Category: Uncategorized

Its doing what we said we would do.

Its doing what we should do when no one’s watching.

Its being able to stand for something, yet being willing to recognize when we are wrong.

Our character is reliant on consistent behavior.

For if we continue to wear alot of different masks in our lives, one day, we will pull away the mask and realize we have become, not a man of value, but a faceless man.

What if we did what scares us? What if we did something like that every day for an entire year? How different would we be? Where would we be? How would our opinion on life change?

Often times it is the thing that scares us most that is the most important thing we need to do

How is it that someone we’ve never met can leave such a huge impact on us?

I have been pondering this a lot lately, especially with the news of Avicii’s (Tim Bergling’s) death, who was one of my favorite artists/DJs.

I never met him. He didn’t even know that I existed. Yet, I can look back on the past years and still recite exact moments with his music that had an impact on me.

Its the same way with Chester Bennington from Linkin Park. When I heard the news that he died, it felt like part of my childhood/teenage years died too.

I think it is what Avicii/Chester stood for. Their music was able to bring out something larger than themselves, something that millions of people could hold onto.

Something that could not only help us through the hard times, but also bring out the best us and others.

Avicii/Chester/everyone else like you,

You will be dearly missed, but not forgotten.

I think everyone initially has a bad taste in their mouth when they hear the word “sales.” The world seems to associate “salesmen” with door to door salesmen. With cold calling. With spam emailing. With the mentality of this “pushing” or “forceful” behavior. Almost like a parent forcefully shoving food down their kid’s throat in order for them to eat their vegetables. And even if we agree that kids should eat their vegetables, we know that this behavior by the parents is not acceptable. The airplane method always works better. So how can we create this shift of mentality with sales? How can salesmen help us recognize the benefits of their vegetables (products/services) without it seeming forced?

As someone marketing for a new company, trying to build an audience for the first time, I have been struggling with this. I have all these ideas, but I have no way of knowing what will work or what will not. What I should focus on and what I should disregard. There are days where I just say, “screw it, lets do it” and waste money on advertising that never yields any sales. Then there are other (the majority) days where I get stuck into the paralysis by analysis, ordering one more ebook, watching more more webinar, reading one more article…

Taking a step back, I can see both sides, for there needs to be a preperation and understanding of the material before dropping money, yet there needs to be action too. For the timing will never be perfect. I will never have everything just right. This ratio of “risk and going for it” vs “analysis and protection” is something that we all need to find for ourselves.

Attention is simply having listeners. People who hear what we are saying/advertising/announcing. It’s the way we communicate and spread our messages to the world.

There are two ways to do this.

The first way: We can spread our messages to people by shouting at the top of our lungs, holding signs in front of everyone we pass, tapping others on their shoulders. We can push our ideas, thoughts, products, services on everyone. They may hear us, see our signs, understand what we say…for we have gained their attention..but this will not convince them. They will not be won over to our cause.

The second way: We can spread our messages by listening to what others say, asking them questions, and providing value to help them accomplish their goals, dreams, aspirations. Then, when we speak, even if its just a whisper, they will hear us, see our signs, understand what we say…for we have gained their attention…and they will trust us. For they know we will have their best interest in mind.

One of my recent projects for the past 2 months has been creating an E-commerce store, Crazy Men’s Dress Socks. (www.crazymensdresssocks.com) I started this project to learn more about all aspects of business, from Finance to Marketing, and how they all connect together.

Some of my biggest takeaways so far:

– Starting a business is essentially solving a million problems, one after the other (or several at once!)

– In a world that is changing so quickly, the biggest risk is not taking any

– Bottom line for companies: Nothing happens until something is sold. If you cannot sell your product or services, you cannot continue to run your business

I can’t stop thinking about it. I wish I could go back. I would do things so much differently. It would be better. I would know what to say. When to say it. Know what things to avoid. What to do more of. Less of. What to keep on going. I would know what mattered. What things, in the overall picture, did not matter.

I could do all of it so much better. I could change the past to improve my future.

By the past, I mean 10 years ago. I mean when I was born. I mean a 1 year ago. I mean highschool. I mean college. In every year of my life, every month, every day, there has always been a second of, “Man, I wish I could take that back,” “I wish this was different,” “I wish this worked out.”

But I can’t change it. None of it. It will forever be with me. All my faults, actions, and inactions.

So? Where do I go from here?

Maybe the C-F students got it right. (Well, probably not F students) As an A student my entire life, with over a 4.0 GPA in high school and a 3.74 in college, I have been thinking about this topic a lot lately. How much have I really learned? So what, I put a couple extra hours in studying for tests. I did the work, and that gave me the ability to gain scholarships and be more “eligible” in the job application process. At the end of the day though, I think the bottom line is: Did I learn more? This is a difficult question, for its hard to compare yourself to others. So I guess the better question would be: If I went the “route” of a C-D student, would I have learned more than my current path? The answer: Yes and No. If I was not driven and did not pursue my passions, then the answer would be no. But if I did puruse them, then I think the answer would be a hell yes. My main reason for this: Specialization. School is similar to a kid training for sports. The average high schooler is taking 6-7 classes a day, in all different subjects. In college you pick a major to focus on, yet you still have all these “core classes” that you are mandated to take. This is like telling a pro athelete to train for 6-7 different sports, when in reality, all that matters is that they hone their particular skills in one. Do you think anyone cares if Jonathan Toews can throw a baseball?