9:06am
Saint Paul
Not gonna lie:
The fear of judgement holds me back.
Your judgement. People on social I’ve never met. My wife and kids. Friends, bosses, coworkers, whatever.
Not always, of course.
But it’s that stupid feeling that asks “who are you?”
Who are you to share those thoughts?
Who are you to try something new?
Who are you to make mistakes?
Imposter!
Years ago, some friends found this website. They didn’t like what I was writing about persuasion and how humans make decisions and how we can influence that decision-making process.
(more…)2:34pm
Saint Paul
When I was 12 the neighbor’s dog bit my brother.
We never had a dog of our own.
Goldfish, yes. A cat. A parakeet. A skink. A snake. Even a “grow a frog” that escaped its water tank… and a week later, hopped across the kitchen floor.
So I was never much of a dog person.
In fact I told myself I was afraid of them. The dog bite and all, you understand.
And any time I saw a dog, this fear consumed my brain.
But years ago I decided that was silly.
So I simply reprogrammed my brain.
(more…)11:05 pm
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Years ago, when I first started reading and writing about persuasion, I found myself moving further to the political right. Or, perhaps, further from the current political left.
Learning about the tools and techniques of persuasion, I could see the manipulation of the population and how easily our energy is directed.
Persuasion, at its core, is getting someone to see the benefits of an action or a believe, and to change their behavior ‘for the better’ because of it.
Manipulation, on the other hand, benefits the manipulator but not the manipulated. Rioting, anyone?
When you’re the first to mention an idea, you “win” that mind space. This is the purpose of a Blue Ocean strategy, that you define a new market and you’re the only one serving it.
But when someone already has an idea and you’re hoping to persuade them to see the benefit of its opposite? Much harder.
(more…)7:45am
Saint Paul
Late last night I wrote about the divisions we see around us.
People are hurting, people are pointing fingers, people are acting and reacting and ratcheting up their responses.
My city, and others, are being destroyed because we’re being divided. Divided by labels, instilled through fear of Us vs Them.
(more…)Wednesday 9:17pm
Saint Paul
You are already successful.
You are already happy.
You are already rich.
Whaaaa?
(more…)There’s a global panic right now about the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
While the illness is real, we have very little factual data about the illness or its spread.
For starters, there’s an indication this isn’t actually a virus — antiviral medications aren’t making much of a dent.
(more…)Andrew Carnegie was a business tycoon in the late 1800s… and the richest
man in America.
During an ‘afternoon interview’ —one that stretched into three days— journalist Napoleon Hill asked Carnegie,
What makes for a successful life?
With a twinkle in his eye, Carnegie invited Hill to research that exact question— (more…)