For the list called, “19 Telltale Signs of the Perfect Job,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting [email protected] Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

All work is fundamentally human.
And when we identify the universal experience of what we do, master the deeper humanity behind our work and embed that spirit into the whole of our job, we truly have the greatest impact.
As a writer, publisher, performer and consultant, I’ve worked with hundreds of organizations worldwide, small and large, from lunch ladies to funeral directors to pharmacies to landscapers. And every time I spend a day or two at their offices, I learn something new about the humanity of work. I learn what these people really do.
Recruiters, headhunters and staffing professionals enable the explosion of human potential. Nurses, doctors and healthcare professionals give oxygen to people’s souls by allowing the dignity of self-definition. Company and organizational leaders connect the duty of today with the dream of tomorrow.

That’s what they really do.
Relocation specialists and moving companies unpack the contents of the human heart. Anti-virus software companies preserve the inalienable right of digital freedom. And insurance companies help people live their lives free from fear every day.
That’s what they really do.
Coffee shops create a familiar, daily refuge for people seeking an act of peace in a moment of chaos. House painters enable the expression of individual humanity. And professional networks and industry associations build a network of human healing.
That’s what they really do.
And that’s exactly why their customers, employees, patients, members, users and readers love them forever.
It’s the humanity embedded in their work.
Sell that, and it won’t matter how bad the economy is.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… What is the human side of your work?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS…  For the list called, “99 Questions Every Entrepreneur Should Ask,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting [email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

Having a history together isn’t reason enough to have a future together.
For two people to thrive, there has to be more than just pile of memories. We have to know, in our hearts, that there is a rightness to the relationship.
That’s a key word, rightness. I remember at friend’s wedding about three years back, the mother of the groom toasted to the “rightness” of the couple.
Sadly, I looked over at my date and saw nothing of the sort.
Plenty of history, not enough rightness.
Shortly thereafter, it ended. Abruptly. Hardest decision I’d made in years. But few years later, my dad told me something I’ll never forget
History yields to instinct, not the other way around.
It’s kind of like those public service announcements at the subway station, “If you see something, say something.”
Except this time it’s more serious.
I might change the wording to, “If you feel something – or in my case, if you feel nothing – say something.”
Otherwise you’re just winking in the dark.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…  Are you depending on history or instinct?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…  For the list called, “33 Ways to Approach Unhappy Customers,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting [email protected]
“After investing in your mentoring program, I’ve become centered on who I am and what I have to offer. Now, I am attracting clients I want to work with. Life is great and I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart.” —-Melanie Jatsek, Diet Busters
Rent Scott’s Brain today for 2 hours, 30 days or 3 months!

Passion is illusive.
For years we’ve been told that if we find it, follow it, channel it, leverage it and stay committed to it, then eventually, with a lot of hard work, we can profit from it.
How romantic.
I fell for that fairytale when I started my company nearly a decade ago. And while I’m still a believer in passion and the profitability thereof, unfortunately, because of the nature of passion, because of its white-hot burning fire in the deepest parts of our hearts, we quickly forget that passion isn’t without its own share of problems:
First, passion is not a substitute for reality. Without an intersection between our obsession and the marketplace need, we’re just passionately irrelevant. It’s the difference between making something useful and just making something.
Secondly, the thrill of our passion dissipates once it becomes a daily task. Sometimes what used to bring purpose, meaning and mattering to our lives slowly begins to cause stomach ulcers. To avoid this, our passion must be both scalable and sustainable.
Third, passion without purpose is pointless and leaves us penniless. Without a strong why, without a foundation that comes from our truest desires, our passion becomes a blazing fire that burns everyone we touch, including ourselves. Careful.
Fourth, passion isn’t the only activity that occupies our time. If we work a job doing what we love, we still have to deal with the menial, soul-sucking activities that have nothing to do with our passion. And if we don’t delegate those tasks, our passion becomes a chore.
Fifth, passion without commitment is just an expensive hobby. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Hobbies are essential to life. But if we want to turn a profit, if we want to make dent in the universe, we have to make the decision to play for keeps.
Not to rain on your passion parade or anything.
Because the good news is, every year, people around the globe make millions dollars doing exactly what they love. Passion is, was and will always be, a profitable enterprise.
And as long as we’re willing to confront the realities attached to making a living from our passion, there’s no reason we can’t be one of those people too.
We just have to make sure we’re not dreaming in the wrong direction.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… What is the paradox of your passion?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS…  For the list called, “27 Ways to Out the Competitors,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting [email protected] Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

Moving out is an emotionally charged experience.
Especially when our personal identity is tied to our physical environment.
As we box our things up, we box ourselves up too.
We let go of the version of ourselves we’ve outgrown. And we stop hanging onto certain things, lest they hang onto us.
But what’s weird is when we look back. When we take a break from schlepping furniture and taping boxes to reflect on all the stuff that used to define us, that used to matter so much. And we start asking ourselves questions:
Was that really who I was? Were these things actually important to me? Did I really need to own twenty pair of sandals, or did I allow the world to superimpose its own definition of what I needed to have and who I needed to be, and passively absorb it as my own belief system?
In the end, we keep old stuff around so we don’t have to confront the fact that we’re changing. So we don’t have to admit that we might have been wrong when we bought it in the first place. And so we don’t have to accept the fact that, with every move, we’re one step closer to the end of it all.
The good news is, when we let go of what we have, we get what we need.
Even if we’re not sure what that is yet.
If we could just free up enough space, we could grab it when it crosses our path.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… What are you afraid to box up?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS…  For the list called, “5 Creative Ways to Approach the Sale,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting [email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

The Bible is interesting.
It’s the most popular, most printed, most published, most purchased, most read, most recognized, most translated, most demanded, most donated, most circulated, most owned and most influential book in the world.
But it’s also the most stolen.
And yet, people rarely put up a fuss. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Every time another copy is stolen, the people who love the book the most never view it as a loss, but as a new opportunity to inspire someone’s life.
That’s how passionate they are about their message. They’d rather let people steal the very book that instructed them to be honest in the first place, than risk watching another soul go unreached. I even met a woman from a local congregation who said their church allows anyone who doesn’t own a Bible, to steal one.
Talk about turning the other cheek.
Maybe piracy is the most profitable thing that could ever happen to a brand.
Certainly worked for Christianity.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… Is your product worth stealing?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS…  For the list called, “8 Ways to Out Question Your Competitors,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting [email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

Everybody is somebody’s somebody.
It all depends on what we see when we see people.
When we sit down on a bus next to a complete stranger, we have a choice. We can take the easy way out, crack open a book, put in our ear buds and disappear into ourselves.
Or we can say hello. We can notice people. We can create an act of connection in a moment of silence.
It doesn’t work every time, but there are lot of times.
What’s neat is, once we have a chance encounter with a stranger that changes everything, we start to see strangers differently. Our posture changes. What we see when we see people isn’t what it used to be.
And that’s when the real fun begins.
Not because we see somebody as a mark, but because we view every interaction as a chance to change somebody’s world.
Maybe theirs, maybe ours, maybe both.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…  What do you see when you see people?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS…  For the list called, “79 Questions Every Manager Needs to Ask,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting [email protected]
“After investing in Scott’s mentoring program, I’ve become centered on who I am and what I have to offer. Now, I am attracting clients I want to work with. Life is great and I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart.” —-Melanie Jatsek, Diet Busters
Rent Scott’s Brain today for 2 hours, 30 days or 3 months!

The best way to have a good idea is to have a hundred bad ones.
It’s a painful process, especially if we’ve gotten accustomed to being good. But any seed to imagination, any ignition of pure creation, is not just healthy and safe, but practical and necessary.
First, it gives us perspective. It humbles our creative spirit. Second, bad ideas come in handy for other problems later. Nothing is ever wasted; every idea eventually finds a home. And finally, our process of experimentation helps create the elbow room for good ideas to emerge. All we have to do is listen.
In the decade I’ve worked as a freelancer, I’ve had thousands of bad ideas. Horrible ones. Bordering on embarrassing. Several of which were executed, poorly.
But out of that slush pile, I’ve also had maybe thirty or forty really, really good ideas. Ideas that spread, ideas that made money, ideas that made a difference. I believe there are no successes or failures, only the consequences of our experiments.
We can never lose that spirit. We owe it to our creative selves to set up a consequence free space for experimentation. A safe place where we can boldly fiddle our way to the truth.
Thanks to the web, the cost of doing so is approaching zero. We can run hundreds of experiments a day, if we want to.
But that’s the thing: We have to want to. It has to be important to us.
Otherwise, if we’re not trying things, every day, until we die, we’re not fully living.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… How many experiments did you run yesterday?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS…  For the list called, “11 Things to Stop Wasting Your Time On,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting [email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

Freedom means finding a home for all of our talents.
Not hiding our light under a bushel, not asking for permission to shine, not waiting to be picked, not waiting to be paid, and not hesitating to take our talents on the ride they deserve.
Instead, allowing our entire portfolio of talents – tiny, titanic and in between – to have a more prominent place in our lives, regardless if the world approves.
Nobody epitomizes this more than Keller Williams. At any of his hundred concerts each year, audiences drool as he plays an average of twenty instruments per show, they marvel as he takes live digital looping to new levels and they cheer as he sings hilarious lyrics to improvised songs.
His life, his career and his fans prove that talent isn’t just a gift, it’s an asset.
Our job, not just as artists but as humans, is to invest it as aggressively, creatively and prolifically as possible, and never to feel guilty about having it or ashamed about expressing it.
Whitman said we contain multitudes.
It would be ashamed to watch it go to waste.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… What are you doing with your talents?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS…  For the list called, “12 Ways to Out Service Your Competitors,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting [email protected] Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!