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(Never) Save It for Later

Here's a simple, powerful tip for blogging, creating, storytelling, or whatever your art form may be: Always share the best work you currently have. Never save it for later. Earlier this year at SXSW I told a story about driving home late at night ten years ago and coming across a set of train tracks. It was a good story that I could have used for a few different purposes, and I wanted to save it for another talk happening two months later. I couldn't think of a better one that would work as well ... so I told the story. Then I had the problem of needing a different story for the other talk, but that was a future problem—plenty of time to figure it out.

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Fear, Doubt, UNCERTAINTY, Brilliance: Book Launch!

Earlier this year I went to Austin to co-facilitate a discussion at SXSW with Jonathan Fields. Our topic was “Fear and the Art of Creation,” and we had a great crowd. Despite the challenging time slot of early Sunday morning, tons of people showed up and filled the room. I said a few things in an attempt to sound mildly intelligent (my secret: always be the opening act and get off stage quickly), and then Jonathan said some much more intelligent things. The image from this post includes a few of the stories we shared with the audience over the course of an hour (hat tip to Ogilvy Notes for the fun illustration).

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The Instant Consultant

If you're looking for a way to make extra money or start an all-new business, I'm working on a project that will help you do just that. Until then, the best ideas are usually free, and I learned long ago to give away as much as possible. To start with, read through all of these responses. Many of them won't work for you, but I'll bet some will. And here's another one, from me.

You can become a consultant for hire in less than a day—this post will give you everything you need to get started.

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Notes from a Cold Bathroom Floor in South Africa

Tomorrow I'll be headed to Madagascar, the final stop of my latest trip before I begin the long process of returning home. But at the moment, I've been spending the past three hours sitting on the floor of the bathroom during a brief stopover in Johannesburg. Why the bathroom? Because it's freezing here in Johannesburg—we're now in the middle of the southern hemisphere winter—and the only heater in my room is located by the sink.

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How to Make Money on the Internet

When it comes to working online and making money on the internet, most discussions tend to look at specific tactics. How do you set up a mailing list? How can you get a merchant account? And so on. The answers to these questions may be useful, but you can learn about them elsewhere, and I thought it would be helpful to take a step back and look at something higher-level.

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The Good Job

I visited a large company to give a talk about non-conformity and adventure. From all appearances, it was a well-run company doing good things. Many of the employees came up to me afterwards to chat, and I asked each of them, “How are things at _____?” Most of them said that things were good, and I had no reason to doubt them.

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The Starving Artist Solves the Problem

Paul was an artist, painting in several mediums and styles. He lived in a Northwestern city known for its love of the arts, if not always its ambition. As Paul grew up, his family and teachers encouraged him to pursue art as a career instead of just a hobby. Paul was not especially organized, as we shall see, but this idea suited him well ...

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Lower Your Standards and Keep Going

The second-best advice I ever heard about writer's block came from a quote in last month's Atlantic Monthly, where Sandra Tsing Loh said, “When faced with writer's block, lower your standards and keep going.” The best advice I ever heard is to pretend it doesn't exist. There's no such thing as “plumber's block,” right? Just sit down and do what you need to do.

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