FROM 'HAVES' TO 'DOS'

To HAVE things used to be the thing to do. HAVE lots of books. HAVE a great record collection. HAVE lots of cars and houses, if you can afford it.

But technology is turning it from those who HAVE into those who DO!

We DO google withing HAVING books. We DO spotify without HAVING records. We DO Uber without HAVING a car. We are constantly DOING more while HAVING LESS.

And while it sometimes makes me sad to look at my books and realize they're fast becoming relics, I enjoy walking through the airport without the heavy book bag.

Walmart became an icon by building supply chains that allow us to HAVE so much for so little money.

And the future is being build by those who allow us to DO so much without needing to HAVE any of it at all.

EATING THE HOOK

The concept of the hook has moved far beyond the music business. Originally used as a tool to build hit radio songs the hook is now ubiquitous. Bloggers, politicians, and business owners are constantly looking to reel in new readers, voters and buyers.

And now Facebook has gotten us all crafting the hook. How can we get more followers? More users. More attention!

With so many hooks being thrown out there, it's getting hard to even wade through my email without getting snagged.

Many people view the hook as a way to ensare attention, to grab a person's time. Is the hook a way to manipulate or trick people. Maybe for some writers it is.

But when I find a good hook, I still can't stop taking a bite. I remember the first time I heard Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky'. The hook just wouldn't stop. I kept listening. And I'm still listening, and I just can't stop grooving along. The smile won't stop. And as I shimmy across the kitchen floor, I'm reminded how lucky I am to have such an amazing wife. To have kids who love to dance and are willing to do it with me.

That simple hook has drawn me into great times. I love the childish lyrics combined with the complex bass and guitar rythms. I listen over and over... dancing every time.

So yes, I could agree. It might be easy to argue the world has too many hooks these days. Our inboxes overflow with them. Yet, when a hook really works, there's magic.

So when you find a really good hook, no need to fear. Just take a bite. If it's sour, you can dump it quick. But when it works... eating the hook just might be the first step of a long and fantastic dance.

They Choose you

When presented with too many options, it's easy to avoid change. A fork in the road is easy when choosing between two paths. But if that path suddenly branches in 5 different directions, you stop. You check the map. You might even pause for a rest when you'd prefer making progress.

Your customers prefer progress too. So when helping them choose you, keep it simple. Make sure every marketing piece offers just one decision and make it between two options. They either return your email or they don't. It's their choice.

You have the power to give them that choice, to make it easy. They'll love you for putting them in control. The more they love you, the more they choose you.

WHAT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE

It's hard to imagine a musical name more famous than Johann Sebastian Bach. Sure, The Beatles had a really good run. Elvis gained some major recognition. But they'll have to stay famous another 300 years just to catch up.

In bach's time, Counterpoint was the popular musical style. Counterpoint is the process of running 2 or more melodies thru the same song simultaneously. The concept is simple. The execution is incredibly difficult.

Running 3 or 4 melodies thru a single song at the same time is a great way to sound like a train wreck. As a result, a huge series of rules grew up around counterpoint. The rules helped composers guide these multiple melodies thru their songs without those pesky train wrecks.

Then Bach comes along. He learns the rules. He masters them all. Then he begins to knock them down, one after the other. He topples so many rules, the entire landscape of his songs are changed, and in the process he creates something sublime.

But before knocking down any rule, he first understands the need of each melody, the talent of each note. He understands the entire organization of the piece and each note's role.

I know you've already heard of the power of rule breakers. Likely we've all broken a few rules. And this can be a good thing. It shows you have power to understand the bigger picture.

And you keep practicing and working to understand every rule, its place and its purpose. For you know the true genius doesn't knock down a rule just to see what happens. Your true genius emerges when you knock over the rules, already knowing what's on the other side.

Why We Accomplish

You've heard the phrase 'Time Crunch' a thousand times. It's a ubiquitous cliche, but one that makes sense. For anyone who's ever over-scheduled, Time doesn't wait. It rolls right over you.

Because Time is inflexible. It doesn't stop for traffic jams or doctor appointments. Time simply marches. Onward. Plodding and mindless.

But we are geniuses. We have the power of choice. And our options are legion, running, sleeping, dashing, walking...

Time cannot react or adapt. We can. And that's why we humans accomplish so much.

INSPIRE VS EFFORT

Your clock is shaped like a circle for a reason. Time keeps going around us. It's a lot like a track and field event.

But no matter what we do, one cannot race around the track any faster or slower than the rest of us. We all move through this race at the same pace. The difference is in how many events get completed while inside that circle.

One solution is to do more. The harder I work, the more events I complete. The more I complete, the better I compete.

Another option is to get help. Build a team. Divvy up the effort. While you tackle hurdles, Sally can do the long jump while Jim can attack the pole vault. This is the power of Inspire.

We're all racing around the clock, locked into the same pace. So what gets done inside that single trip around the track is less about how fast you can pump your legs and more about the team you can inspire to help.

Beware the Right Answer

Storytellers don't see truth. They see possibility. They don't tell us who we are. They show us what we might become.

When the reader picks up a novel, they find a new world, almost perfect in it's clarity. But the author had to step through many possibilities to find the story. Through the act of writing, they use words to nail their story to the page, where we can find it clear and simple.

This ability to "see" multiple possibilities is the key to creativity. It's also maddening to a board of directors who wants the "right answer" right now.

But there is no right answer. Resist the urge to find it. Creativity is not about being right. It's about being good. Because the world does not present solutions. It presents options. Some are good, and some not so good.

Your life is novel. You're telling the greatest of stories. Just keep stepping forward. Keep it good. And as you do, you help us find our own sense of clarity, not by telling us who we are, but by showing us what we might become.

DESPERATION SMELLS FUNNY

There's something scary about a starving dog.

I'm so often out with the kids. Riding bikes. Playing in the park. Throwing rocks in the creek, whatever. It's not the activity, it's the look on their faces keeps me going.

Dogs are common here. I rarely worry. My kids love dogs. The neighborhood is nice. A healthy, wagging tail is simply inviting. We stop to pet.

But I can't forget the time a starving dog wandered into the park. So scrawny and scared. Its pain and desperation were palpable. Without thought I grabbed my kids, pushed them to the top of the slide and ran the dog off.

I wish I'd had more compassion. Wish I'd had a steak. But to be honest, I wasn't thinking. Instinct took over. The dog had that air of desperation I couldn't ignore. Fear grabbed. Trust fled. I reacted quickly and without thought.

Desperation smells funny. There's just something visceral about it that drives help away. You see it in business, especially the music business, all the time. The more desperate a singer becomes, the fewer calls they get. It's like a magnetic personality set on reverse.

We all face lean times. Even big businesses like Abercrombie & Fitch or JC Penney can hit very tough times. Yet they still have so much to be thankful for, and this appreciation for the little they do have keeps investors, employees and even a few customers willing to help.

Luckily, you are too big for desperation. Even in the toughest times, you have friends. You have food. You have a roof. You have amazing powers of creativity and invention. Even in your darkest hours, you have incessant hope.

It's easy to feel desperate in the middle of that big sales call or important negotiation. After all, you only get one meeting with Sony Records. You feel like everything's riding on this moment. But it's not. you have so much more.

Take a moment. Be thankful for what you do have. However small, it's yours forever. With the smallest moment of thankfulness, you'll not only crush your own feelings of desperation but just might find the strength to help someone else crush theirs.

Tonight I think I'll leave a couple pork chops in the park... just in case.

How your Superpowers Unfold

Many say we're in a new idea economy. Perhaps that's partially true. Idea exchanges like twitter, facebook and youtube are hugely valuable. And yet, building ideas for profit is difficult.

Because ideas are everywhere. The exchanges are flooded with tens of thousands of new ideas every hour. My news feeds are practically bursting at the seams. And they're all more or less worthless. I don't even have time to read through them all, much less implement any.

These ideas are closer to entertainment than enlightenment.

But having the right idea at the right time? To push that idea into a business model, and use it to help your customers build their own dreams. Now that's priceless!

So avoid the exchanges. 10,000 new ideas will not help you. Your true genius emerges when you work to help yourself and those around you. So hold your problems tight. Do not run from them. You were born with incredible powers of deduction. The longer you sit with a problem, the more ideas you'll find yourself working through. New ideas. Creative ideas. Ideas that are focused on finding the best possible specific solution to your problem.

And when you use problems to craft ideas, this is how you find the right idea at the right time. This is how your creativity will triumph. This is how your superpowers unfold.

FOLLOW THE PIE

How do you judge the trustworthiness of a new associate or organization? When a deal looks perfect, sometimes it is. Sometimes it's mirage.

You listen to their words. You judge the body language. You've got good gut instincts and know how to trust 'em.

And sometimes, even the best rapport experts out there come across someone they just can't read. There are those so incredbly good at saying the right thing.

So you follow the pie. Observing their slice of the American dream, you ask:

#1 - Where's their pie come from? Is it growing? Is it secure? If they've got plenty and things are looking up, you're likely to find them happy to see you get yours too.

But when you meet a company running on almost empty plates, you know to beware. And be glad because there's wisdom, knowledge, and incredible ability inside, ready to help you listen with care and think it clear.

Catching the Wave

A surfer cannot demand a wave. They must wait. They watch. They feel it in their guts and know to start paddling just before the swell arrives.

You've got to paddle like mad to catch that wave. Once you do you get to stop paddling. You jump. You balance. You sail toward shore, smiling all the way.

But if you miss that wave, even by a few inches, it's impossible to catch up. You're left behind, paddling for all you're worth.

Everything in life tends to come in waves. Civil engineers had to redesign highways after realizing traffic usually clumps into waves. We see waves in an S&P 500 ticker. Restaurants prepare for the lunch wave and dinner wave. You'll even hear salespeople talk about 'the wave'. Closing a big deal suddenly makes it easier to call the next open account, with balance and confidence, perpetuating the wave.

Success is rarely deteremined by how fast you paddle. It's more often about catching the right wave, and having the skill to ride it.

Luckily, you have skills. You have the energy. You know the power of staying alert and patient as you wait for the perfect wave.

4 STEPS 2 A BIGGER HIT!

Corporate culture. It always starts with an idea. Then you promote the idea into the biggest possible hit. Corporations buy advertising. Musicians pay to play the hottest clubs. Businesses give free samples. You use culture to engage the team, to keep them excited and involved.

Obviously, inspired people are more effective than the coerced. So use your vision and build a culture that inspires their best!

You have goals and ideas and you're willing to make the push to build a hit. But these are huge investments, and mistakes are expensive.

So step back for a minute. The easiest time to fix mistakes is before you make them. So you need to plan before you push. This is why the entertainment industry puts such a big emphasis on 'Pre-Production'. You want to get it right. By forcing the tough questions up front, you get to hash out most of the problems before hiring trainers, coaches, branding experts, and more.  All of which can save you a mountain of money!

Here are the 4 questions a good producer always wants to know before creating a vision for his masterpiece. You'll want to identify these same components before crafting your own incredible vision:

#1 - WHO'S YOUR INTENDED AUDIENCE: who are you building this piece for (customers, employees, sub-contractors, share-holders...? All of the above?)

#2 - WHERE'S THE HOOK: What's gonna make 'em want to pay attention?

#3 - WHAT'S THE TAKEAWAY: What lessons, ideas, or emotions do you want to offer and share?

#4 - HOW WILL YOUR AUDIENCE CHANGE: What behaviors, actions or thoughts will your audience choose to do differently after understanding your vision?

Every Billboard Hit, every Summer blockbuster, and every successful promotion starts with these questions. But when they skip pre-production, it's like starting construction with no foundation. It's possible to make something beautiful, but it can only manage to function with a great deal of luck. Take time for your own pre-production. Ask the tough questions up front and find the right answers later.

Since you already have a great idea, your vision has the potential to be powerful. You don't need luck. You have work ethic. So take your time. Hash out these questions and answers. Make the Takeaways plain and convincing. Help us to understand you, your ideas and how we benefit. When you take this time up front, you do us such a great favor. The world is filled with confusion. Thank you for making your own vision clear, succinct and valuable to us all.

BE YOUR GUIDE

There's no pressure here. If you have words, throw them on the page. If you don't, stay silent. Either way, you're golden.

Problems only arise when people aren't sure what to say but still keep on writing.

You have something valuable and amazing to share. You know when it's ready. No need to rush it. You also deserve quiet and solitude. And the best ideas tend to happen when you aren't even trying, so take a moment. Kick back, and let yourself be your guide.