Chance
By Charles Martin | June 25, 2009
I liked this little post I received from Lisa Coffey today.
Chance
Is there such a thing as chance, or coincidence, or serendipity? Or is everything carefully orchestrated and organized by a Higher Power? Chance seems to be the unexpected, but then we have to think: who is doing the expecting? Something might come as a surprise to us, but it might also have been planned in the cosmos since before time.
Topics: Mind and Planet | No Comments »
You’re an expert
By Charles Martin | June 22, 2009
Some great news is abound right now.
There are so many specialists that are unemployed that the experts could fill the Rose Bowl and the parking lot would hold the runoff. It’s big folks.
Take heed that if you are one of the “lucky” laid off, you might find that you can escalate your status and find something you’ve always wanted — a job that isn’t’ a job. It’s a passion. A connection to the world that supps from your cup of knowledge.
There might be some things the HH is doing to connect those experts with others and allow them to partake in great products and services without even paying. It’s not that wacky when you pencil it out.
Get out and let the world know you have the talent, the chops, the energy to light up their future and blow away their problems. If you’re still employed at the job from hell, this may be the time to jettison yourself. If you’re young and you haven’t added the Christmas ornaments to your life that some of us have (you know who you are and what I mean), then take that chance. The world won’t be as friendly to your plight and your goals in two years. It is today. Take the pit in the valley and use it as your springboard.
Go gettem…
Topics: Big biz, Mind and Planet, Office crap, Tech | No Comments »
Great new movie by a first time director : “Love Happens”
By Charles Martin | June 17, 2009
Check it out.
Love Happens from Universal and @bcbcbc
Review coming closer to release date in early September.
Topics: Greats in business | No Comments »
Great post to high school grads from Peter Shankman
By Charles Martin | June 17, 2009
Check out this great post from Peter Shankman. It’s really good.
Topics: Greats in business | No Comments »
Confession: Tired of the $20,000 nut
By Charles Martin | June 16, 2009
Today, a good friend said to me that he was “tired of the $20,000 (monthly) nut”.
So am I.
So are you. I’ve spoken with you and I know you are. I’ve seen your bank account. Don’t try me. I have your social. I know where you bank. I looked it up.
So, let’s band together and admit the $20,000 nut isn’t really what it’s all cracked up to be. I mean, in mid 2007 it was grand. Today it sucks. Royal. Big time. All the time.
I spend more physical and mental time on my $20,000 nut than I do making new business ideas, taking care of my kids, or going to a good movie. It’s really consuming the American upper middle class family. Sure, we used our homes as ATMs and now we pay all the transaction fees as if they were deferred for 2 years.
I know there is an alternative and I am already on the bandwagon to fix it. Credit is dried up so there’s only one way and that’s UP. UP with paying it off. UP with doing more with less and UP with evening out the highs and lows. I think we all have to admit (and again, I know you are in this boat so don’t deny it) that the times are ripe for re-tooling and adjusting our goals and gains. Let’s figure out what’s important and jettison the rest. I think this will prove very helpful when the economy becomes healthy again. We will all rejoice as our lifestyles have been torqued down to more acceptable levels.
You dreamed of the Gulf IV (now I’ve been told it’s a Gulf 200) and you dreamed of the brand new Mercedes in the drive every 18 months, but let’s gear it back. Most of you — yes you — can’t do without. What you don’t see is that the richest of rich are taking this moment to assess their over-expenditures too. We all have them.
Why not park it in the bank if you have it and challenge yourself to the largest of all challenges:
The challenge to live on much less.
I’m living that challenge and have been secretly acting behind your back. I’m on that trail and life is better. It’s not fixed and ready, but the Spackle is being applied and the paint (economy priced of course) is chosen. Let’s have a dollar store party and celebrate. Let’s see what comes of it. Sure, we’ll have spurts of chaos and forget our goals, we live in LA after all. But if we keep on track at least 50% more, we’ll survive.
Tired of the $20,000 nut.
Topics: Mind and Planet | No Comments »
Great Chart From Y Combinator’s Paul Graham
By Charles Martin | June 9, 2009
Some awesome charts on the life of a startup. I think I’ve lived most of the middle part of the line. Too bad I never made it to the top of the hockey stick. But I will.
See the bottom slide show. The charts are a few pics in.
Topics: Greats in business, Odd file | No Comments »
Working smart and not working at all
By Charles Martin | June 4, 2009
In this past week alone, I’ve come across a few more entrepreneurs that have figured it out.
Figured what out Hothead?
Figured out that what we’ve always thought was the smart grind is not so smart at all. In fact, I will propose today that at least 75% of you are wasting crucial and important time on a “career” or “job” that won’t fulfill your basic human needs (I’m not talking about food — I’m talking about mental stability and a feeling of place). It’s true. Most of the people I know are spending their golden 10,000 hours on the wrong thing. They’ll find at the nadir of their lives that it was a bad hole the entire time.
When you basically find the place that you can do the least amount of work for the most amount of return, you’ll also find that people clamor for the chum your product or service represents. I met a rock star in the social marketing space last week and low and behold he got there with the most simplest of simple business models. It makes the grief and against-the-grain-struggle us 75%-ers experience everyday seem like a bloodbath. Yes, he does have time spent on the 10,000 hour card, but he’s still building that total. He’s 40-something young.
The most interesting part of this is that what we know as a way to make money and get return on our smarts and education (aka “a job”) is changing very rapidly. It’s changing so fast that most of you aren’t noticing. And guys like the rock star are getting the best seats in the room. Once he and guys like him stake their claim, we’ll all be just filling the seats.
It boils down to working smart. It boils down to saying NO more. It boils down to keeping an extreme focus on what’s down the road and not being so quick to jump on the first bus that stops to pick us up. There will always be folks who decide that “it’s ok” to idle away at a dead end. And there will always be people whose blood boils until they are in the right place. The hunger of the latter has always been what drives the economy in good times and bad. The 4:51AM blinking light only keeps up so many people you see.
I’m up. Are you?
I’m angry enough to change. Are you?
Topics: Mind and Planet | No Comments »
@jack’s 10 personal rules to live by
By Charles Martin | June 1, 2009
I love these.
Topics: Greats in business | No Comments »
What does your Pandora station list say about you?
By Charles Martin | June 1, 2009
Pandora. The great elixir of radio-dom. If this thing ever gets on your car radio, Sirius is toast. Siriusly.
I’m noticing that my Pandora station list is starting to look like a large Arkansas family with different teeth missing but still the same gene mapping. I have found that what Pandora purports to do — find your melody sweet spot — it sort of does too well.
I mean, I try to even put up some heavy metal only to find I like softer heavy metal. What gives?
I put up classical alongside my Coldplay and Sia, but turns out it starts playing more melodies like my other stations. Could it be that Pandora is dipping into my psyche without me knowing it? I realize that they have a quick mix function but this isn’t what I’m speaking of.
My station line up says I’m a puss. Oh well. At least I can sing the entire Hotel California without missing a beat.
Here’s an idea. Pre-interview or pre-sales call… if we were able to out-load our PSL or Pandora Station List to someone, then you might find that your musical synergies work with your perspective clients or bosses (or girlfriends). In fact, I am working on a project right now where we take the Pandora model and apply it to matching you with good child care. I believe this is just the beginning of us finding more overlapping synergies with our day-to-day partners. After all, everything you do in life can be melted down to a few digits of science.
Doesn’t that make you all fuzzy and paranoid?
And btw, if you saw my tweet, I am in for $36 on the Pandora One. That, along with the Boxee hack for APTV and I’m one Pandora fool.
Topics: Big biz, Read this, Tech | No Comments »
The art of saying no
By Charles Martin | May 27, 2009
A friend recently suggested I learn to say no more often. It’s an art for sure. Even Tony Blair’s in on the effort to filter more and lead more by saying no artfully and gracefully. This week one of his quotes is heavy in Twitter rotation. He said “The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes.”
I have to agree. Even Seth points to the effects of better time management when you say no more and appropriately leave yourself time for the “important” things. In fact, I am confident that one of my biggest projects for 2009 is being held up because I haven’t said no.
Think about how you might be able to say no to more people and more projects. You’ll probably find that the good stuff lies waiting at the end. Sure, there’s turmoil and hurt feelings to worry about but what happens when you do half an effort because you didn’t say no or the other end of the bargain wasn’t delivered and your work spoils because of it.
Topics: Sales Acumen | No Comments »