CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-22 16:06:40 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Quick little podcast today about doing the work for you. 

2013-05-21 18:25:25 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 13 +1s)

I'm extremely excited to be on #cjLIVE tomorrow with my friend +Chase Jarvis. This event is free and anyone can watch from anywhere. If you're in Seattle, you can join us in studio (10 tickets left, see the link for details).

Whether you're live in person or watching from a distance, we'll be giving away autographed books and a ticket to this year's sold-out World Domination Summit. Hope to "see" many of you there.

2013-05-15 01:24:58 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

This week's reading. A great book! It sounds cliche, but I can't put it down.

2013-05-02 15:01:47 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 19 +1s)

A couple days before our wedding, I called Melissa from a busy Manhattan street corner just outside the office and the Life that had held me captive for so many years. I told her that she was about to marry an unemployed banker, a refugee from a life gone horribly wrong.

And I’ll never forget what she said.

" Well, let’s start picking out spots under the Brooklyn Bridge with good views of the city. Because I’d rather live with the real you under there, than an impersonation of you anywhere else. 

I’m just glad I have you back. "

_

In my universe, the planets don’t orbit around the Sun.

I love you, Melissa. I always have. I always will.

Happy Birthday, my love.

_

I hope you’ll join me in wishing her a happy 30th birthday today.  

2013-04-24 14:16:00 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 19 +1s)

Mr. Kwilecki’s wife wasn’t alone in her puzzlement. Many people in the community did not understand his work or his interest in photographing some of the town’s poorest residents, Susan Kwilecki said, and he grew increasingly frustrated at being misunderstood.

But that only pushed him harder to pursue his work.

“I am frequently asked by people who have not seen my work why I spend my life documenting one simple place like Decatur County, Georgia,” he wrote. “People confuse simple with small; they’re not the same thing.”

2013-04-22 18:56:02 (7 comments, 4 reshares, 19 +1s)

Announcing The World Float: Your Chance To Set a WORLD RECORD

Have you ever wanted to set a world record?

Go down in history with a gold star next to your name?

Do something crazy and fun that you’ll remember forever… or at least until your next world record?

This summer, you have a chance to do exactly that.

Sign up here: http://aonc.co/recordfloat

Backstory here: http://aonc.co/floatpost

Image: The Oregonian

2013-04-16 01:29:10 (5 comments, 21 reshares, 136 +1s)

Like many of you, I've been deeply saddened by the news from Boston today.

There's never much good to say about such a tragedy. 

One thing I liked, however, is the spirit of more than 1,000 people so far who are offering their homes for anyone displaced in Boston. They're doing this on Google Docs in real-time and sharing their phone numbers (in addition to lots of other personal info) publicly. Good defeats evil, at least in the end.

As a fellow marathoner (or at least an ex-marathoner ... nothing further than a half-marathon for me these days) I also appreciate the fact that many Boston runners were doing the race for charity. Here's a list of the 35 organizations they were supporting:

http://aonc.co/runcharity

I'm going to donate to one of these organizations. If you're able, would you join me in doing so? If not, that'sf... more »

2013-04-15 16:25:08 (2 comments, 4 reshares, 11 +1s)

An interactive map of history's greatest journeys

2013-04-13 22:44:59 (6 comments, 3 reshares, 37 +1s)

From Amy Hoy on Twitter today: 

"Gotta be willing to let go of 'opportunities' to a) be happy b) be free c) be able to take the next step."

I used to have a hard time letting go of opportunities, and in the early days it's probably fine to be a little scattered. But now, like Amy, I try to focus on the work in front of me instead of looking for the new thing.

Another quote I like:

"Business opportunities are like buses, theres always another one coming." -Richard Branson

2013-03-29 00:20:59 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

Hard to beat a good villain.

'A villain speech must be convincing and compelling. Its foundation in rationality must be unimpeachable. When we hear a great villain speech, we should think, despite ourselves, “I gotta say: the dude makes sense.”'

2013-03-27 18:02:44 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

Lead on, MacDuff! It's the winter of our discontent.

I enjoyed these popular misquotes from Shakespeare.

2013-03-25 16:32:58 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 11 +1s)

Switching it Up

Going to move my blog into somewhat different territory. Here's the announcement. 

2013-03-24 14:49:50 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 8 +1s)

“The important thing is not to catch something,” said Kilian Jornet, whose own memoir, “Run or Die,” will be published in the United States in July. What matters in life is the pursuit, and everything we learn along the way. “The important thing,” he said, “is moving.”

2013-03-13 13:54:55 (5 comments, 2 reshares, 9 +1s)

A Night at the Prom

Check out this great IndieGoGo campaign! I don't support nearly enough Kickstarter or IGG projects - there are just so many and I get overwhelmed (not a good excuse, I know).

But this one is really good. I made my donation -- if you can't make one now, will you at least pass this along?

2013-03-07 15:51:25 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 14 +1s)

The week my dear friend Liz Strauss was diagnosed with throat cancer last Fall, she sent Terry this text message. 

Yes, I have cancer. No, we are not canceling SOBcon.

Since that moment, Liz has been in constant sessions of radiation and chemotherapy. She has broken her hip and her shoulder. And she is still standing. 

... On your very best days strive to be Brave, but even on your very worst days, you must stand in Defiance.

2013-03-05 16:53:33 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

Attention, SXSW Attendees + Austin, Texas residents! I'll be hosting a public event at a great independent bookstore on Sunday, March 10th (2pm). You don't need a SXSW badge to attend, and a limited number of free tickets are still available. 

If you'll be around, I hope to see you! Sign up at the link.

2013-02-18 01:21:08 (5 comments, 6 reshares, 32 +1s)

In the midst of winter.

Hat tip: +inna aizenshtein 

2013-02-17 13:44:14 (6 comments, 6 reshares, 24 +1s)

"I never felt comfortable with myself, because I was never part of the majority. I always felt awkward and shy and on the outside of the momentum of my friends' lives." -Steven Spielberg

2013-02-17 02:33:26 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Real Heroes

“No, don’t call me a hero. Do you know who the real heroes are? The guys who wake up every morning and go into their normal jobs, and get a distress call from the Commissioner and take off their glasses and change into capes and fly around fighting crime. Those are the real heroes.” -Dwight Schrute

I don't watch much TV, but I'll miss The Office when it ends.

2013-02-16 00:25:41 (4 comments, 7 reshares, 34 +1s)

Does help keep things in perspective...

2013-02-15 00:50:41 (3 comments, 4 reshares, 12 +1s)

It is never to late to follow your dream and start your own business.

2013-02-14 02:04:02 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

I'm doing a live Google Hangout to discuss book publishing... right now -->

2013-02-13 22:53:07 (3 comments, 15 reshares, 57 +1s)

2013-02-11 02:33:44 (4 comments, 8 reshares, 21 +1s)

Epic Blog Posts

From +Darren Rowse on #blogchat (Twitter) -->

"I'm not sure every blog post you write has to be 'EPIC'. If it's inspirational, informative or interactive I post it. What makes a blog 'epic' is the consistent creation of useful content over time."

2013-02-09 17:49:15 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

"Playing to Lose" -- behind the scenes of competitive Tetris

Steil often starts his Tetris training sessions around 1 a.m. He continues until as late as 5 a.m., then sleeps before it’s time to work in the blue tape factory. He is driven, and his rise to Tetris prominence has come fast, although it’s a lonely game. “It is a battle with yourself. That’s who you play with over and over,” he told me. It’s rare that he has the opportunity to interact with other players in person.

2013-02-09 16:37:42 (1 comments, 5 reshares, 13 +1s)

+Shot@Life just showed us this micro-documentary from the Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA) on how they are using text messages and mobile technology to educate expecting mothers around the globe.

Truly inspiring. 

2013-02-06 16:02:56 (3 comments, 4 reshares, 20 +1s)

Elizabeth Gilbert responds to Philip Roth

"Is writing more difficult than working in a steel mill, or raising a child alone, or commuting three hours a day to a deeply unsatisfying cubicle job, or doing laundry in a nursing home, or running a hospital ward, or being a luggage handler, or digging septic systems, or waiting tables at a delicatessen, or—for that matter—pretty much anything else that people do?

Not really, right?"

2013-02-06 02:10:08 (8 comments, 3 reshares, 21 +1s)

From the book research files...

What advice would you give to someone else who wants to pursue a big dream but feels hesitant or uncertain?

"Do it. Just do it. You will feel inadequate. You will feel you can't do it, but you owe it to yourself to try. You might only have a 50/50 chance of making it, but you're looking at a 100% chance of failure if you don't even try." 

This response was from Nancy Sathre-Vogel, who traveled by bicycle from Alaska to southern Argentina with her husband and 10-year-old twin boys on a three-year journey.

2013-02-05 18:05:09 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 10 +1s)

"It’s embarrassing to admit how long it’s taken me to realize that the whole trick is this: close the gap between notes and draft. …  I used to think, “but this isn’t real writing” (by which I meant that euphoric seven-longhand-pages-in-one-sitting kind of writing). Now I wonder what that could possibly mean. I am writing. That’s as real as writing gets." Advice from Susan Jackson Rogers.

2013-02-04 17:19:57 (4 comments, 5 reshares, 17 +1s)

The love story of Danny and Annie.

Have you seen this? Bring tissues.

2013-02-03 15:44:38 (6 comments, 8 reshares, 19 +1s)

To Be More Creative, Get In a Box

I'm researching creativity and quests for my next book, and I liked something that +Elise Blaha wrote in one of the background surveys -->

“I am always surprised about the level of creativity that comes out of setting guidelines and boundaries. You would think it's the opposite—having complete freedom makes everything feel more possible—but in my experience, that’s not the case. I like to say that sometimes to be the most creative you have to GET IN A BOX instead of the old stand-by to ‘think outside the box.’ Often, limitations force you to think differently about challenges and lead to better innovations and ideas.”

2013-02-02 17:30:36 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 22 +1s)

Fun sketchnotes from last week's $100 Startup event in Nashville. Thanks to @taylorrific for doing these -- more on her site at http://taylorrific.com/blog/100-startup-sketchnotes

2013-01-16 19:33:15 (1 comments, 7 reshares, 30 +1s)

Learning to notice them is the trickier part ;)

2013-01-16 02:45:14 (4 comments, 4 reshares, 32 +1s)

“No, no! The adventures first. Explanations take such a dreadful time.” ―Lewis Carroll

2013-01-15 16:49:46 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Why everyone films at the same Chinese restaurant in NYC (via +Jodi Ettenberg)

2013-01-15 00:17:27 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 29 +1s)

"Things are changing. And sometimes the line between friend and foe is blurred. Now more than ever." -Obi-Wan Kenobi

2013-01-14 15:31:41 (53 comments, 1 reshares, 22 +1s)

An Overdue Check-In

Hey Google+! Like a lot of inactive users, I haven't checked in much over here lately. My impression is that the platform is best used by photographers and tech folks -- with a few notable exceptions, of course. Many of the other 2,000 people I originally circled are either gone now or just cross-posting from their blogs. 

Thus I haven't posted much, in addition to the usual problem of being everywhere at once. But how about you? If you're reading this, presumably you're still here. Still having fun here? Should I return?

2012-12-16 09:54:05 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 11 +1s)

"How do you balance your clients’ desires against other concerns?"

"The client hires you, so the client is the priority. But you can’t just build a building based on what the clients say, because their vision is based on what’s normal. How do you get out of the normal? You’ve got to question everything. Spend time with the user group. Glean all the information you can. And then throw it all away and begin to play."

2012-11-21 23:41:05 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

“Michael didn’t have limits. Michael thought bigger than anyone” says Joe Vogel, author of “Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson.” Not being No. 1 was not an option for him. He would actually call former CBS Records president Walter Yetnikoff during “Thriller” and “Bad” complaining, “My record is not No. 1. My record is not No. 1. What are we going to do?”

Michael did everything he could to achieve his goals from his end. “It’s so much work,” he said of “Bad.” “A lot of people they’re used to, um, just seeing the outcome of work. They never see the side of the work you go through to produce the outcome.”

2012-10-20 23:54:50 (7 comments, 8 reshares, 30 +1s)

How to Write a Book in 30 Days

Highlight: Outlines matter! 

2012-10-04 17:37:53 (8 comments, 25 reshares, 60 +1s)

On small lives. 

Hat tip: thqk.com

2012-10-02 22:19:40 (12 comments, 4 reshares, 15 +1s)

Video highlights from the 2012 World Domination Summit... are now online. 

Ticket sales for the 2013 event begin tomorrow at 8am PST / 11am EST.

Shoutout to +Wes Wages for his great work on this!

2012-09-25 00:46:04 (11 comments, 5 reshares, 27 +1s)

Bob Dylan in Rolling Stone

You've described what you do not as a career but as a calling.

Everybody has a calling, don't they? Some have a high calling, some have a low calling. Everybody is called but few are chosen. There's a lot of distraction for people, so you might not never find the real you. A lot of people don't. 

How would you describe your calling?

Mine? Not any different than anybody else's. Some people are called to be a good sailor. Some people have a calling to be a good tiller of the land. Some people are called to be a good friend. You have to be the best at whatever you are called at. Whatever you do. You ought to be the best at it—highly skilled. It's about confidence, not arrogance. You have to know that you're the best whether anybody else tells you that or not.

###

2012-09-12 16:40:44 (8 comments, 3 reshares, 10 +1s)

Q&A with Don McLean

When you look back over four decades in the music business, what do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?

The main thing I would like to say is that I have become the person I wanted to be. As opposed to reaching goals but being an alcoholic, or reaching goals but having four failed marriages, or reaching goals but having kids in rehab. A lot of people reach their goals, but at a terrific price.

2012-09-05 16:52:32 (11 comments, 7 reshares, 28 +1s)

+Jonathan Fields has put together such a fantastic set of interviews with the Good Life Project. The newest episode is with +Chris Guillebeau. Find the 30 minutes in your day to watch this video.

2012-08-20 22:33:15 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 18 +1s)

Great story on an unconventional publishing success. Authors and aspiring authors, take heed!

2012-08-13 01:49:25 (3 comments, 3 reshares, 22 +1s)

AKA "When to be an asshole."

I enjoyed this post by +Julien Smith.

2012-08-10 20:44:12 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 20 +1s)

“I’m not really interested in running,” Mr. Rios said. “It’s something I just walked into.”

2012-08-06 13:47:05 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

That's right - it takes COMMITMENT.

Didn’t you buy a place in L.A. somewhere?

I haven’t even set foot in it. I’m at my two-year anniversary of living out of a backpack.

That sounds terrible. Do you actually enjoy living out of a backpack?

Do I enjoy it? People live in bunkers in Iraq for years, you know? You can put yourself through whatever to attain what you want to attain. We’ve accomplished great things, and that’s kind of what it took.

2012-08-03 09:40:41 (14 comments, 1 reshares, 43 +1s)

Arriving in the Republic of Congo. This is country #186 -- only 7 countries remain!