Gotta love wordle - This is a wordle of Barack ombama's 2013 speech.

Working over the weekend...

I realised today due to workload that I am going to have to work over the weekend to get things done and a great old chinese story came to mind - so I share it with you here...

A poor farmer’s horse ran off into the country of the barbarians. All his neighbors offered their condolences, but his father said, “How do you know that this isn’t good fortune?” After a few months the horse returned with a barbarian horse of excellent stock. All his neighbors offered their congratulations, but his father said, “How do you know that this isn’t a disaster?”  

The two horses bred, and the family became rich in fine horses. The farmer’s son spent much of his time riding them; one day he fell off and broke his hipbone. All his neighbors offered the farmer their condolences, but his father said, “How do you know that this isn’t good fortune?”  

Another year passed, and the barbarians invaded the frontier. All the able-bodied young men were conscripted, and nine-tenths of them died in the war. Thus good fortune can be disaster and vice versa.  

Who can tell how events will be transformed?

Our crystal palace and our fears and what that really means.

    
Here is a blog written by the legend Seth Godin and an email from the Store for Entrepreneurs  platform Appsumo - so nicely are they timed and joined together that I pop them both here.

Seth to start... With our crystal palace...  And AppSumo with an elegant answer to it all.

Emotive stuff.

Our crystal palace

Thanks to technology, (relative) peace and historic levels of prosperity, we've turned our culture into a crystal palace, a gleaming edifice that needs to be perfected and polished more than it is appreciated.

We waste our days whining over slight imperfections (the nuts in first class aren't warm, the subway isn't cool enough, the vaccine leaves a bump on our arm for two hours) instead of seeing the modern miracles all around us. That last thing that went horribly wrong, that ruined everything, that led to a spat or tears or reciminations--if you put it on a t-shirt and wore it in public, how would it feel? "My iPhone died in the middle of the 8th inning because my wife didn't charge it and I couldn't take a picture of the home run from our box seats!"

Worse, we're losing our ability to engage with situations that might not have outcomes shiny enough or risk-free enough to belong in the palace. By insulating ourselves from perceived risk, from people and places that might not like us, appreciate us or guarantee us a smooth ride, we spend our day in a prison we've built for ourself.

Shiny, but hardly nurturing.

So, we ban things from airplanes not because they are dangerous, but because they frighten us. We avoid writing, or sales calls, or inventing or performing or engaging not because we can't do it, but because it might not work. We don't interact with strange ideas, new cuisines or people who share different values because those interactions might make us uncomfortable...

Funny looking tomatoes, people who don't look like us, interactions where we might not get a yes...
Growth is messy and dangerous. Life is messy and dangerous.

When we insist on a guarantee, an ever-increasing standard in everything we measure and a Hollywood ending, we get none of those.

This wonderfully links into a great idea from Appsumo - of how to take this fear and overcome it  with a new iPhone App: called Failure Games.

This email is from Eric Fernandez 

The point of the app is gamify the learning experience through failing and humanising it as well as adding humour so we can get over it. With the app they challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and get what you want in life

This is Eric's rather wonderfully crafted email introducing the idea. Which I really hope works.
"Would you rather have the ability to fly or to become invisible? I was listening to NPR a few days ago when they asked this and it got me thinking ...

For me, instinctively, I’d choose invisibility. As an introvert, invisibility is the quiet and simple answer. I could find solitude whenever I wanted it. I could find out what’s in Area 51. I could sneak into Skywalker Ranch and be disappointed ahead of time in the next Star Wars movie.

It feels a bit unsavory, but it’s the easy answer for me. It’s the answer that lets me stay in the comfort of my private life.

Flight, however, seems like the answer of an adventurer. It’s the answer I wish I would give. It’s the answer that rattles around in my head when I hear stories of climbers who scale Mount Everest or see comedians standing in front of a thousand people with nothing but a microphone. It’s daunting, but it’s the answer that I imagine the people I admire most would give.

We all have an idea of who we are and who we want to be. Stepping out of our comfort zone and taking a risk is the first step towards our ideal versions of ourselves.

For me, it’s writing this email to hundreds of thousands of AppSumo subscribers. For you, maybe it’s cold-calling a client or validating your golden business idea.

Getting over that fear of failure is a hurdle some of us never even attempt to jump and that’s the reason we’ve developed a totally free app for iOS 7 devices called Failure Games.

It works like this. Every day, we’ll release a new challenge. The challenge could be as silly as telling a joke or as socially uncomfortable as asking a complete stranger to have lunch with you.

Some will be harder than others, but every challenge will be designed to get you more at ease with taking chances and with the possibility of failure.

 This is just one of the fun daily challenges. Think you can do it?

If you’re like me, you’ll be inspired by others who are successfully completing challenges and encouraged by your followers commenting on your pictures and videos. And with any luck, we’ll realize together that:

1. The fear of failure is never a good thing if it’s holding you back from what you want.

We get emails daily from people taking our "How To Make A $1,000 A Month Business" course thanking us for pushing them to believe in themselves and take a chance. Here’s just one of them:

Well just made under $1,500 in sales. I will hopefully receive the money on Monday 21st of October.

It's amazing how much fear stops you. I was fearful asking the guys and more so asking an already established guy to help me and more fearful again about whether or not my coaching skills are good enough.

    This is really insightful ... seems like it is just all about overcoming that fear.

    -Brian Halpin

2. When you do fail, you can learn a lot.

I know a guy that got fired from a very early position at Facebook. That period of failure was a defining moment for Chief Sumo and he can tell you better than anyone that he learned a lot about himself and the world of business from that moment.

3. Taking risks can be fun and lead to a more prosperous and full life.

I think this point is self-evident, but we all need to be reminded about it at times. Go on a spontaneous road trip or stay comfortable at home? One leads to excitement and new memories and the other is just like any other night."

The irony for myself is that... to download the app you need iOS7 - and I don't dare download it yet! ;)

I think this Failure Games App  (not my fear) is a great example of modern marketing - creating a social object through an app - of adding value and creating a talking point - doing something remarkable - all of which Seth would be proud!

Modern marketing really has changed - more than perhaps people realise. But it has also in a strange way come full circle over a decade - whereas before you wanted people to come together to be part of  your sponsored event in the real world (like we did with guerrilla marketing with Spearfish) now clever brands and ideas created digital realities and events i.e. apps and games and moments - so people can share them and talk about it all.

Perhaps in the end of differences are just the channels of experience. It's all just #greatmarketing.


(ED ADDED 27/10/2013 To make my life complete Seth Godin apparently just blogged about this as well)

    

The selfish cynic

This is taken from Seth Godin's Blog:The selfish cynic

Cynics are hard to disappoint.

Because they imagine the worst in people and situations, reality rarely lets them down.

 Cynicism is a way to rehearse the let-downs the world has in store--before they arrive.

And the cynic chooses this attitude at the expense of the group. Because he can't bear to be disappointed, he shares his rehearsed disappointment with the rest of us, slowing down projects, betting on lousy outcomes and dampening enthusiasm.

Someone betting on the worst outcomes is going to be correct now and then, but that doesn't mean we need to have him on our team. I'd rather work with people brave enough to embrace possible futures at the expense of being disappointed now and then.

Don't expect kudos or respect for being a cynic. It's selfish.

---------

But I am amazed how many people seem to "get employed" to be the company cynic.

And even more people start a business with the same outlook!

Especially when it comes to technology and marketing.

The amount of small business owners who still tell me social media marketing doesn't work and wouldn't work for their business is disappointingly high in this country.  Maybe it's this cynical mindset?

The 17 Parts of the Mono myth and the 3 stages thereof… and more to think about...

Nothing about marketing - but something about story telling - which is a big part of marketing... 

I pop it here as today I have been thinking about where I am in the story of my life. 

A great man died last week - whilst I was away on holiday a TRUE LEGEND passed away - where it all began for me Jay Conrad Levinson. The father of Guerrilla Marketing. 

Was his book the call to adventure? I don't know - Thank you, Jay http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/10/thank-you-jay.html …

Anyhoo.... this is all by James Campbell and great stuff.

It was Joseph Campbell who , in the 1940's,  first brought to the public's attention the Mythic and Archetypal principles embedded in the structure of stories.  

The 17 Parts of the Mono myth and the 3 stages thereof…

Departure:

The Call to Adventure

The hero begins in a mundane situation of normality from which some information is received that acts as a call to head off into the unknown.

Refusal of the Call

Often when the call is given, the future hero first refuses to heed it. This may be from a sense of duty or obligation, fear, insecurity, a sense of inadequacy, or any of a range of reasons that work to hold the person in his or her current circumstances.

Supernatural Aid

Once the hero has committed to the quest, consciously or unconsciously, his guide and magical helper appears, or becomes known. More often than not, this supernatural mentor will present the hero with one or more talismans or artifacts that will aid them later in their quest.

The Crossing of the First Threshold

This is the point where the person actually crosses into the field of adventure, leaving the known limits of his or her world and venturing into an unknown and dangerous realm where the rules and limits are not known.

Belly of The Whale

The belly of the whale represents the final separation from the hero's known world and self. By entering this stage, the person shows willingness to undergo a metamorphosis.

Initiation:

The Road of Trials

The road of trials is a series of tests, tasks, or ordeals that the person must undergo to begin the transformation. Often the person fails one or more of these tests, which often occur in threes.

The Meeting With the Goddess

This is the point when the person experiences a love that has the power and significance of the all-powerful, all encompassing, unconditional love that a fortunate infant may experience with his or her mother. This is a very important step in the process and is often represented by the person finding the other person that he or she loves most completely.

Woman as Temptress

In this step, the hero faces those temptations, often of a physical or pleasurable nature, that may lead him or her to abandon or stray from his or her quest, which does not necessarily have to be represented by a woman. Woman is a metaphor for the physical or material temptations of life, since the hero-knight was often tempted by lust from his spiritual journey.

Atonement with the Father

In this step the person must confront and be initiated by whatever holds the ultimate power in his or her life. In many myths and stories this is the father, or a father figure who has life and death power. This is the center point of the journey. All the previous steps have been moving into this place, all that follow will move out from it. Although this step is most frequently symbolized by an encounter with a male entity, it does not have to be a male; just someone or thing with incredible power.

Apotheosis

When someone dies a physical death, or dies to the self to live in spirit, he or she moves beyond the pairs of opposites to a state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss. A more mundane way of looking at this step is that it is a period of rest, peace and fulfilment before the hero begins the return.

The Ultimate Boon

The ultimate boon is the achievement of the goal of the quest. It is what the person went on the journey to get. All the previous steps serve to prepare and purify the person for this step, since in many myths the boon is something transcendent like the elixir of life itself, or a plant that supplies immortality, or the holy grail.

Return

Refusal of the Return

Having found bliss and enlightenment in the other world, the hero may not want to return to the ordinary world to bestow the boon onto his fellow man.

The Magic Flight

Sometimes the hero must escape with the boon, if it is something that the gods have been jealously guarding. It can be just as adventurous and dangerous returning from the journey as it was to go on it.

Rescue from Without

Just as the hero may need guides and assistants to set out on the quest, oftentimes he or she must have powerful guides and rescuers to bring them back to everyday life, especially if the person has been wounded or weakened by the experience.

The Crossing of the Return Threshold

The trick in returning is to retain the wisdom gained on the quest, to integrate that wisdom into a human life, and then maybe figure out how to share the wisdom with the rest of the world.

Master of Two Worlds

This step is usually represented by a transcendental hero like Jesus or Gautama Buddha. For a human hero, it may mean achieving a balance between the material and spiritual. The person has become comfortable and competent in both the inner and outer worlds.

Freedom to Live

Mastery leads to freedom from the fear of death, which in turn is the freedom to live. This is sometimes referred to as living in the moment, neither anticipating the future nor regretting the past.

 So to recap the Hero's journey

1. Heroes are introduced in the ORDINARY WORLD, where
2. they receive the CALL TO ADVENTURE.
3. They are RELUCTANT at first or REFUSE THE CALL, but 
4. are encouraged by a MENTOR to
5. CROSS THE FIRST THRESHOLD and enter the Special World, where
6. they encounter TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES.
7. They APPROACH THE INMOST CAVE, crossing a second threshold
8. where they endure the ORDEAL.
9. They take possession of their REWARD and
10. are pursued on THE ROAD BACK to the Ordinary World.
11. They cross the third threshold, experience a RESURRECTION, and are transformed  by the experience.
12. They RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR, a boon or treasure to benefit the Ordinary World.

And for a little more thinking - the characters that join the hero...

The Seven Archetypes:

1. Hero:  "The Hero is the protagonist or central character, whose primary purpose is to separate from the ordinary world and sacrifice himself for the service of the Journey at hand - to answer the challenge, complete the quest and restore the Ordinary World's balance.  We experience the Journey through the eyes of the Hero."
2. Mentor:  "The Mentor provides motivation, insights and training to help the Hero."
3. Threshold Guardian:  "Threshold Guardians protect the Special World and its secrets from the Hero, and provide essential tests to prove a Hero's commitment and worth."
4. Herald:  "Herald characters issue challenges and announce the coming of significant change.  They can make their appearance anytime during a Journey, but often appear at the beginning of the Journey to announce a Call to Adventure.  A character may wear the Herald's mask to make an announcement or judgment, report a news flash, or simply deliver a message."
5. Shapeshifter:  "The Shapeshifter's mask misleads the Hero by hiding a character's intentions and loyalties."
6. Shadow:  "The Shadow can represent our darkest desires, our untapped resources, or even rejected qualities.  It can also symbolize our greatest fears and phobias.  Shadows may not be all bad, and may reveal admirable, even redeeming qualities.  The Hero's enemies and villains often wear the Shadow mask. This physical force is determined to destroy the Hero and his cause."
7. Trickster:  "Tricksters relish the disruption of the status quo, turning the Ordinary World into chaos with their quick turns of phrase and physical antics.  Although they may not change during the course of their Journeys, their world and its inhabitants are transformed by their antics.  The Trickster uses laughter [and ridicule] to make characters see the absurdity of the situation, and perhaps force a change."

 Perhaps we / you can think about who in your life has / is being each one. 

And for a more fun look at the above.... here you go :) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZxs_jGN7Pg

the characters explained with puppets... 

and the stages - for us all in a lovely animation - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhk4N9A0oCA&list=TL2W_SQ-k7GPhiUkyONvYntBHQtQiW3j9e  

SMILE more.

How to get more people loving what you do on Social Media is simple - you just SMILE more.

Smile

• S – Solve their problems. Offer your knowledge and insights and be helpful with no expectations of making a sale in return
• M – Make them feel valued. Treat everyone you meet as if they are the most important person in your world at that moment
• I – inform, educate and entertain with quality content. It could be your free eBook, sharing your knowledge, your blogs, articles from other websites or anything you feel adds value to their social media experience.
• L – Listen and acknowledge. If you see a post from someone who has achieved something or you have enjoyed reading their blog…tell them. If they’re having a bad day, empathise.
• E – ENGAGE! Respond to people who comment on your posts or tweet you. Initiate conversations with new people – If you engage with six new people each day, at the end of the year 2,140 will know your business exists who don’t right now. You haven’t had to leave home to meet them either!

If you want more sales from social media, put the needs of your audience ahead of your own. Don’t be someone who only broadcasts how wonderful you are (we take that as a given!)

Go be the person with the big SMILE whose competitors don’t get a look in.