Steven Pressfield told James Altucher: Advertising teaches you nobody wants to read your shit so you better make it immediately compelling. He continues (paraphrased): The other thing it teaches you is how to edit. The space has constraints you need to fit in. A 60-second ad goes by FAST. People romanticize creativity as being willing … Continue reading Why So Many Creatives Have a Background In Advertising (Pressfield)
Tag: quotes
Stupid Mistakes Vs. Productive Mistakes
A Seth Godin-ism: Stupid is what happens when we refuse to learn from our mistakes. It’s fine to live by “don’t be stupid.” There are plenty of areas not being stupid can help us step around (i.e. arguing with people on the internet). But, we also need to make “productive and generous mistakes.” Stupid is … Continue reading Stupid Mistakes Vs. Productive Mistakes
Failing Doesn’t Mean You’re A Failure
A David Goggins-ism on overcoming failure by not going at the struggle alone: Failing doesn’t mean you’re a failure, it means you failed one time at one thing. What follows is a transcribed quote from Goggins’ Can’t Hurt Me audiobook. It comes after a story where Goggins has tried to beat the Guinness Book pullup … Continue reading Failing Doesn’t Mean You’re A Failure
The Leader’s Mind Is Infectious
They were part way through hell week, his knee was so injured and mangled it had swollen to the size of a grapefruit - rendering his leg nearly useless, and he still refused to limp. In his mind, if he had so much as winced, his team would have seen the mental weakness. And the … Continue reading The Leader’s Mind Is Infectious
Sanity Is A One Trick Pony
IF you do a job the same way as everyone else, IF you do it the most rational way possible, IF you embrace the basicness of the tasks, THEN - it will probably work! But it will be boring, and it probably won’t amount to much. Because you need to be at least a little … Continue reading Sanity Is A One Trick Pony
The Time Abe Lincoln’s Step Brother Asked Him For A Loan
Before he was President, Abraham Lincoln’s step-brother wrote him a letter asking for a loan. The response is worth quoting (emphasis added). : Your request for eighty dollars, I do not think it best, to comply with now. At the various times when I have helped you a little, you have said to me “We … Continue reading The Time Abe Lincoln’s Step Brother Asked Him For A Loan
The #1 Opportunity Leaders Create
The biggest, most important, number 1 opportunity a leader creates is the opportunity to evolve and grow. Do things feel stagnant? Ask who isn’t evolving or growing and why. Then figure out what you’re going to do about it.
You Can’t Boil The Ocean
Welcome to January, when all of the big visions for year get mashed into the pavement by your already spinning racing tires. There’s the big stuff and the directions we’re heading in. And there’s also what exactly what we have to do next. Left foot, right foot, etc. All the way to the goals. As … Continue reading You Can’t Boil The Ocean
You’ll Stand Or Fall But You’ve Got To Test Your Legs
You can talk about it. You can think about it. You can read about it. But eventually, you’re either going to do it (or you’re not). It’s as true for the easy things as it is for the hard things. And it’s as true for us as it is for our competition (or the ones … Continue reading You’ll Stand Or Fall But You’ve Got To Test Your Legs
A Car Has More Than A Gas Pedal
I spent the end part of last year learning a ton of new systems. I got frustrated - really frustrated - with how slowly everything was going (even when it wasn’t actually going slowly). Learning new systems is a lot like learning to drive. At first, none of it makes sense. But then, kind of … Continue reading A Car Has More Than A Gas Pedal