Entrepreneurs relish the romantic notion of having no boundaries, no obligations, no expectations, no responsibilities, no schedule to keep, no time constraints, no place to be, no one to answer to and no one breathing down their neck.
That’s why we hired ourselves in the first place. So we could do whatever we want.
The flip side is, too much freedom is a dangerous thing.
First, it means too many choices, so indecision paralyzes us. And we end up producing less because we’re pulled in too many directions.
Second, it means too much flexibility, so it’s easier to procrastinate and harder to motivate. And we get bored because work expands to fill the time given to complete it.
Third, it means too much time, so we feel unfulfilled. And depression kicks in because having nothing to constantly work on destroys our mood.
Fourth, it means too much reflection, so we default to negative thinking. And the tendency to sit around feeling sorry for ourselves is hard to ignore.
Fifth, it means too much space, so we lack direction and purpose in our work. And we end up sitting in a coffee shop in the middle of the day wondering what we should do next.
Sixth, it means too much complacency, so we don’t stay hungry. And our work ethic declines because there’s nobody to notice if we don’t execute.
Seventh, it means too much time in our own heads, so we lose perspective. And we end up standing on a whale, fishing for minnows, because we’re too close to ourselves.
Alan Fletcher once said the first move in any creative process is to introduce constraints.
Maybe we don’t need as much freedom as we thought.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How can you get more done in more time?

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

Scott has written and published over 1,000,000 words.

But did you know that you could commission Scott to write custom content for your publication, newsletter or blog?

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Too often, mediocrity rises to the top.
I watch marginally talented people get fame they didn’t deserve, land gigs they didn’t earn, make money they didn’t work for and achieve success they didn’t sweat for.
Meanwhile, I’m hustling my ass off, doing legitimately great work, work that actually improves humanity’s future, and the marketplace yawns at my efforts while greatness passes the world by like a fart in the wind.
Why, why, why does this happen?
I asked Sarah Robinson to weigh in. She had a few ideas.

One, because mediocrity is safe. It preserves the status quo. And it prevents people from taking risks that scare them. Two, because mediocrity is relatable. It’s something people see their reflection in. And it makes it easier to justify their sub par performance. Three, because mediocrity is a boost. It’s something to elevate the ego. And it makes people feel better about themselves instead of confronting their own inadequacies. Can we blame the top for loving it?

Lately, I’ve been (trying) to respond to mediocrity with maturity.

Instead of lowering myself to playing a smaller game, I work harder. Instead of settling for the cash grab, I keep purpose at the forefront. Instead of resenting my own excellence, I take pride in getting better. Instead of allowing frustration to derail productivity and focus, I use mediocrity as a glowing source of inspiration. And instead of getting angry every time I see someone on television who wouldn’t know love if it sat on their face, I fuel that frustration into my work and keep creating.
My hope is, trusting that process will pay off.
Eventually.

Even though the twelve year old inside me secretly wants to scream. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS… What’s your response to mediocrity?
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* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting [email protected]
Yes, I do more than just wear a nametag all day. My enterprise is actually quite robust. I add value to my clients in several cool ways.
Explore the myriad ways you, your people and your organization can leverage my talents.

In baseball, just over a hundred players hit a homerun on their first at bat.
Makes sense. That’s a lot of pressure without a lot of experience.
Most players are lucky enough to eek out single, barely get on first, maybe steal a base or two; then, with smart running, a solid lineup and little luck – score – then hustle back to the dugout in the hopes of having another at bat later in the game.
Artists and entrepreneurs work the same. We publish our first book, put on our first show, launch our first website, and we don’t expect fireworks. We’re just grateful for the chance to play. And we’re hopeful that we might score enough to get into the game and prove to the world (and to ourselves) that we’re capable.
That way, we can start building a history that keeps our average up.
Still, every once in a while, a player comes along that doesn’t just knock one out of the park – he knocks the cover off the ball.
Like Robert Redford in The Natural, he takes a swing and takes the world by surprise.
And we’re never the same again.
When this happens, when we’re privileged enough to witness somebody’s homerun, it’s our responsibility to show them the replay. It’s our responsibility to grab them by the lapel and reveal what they can’t see for themselves. And it’s our responsibility to tell them what they’ve done, why it matters, and why they need to keep swinging, every day, forever, until it’s all over.
We need to be a stand for these people’s greatness.
Because without that brand of encouragement (which costs nothing, by the way) some people may never realize how bloody brilliant they really are.
Going. Going. Gone.

LET ME ASK YA THIS… What have you declined this week?
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]
My job is to help companies make their mission more than a statement, using limited edition social artifacts.
Want to download your free workbook for The Brandtag Strategic Planning Crusade?
Meet Scott’s client from Nestle Purina at www.brandtag.org!

Every time I read an article about someone in my field doing something amazing, my heart always ends up in conflict with itself.
The fundamentally affirmative part of me encourages people’s success to inspire my own productivity:
Good for you. Right on, man. I am genuinely delighted for your success, thrilled by your accomplishments and fueled by your energy. In fact, I’m going to use your life as a glowing source of inspiration for my own. Because if you can do it, I can do it too. This is awesome. Where’s my notebook?
Meanwhile, the resentful part of me downgrades people’s accomplishments to justify their level of success:
You son of a bitch. You’re not as talented as I am. You don’t work as hard as I do. You haven’t been around as long as I have. You don’t deserve it as much as I do. You can’t do it as well as I can. You don’t even want it as badly as I do. What about me? When is it going to be my time? This is bullshit. Where’s my gun?”
Ah, the joys of being human.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… How do you respond to other people’s success?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS… For the list called, “134 Questions Every Salesperson 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]
My job is to help companies make their mission more than a statement, using limited edition social artifacts.
Want to download your free workbook for The Brandtag Strategic Planning Crusade?
Meet Scott’s client from Nestle Purina at www.brandtag.org!

The hard part about hiring yourself is, every paycheck is different.
Some are big, some are small, and in lean times, some are not existent.
But we asked for this. It’s all part of the job description. The minute we go out on our own, we forego financial stability. We trade in consistent and predictable compensation for the freedom to follow our dreams without looking over our shoulder.
And in return, we have to get good at coping with and thriving in that environment.
First, by strategically building a support system of colleagues who know what it’s like to not know where the money is coming from. These people are especially helpful when you’re trying to change the world and pay the mortgage at the same time. Eek.
Second, by constantly sweeping our radars for passive income and savings opportunities. These diversification options are abundant and practical, and with a little research, can be the difference between a real career and an expensive hobby. Phew.
Third, by carefully monitoring and documenting our spending habits. These rituals keep make us as moneysmart as possible, reminding us that we all have to wear the accountant hat, no matter how creative we are. Dang it.
Fourth, by honestly appraising our professional history. This reflection fuels our instinct for the future and enables us to make smarter, faster and better decisions, and not make the same mistakes twice. Thank god.
Personally, this is my least favorite part of the job.
I’m not a manager. I’m not a businessperson. I’m an artist. I just want to make stuff.
But I’m also a realist. And I know that if I want to underwrite my addictions and support my lifestyle, I don’t have much of a choice.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What is the cost of following your dreams?

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

Scott has written and published over 1,000,000 words.

But did you know that you could commission Scott to write custom content for your publication, newsletter or blog?

View a sample of Scott’s commissioned work with American Express.

Creativity isn’t hard.
It’s simply a matter finding the best path for us.
We can ingest substances that lower our inhibitions, enhance our creative flair and broaden our minds.
We can surround ourselves with creative, why-not-people whose artistic energies echo into our world.
We can expose ourselves to inspiring materials that disturb us to the point that we have no choice but to start creating something of our own.
We can displace ourselves physically to break traditional patterns and heighten our awareness to our surroundings.
We can build a stimulating environment that activates, taps into and heightens our sensory experience.
We can inhale everything we encounter as mental omnivores, building a bottomless reservoir of diverse ideas to fuel our artistic endeavors.
We can practice the art of solitude, isolating ourselves from the distractions of the world to better hear the voice of our hearts.
We can play the numbers, commit to laying a certain amount of creative track each day and build value through volume.
The point is, every path works. But the most successful artists, innovators and entrepreneurs are the ones who diversify their creative approaches, the ones who work from a combination of as many paths as possible.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Which creative paths will you choose?

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

How boring is your company’s online training?

For dozens of free video learning modules on sales, frontline service, entrepreneurship and marketing, spend a few minutes or a few hours growing your brain and growing your wallet.

Tune in to www.nametagTV.com!

There are a thousand ways to kill a startup.
Bad locations, unprofitable niches, sloppy execution, unremarkable products, inflexible owners, poor hiring decisions, bad timing, broken business models, the passion paradox, lack of financing, lack of market traction, premature scaling, poor investor management, fights between founders, uncontrollable growth, just to name a few.
No wonder half of them die before their fifth birthday.
But we can’t overlook the silent killer. The granddaddy of them all. The one issue that, if addressed in the beginning stages of building, might actually wipe out a lot of the other causes of death.
Knowing who you are.
When you know who you are, every moment isn’t a moral challenge, it’s just a checklist. Decisions are easier, postures are sturdier, interactions are warmer, relationships are healthier, risks are smarter, transitions are smoother, failures are faster and commitments are stronger.
In short, your mission becomes more than a statement.
Two years ago, I started helping companies solve that problem.
Through my strategic planning crusade – not just a process, but a crusade – we take a company and figure out who they are, what they change and why they matter. We uncover internal legends that reflect their brand’s human purpose. And we hang limited edition art pieces as the social artifacts from that process to remind people of that purpose, every day.
Now, the company brings their values to the forefront. Now, their philosophy oozes with personality and emotion. Now, they can’t forget who they are.
It’s not a nametag – it’s a brandtag.
It’s the future of human marketing, company culture and brand interaction.
And considering the fact that fourteen hundred startups have already launched since I started writing this blog post, I’m beginning to wonder what would be different in the world if more companies knew who they were.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How will you make your mission more than a statement?

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For the list called, “38 Ways to Make Customers Gasp,” 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]
HELLO, my name is Host!
Did you know you could hire Scott as your emcee, mobile host, roving reporter or on camera talent for your organization’s next event?
Watch sample footage of his hosting work here!

The other day my client from Disney Destinations remarked, “I can’t believe there’s only one of you!”
Technically, he’s right. As a freelancer, my enterprise solely consists of me, slogging it out, every day, until the work is done. But that doesn’t mean the work goes unassisted. When you hire yourself, you build a portable sales force. People and resources to help to make it rain when you’re not around.
Here’s an overview of mine:
There’s my clients, whose condition I try to improve every time we work together. That way, they won’t keep me a secret. There’s my audience, whom I try to inspire every time they consume my work. That way, they’ll come back again and again. There’s my suppliers, whom I try to be easy to interact with every time we do a new project together. That way, they won’t shy away from showcasing me in their portfolios. There’s my content, which I publish every day with substantial volume, value, velocity and vitality. That way, my daily gifts to the world contribute to an ongoing body of work.
There’s my competitors, whom I try to speak respectfully of every time we’re up against each other. That way, they won’t mind referring me if they don’t fit the bill. There’s my colleagues, whom I try to share resources with every time we’re brainstorming together. That way, they won’t hesitate to extend same generosity when I ask for help. There’s my editors, whom I try to make look like heroes every time they run my stuff. That way, they wont forget about me for future issues. There’s my collaborators, whom I try to be accountable to every time we work together. That way, they won’t leave out my name when others are searching for partners.
This is my portable sales force. It’s engine of my enterprise, the secret of my success and the reason I rarely make cold calls.
Thank god.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… What’s your portable sales force?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS… For the list called, “22 Unexpected Ways to Help People,” 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]
My job is to help companies make their mission more than a statement, using limited edition social artifacts.
Want to download your free workbook for The Brandtag Strategic Planning Crusade?
Meet Scott’s client from Nestle Purina at www.brandtag.org!

 [ Email me, buy prints, inspire the office! ]  The purpose of online is to get offline.
Every time we email, tweet, retweet, direct message, instant message, write somebody’s walls, upload pictures, publish videos, post reviews, chime in on message boards, write blog posts, leave comments, press like buttons and share links, our goal is to get one one step closer to interacting with other human beings, face to face, in person.

The proof is everywhere.
In the political realm, we’ve watched oppressive governments crumble, horrifying laws disappear and war criminals meet their demise.
In the music realm, we’ve watched performers leverage digital media to create live events that bring joy to change the lives of fans forever.
In the movie realm, we’ve watched online microfinancing enable the dreams of a generation of hopeful filmmakers, whose ideas finally have a chance to make a difference.
In the business realm, we’ve watched entrepreneurs use the power of mobile technology to hire themselves, do work that matters and deliver value to their people.
All thanks to the bold people who used online to get offline.
It’s not the future, it’s the present.
And if we never endeavor to communicate beyond digital, if we never connect to each other by more than just pixels, we fail to experience the truest, highest form of human interaction.
Online is the journey, offline is the destination.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… What have you done offline today?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS… If this blog post resonated, perhaps you’d like a souvenir as a reminder. To buy a print of my “nametaglines” photo for your office wall, send an email to me, and you’ll have it in a week!

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

Scott has written and published over 1,000,000 words.

But did you know that you could commission Scott to write custom content for your publication, newsletter or blog?

View a sample of Scott’s commissioned work with American Express.

For a long time, I insulated myself from stuckness.
I executed, day in and day out, without the slightest hint of resistance, without the mere possibility of shooting blanks. I was on a never ending creative tear, rarely coming up for air, rarely questioning whether the volume of work was dangerously high.
And it paid off. I impressed people, made good money and built an artistic identity predicated on unmanageable productivity.
But eventually, I hit a point of diminishing returns. Even though I was pumping out piles of work, much of which was great stuff, I was still skimming off the top instead of mining from the bottom. It was execution without elevation.
I was terminally productive. Borderline inhuman. The work was too easy and the art came too quickly, because I wasn’t operating close enough to my edge. And the art wasn’t as strong as it could have been.
Until this past year, when I began experiencing more moments of stuckness, more battles with resistance, than ever before. Almost on a weekly basis, I found myself facing a blank page with nothing to say, and no desire to say it. I found myself not wanting to get out of bed to go face the world. And since my identity was so wrapped up in that never happening to me, the stuckness shredded me to ribbons.
Anxiety attacks, rampant cynicism, thoughts about quitting, even full on waves of depression, I hated it and I hated myself.
And it was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Turns out, getting stuck is a beautiful, healthy and necessary part of the creative process.
First, it’s an indication of accuracy. It means we’re on the right track. Resistance, after all, is most ferocious when we’re doing work that’s most vital to our soul’s evolution. If we never feel it, something’s wrong.
Second, it’s an indication of progress. When we treat our stuckness as a gateway to deeper, bloodier layers of creative expression, the ones we never could have reached when everything was gravy, our work becomes truer and better than ever before.
Third, it’s an indication of humanity. We can only scrub our lives clean of heartbreak for so long. Eventually, we’ve got to do some time. Every princess gets locked in a tower for a little while. And when it happens, gratitude is the only response.

Now that I know these things, I can’t wait to get stuck again. It means I’m finally making progress.
And those moments of total numbness, when I seem to have lost my excitement for the world, I remember that the heaviest burden is having nothing to carry.
And I give thanks.
It’s about time nothing happened.
LET ME ASK YA THIS… Are you afraid to get stuck?
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* * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting [email protected]
Do you need an expert who tells you what to do, or a mentor who lets you tell yourself what to do?

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