As Emcee of the Maui Writers Conference, I walked the beach every morning. One morning, I saw Pulitzer-Prize winning author Frank McCourt (Angela’s Ashes) writing away on two high-school composition notebooks… I was intrigued and asked, “Frank, quick question, what are you doing?”
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Show Don’t Tell – The Better Newsletter #73
Years ago, I judged a pitch competition called The Dolphin Tank. I reviewed the business plans the night before, including one for a hook you put in your car to put your purse on…
Don’t Think, Do – The Better Newsletter #72
Years ago, while writing my book What’s Holding You Back?, I had just a week left to submit it to my editor—except the Intro wasn’t even finished.
It wasn’t for lack of effort. The more I tried, the more the right words eluded me.
Connect The Dots Forward – The Better Newsletter #67
A few months ago, I did a book-signing at the Conscious Capitalism Summit. I asked a man near me what he wanted to set in motion by the end of the year. He said, “I want to do more speaking.”
Have ‘Em At Hello – The Better Newsletter #64
Years ago, I was the Pitch Coach for Springboard Enterprises (which has helped entrepreneurs generate $37 billion in funding/valuation.)
One of their members, Kathleen Callendar of Pharma Jet, told me, “I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news.”
Tell Stories That Stick – The Better Newsletter #63
Pete, the sound engineer for my recent Audible book, pulled me aside after recording and said, “I wish I could tell stories like you, but nothing interesting happens to me.”
I told him, “Everyone has interesting things happen to – or around them – that can be turned into stories.”
He smiled and said, “Like what?”
The Spice of Life – The Better Newsletter #60
I had the pleasure of visiting the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit at the Denver Art Museum with my son, Tom.
As we enjoyed an afternoon exploring da Vinci’s multi-faceted genius (e.g., think flying machines. The Mona Lisa. The Vitruvian Man. Scuba gear.), I kept thinking…
“What if someone had told Leonardo da Vinci to PICK A LANE??”
What’s Your Story? – The Better Newsletter #59
Years ago, I read an article by Shankar Vedantam in The Washington Post about genocide and famine.
Rather than leading with data, Vedantam shared a story about an oil tanker that had caught fire off the coast of Hawaii…
Lead a Horse to Water… – The Better Newsletter #56
My friend Maria passed her state’s real estate exam and obtained her license. After many weekends of open houses, Maria hadn’t made one sale.
Sell vs Serve – The Better Newsletter #52
Instead of chasing away potential clients by trying to sell them, it’s wiser to give people an opportunity to experience you in action so they CHOOSE to work with you.