Strategic naivete can be a creative advantage. If you don’t know anything about a subject it’s a heck of a lot easier to come up with ideas to contribute on the topic. Ignorance makes it easier to make things up. People hear the word “ignorant” and think it’s an insult. Ironically, that’s an ignorant response […]
You’ve heard phrases like “strong as an ox”, “slept like a log”, and “cool as a cucumber” all your life. What you may not remember from your school days is that these wonderfully descriptive phrases are called similes. A simile is figure of speech that uses the words “like” or “as” to make a direct […]
When you’re working on an important (but long-term) project, you can get a little stir crazy when you’re feeling shackled to the never-ending assignment. Internally you know that when you complete the project everything will have been worthwhile, but the trip to the end just seems to go on and on and on and on… […]
The next time you’re working on a serious project and you’re not sure where to begin in order to make it happen, start out by asking yourself “how can I have the most fun while I’m working on this project?” I don’t think most people have fun making the big projects happen in their lives […]
You could wait for approval, funding, experience, permission, buy-in, blessings, team members, diploma, domain name, logo, website, business cards, new clothes, new car, or a haircut — or you could go ahead without it. Seth Godin calls it “waiting to be picked”. It’s when you’re waiting to be chosen by somebody you perceive to be […]
Mark Twain is purported to have said that anyone who was only able to spell a word one way lacked imagination. I kinda feel the same way about about people who can only think of one way to do… anything. I think that if a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing creatively. Whatever your […]
Not every answer to a question needs to be an off-the-cuff quick quip of an answer. When you need time to formulate a cool-headed and considered response — simply pause. Inserting a few seconds of silence prior to answering a question actually causes the listener to perk up their ears and tune into what you’re […]