A simple idea about favors.

One of the currencies that drives social media is the currency of favors.

Someone retweeting you is a favor.

Someone commenting on your blog post is a favor.

Someone recommending your book is a favor.

There are a thousand ways to do favors for people online. Here’s something simple I’ve learned about them over the years.

When someone asks me for a favor and I say no, if they shame me for my response then they’ve confirmed no was the right thing to say.

Never respond to a no with shame. You lose the favor, but more importantly, you lose the relationship. If you had a contract with someone that’s different. You should honor contracts. But if someone tells you no, respond with graciousness and leave room for them to possibly tell you yes in the future.

 

The Rejection Letter U2 Got.

Afraid of being rejected?

Afraid someone who matters, will tell you that your dream doesn’t?

Afraid people won’t like whatever it is you like to create?

Welcome to the club.

Here’s the rejection letter Bono and U2 got in 1979.

Bono

The simple truth is that anything great always comes with great rejection.

You don’t get to be awesome without receiving awesome amounts of rejection.

The only books without 1 star reviews are the ones that were never finished.

Did you get rejected? Good, you just joined a prestigious club that includes Bono, me, and everyone else who ever did anything fun.

Long live rejection and the people who don’t stop in the face of it!

How to crowdfund (and win.)

(This is a guest post from my friend Taylor Gahm. He has worked on and studied thousands of crowdfunding campaigns. Most fail, here’s a few thoughts on why yours might not.)

Crowdfunding is a great way to raise funds for your next project, idea, start up, charity, or cause. But despite what many think, crowdfunding is not found money.

I can’t tell you how many of my clients think millions of people wake up everyday and comb through IndieGoGo or Kickstarter looking for campaigns they can donate to while sipping their morning coffee.

[Read more...]

The right words change everything.

Pepsi once did a funny Halloween ad. In the picture, a Pepsi can dresses up as a Coke can to scare people. The headline was, “We wish you a scary Halloween!”

Pepsi

That’s not a bad idea, but Coke got the last word. In a classic example of why the right words change everything, Coke tweaked the headline. Their version of the headline said, “Everybody wants to be a hero!”

Coke

A photo might be worth a thousand words, but sometimes 6 words is worth a million.

Something I hung in my office.

I keep this poster, from FAKE GRIMLOCK, on the back of my office door. I look at it every morning when I finish writing and have to head out into a world of competition, hustle and hope.

The stakes are high when you chase a dream. Friends and family members will wonder why you are doing what you are doing.

Haters will throw rocks, not jus questions.

And your answer for what you’re about to do with your day can be this simple.

Why am I chasing a dream?

Because awesome.

Processed with VSCOcam with m3 preset

Next time you make a mistake, remember this.

You are going to make a mistake. Regardless of the particular dream you are chasing, there is going to be some mishap. There will be a typo on a blog, an order sent to the wrong address, a meeting missed.

And you will feel like the only one who makes mistakes.

You are not. In fact, here’s one from the front page of the Huffington Post. They have a bajillionty readers and editors who ensure they have very few mistakes. But they still have them.

Check out the headline below. Wow, 31 out of 49 people got taken out in a race. That means that only 18 people finished the race. Or does it? Read the first paragraph, it says the exact opposite of the headline. Turns out 31 people finished the race, which is the complete reverse of “taken out.”

They made a mistake. So will you. That’s OK. Make em’ and move on.

Mistake