Marketing Lessons from the Switch Witch
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The switch witch is the newest Halloween tradition. She also exemplifies a great lesson about business development. See how.
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Dragons, Fire & Miracles
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Context is everything. The attitude and underlying beliefs with which we approach projects or circumstances determine the outcome far more than any specific words we say or actions we take. When we put on green glasses, the world looks green. Red glasses turn it red. Whether you succeed in your business development efforts (or any other goals you may have) will depend largely on the lens through which you are viewing the situation. Consider this example. The other day, I was talking with a client about her business development plan, and she was terribly uninspired. Sometimes, we can focus on the activities that inspire us, but sometimes we just need to buckle down and take the actions that we would normally avoid like the plague. In this particular case,
Read MoreTurkish Riot, Humor & Business Development
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Turkish Riot is an online video game in which the goal is to send as many tweets as possible before the police beat you up. It was created last summer, presumably as a lark, to mock the role of police violence in the Gezi political protests in Turkey. I’m not usually a fan of video games, but as someone living in the middle of Istanbul at the time, I thought it was hysterically funny. I’ve never made it past 17 tweets. Maybe you will do better. You can try it here:
Tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets and political intimidation take their toll on everyone, but the Gezi protesters did an amazing job of using humor to stay energized and motivated.
Read MoreA Surprisingly Useful New Year's Activity
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Last year on New Years I sat down with a few friends, a stack of magazines, glue sticks and a big piece of cardboard and created a vision of what I wanted in my life for 2010. The interesting thing about vision boards is that they provide access to beliefs, ideas, or desires that you may not otherwise be aware of. Last year at this time, I was completely focused on my coaching practice in the U.S. It had not occurred to me to me that I might soon be living abroad. Yet this was the vision board I created:
Read MoreMoney is too important to take seriously
/Many of us have a funny relationship to money. We give it significance way beyond its merits. We act like it means something about our worth as human beings, our potential, or the degree to which others will love us. This is one way to practice creating a lighter, more playful relationship to money. Answer this question. What are ten things you could do with money? Now, rather than saying the normal things that you usually buy, e.g., food, shelter, medical insurance, etc., brainstorm a list of things that you could do with money that would be fun or just plain strange.
Read MoreStars and Dinosaurs
/Stars and Dinosaurs When was the last time you got a gold star for doing a good job? You work hard. You deserve some stars. Yes, just like when you were little. I did this recently and found it surprisingly motivating. Try setting a goal, and then make a chart to track your progress. Give yourself a sticker every time you take particular actions. You can use this method to track when you go to the gym, make business development calls, send out resumes, etc.
Read MoreTalking to the Voices and Tackling the Monsters
/Try talking to the people who live in your head and find out what they want. You don’t have to have a psychological disorder to have multiple voices in your head. One voice says “go for it, have the ice cream.” The other voice says, “you are too fat, eat a carrot.” Since they are there anyway, you might want to get clear about who they are and what they want. Generally, we try to ignore the voices in our heads or we take them way too seriously. But they are people too, :-) and you will all get along much better if you give them some attention--without believing everything they say.
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