I'm a slow reader, so when I finally finish a book, it's a big deal to me. I wish I could burn through books like many people I know, but I need to nurse them like a fine wine. I do my best to take notes and highlight sections that stand out to me. I did this a bunch reading Judd Apatow's book, Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Comedy. 

The book is a collection of interviews with many of the biggest names in comedy, from Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock, to Mel Brooks and Sarah Silverman. It's a treasure trove of thought provoking advice about life, writing, and performance.

I have always enjoyed Apatow's movies like Funny People, Knocked Up, The 40 Year Old Virgin, This Is 40, and I loved Freaks and Geeks. All of his work speaks to me. What I didn't realize was how dedicated he is to the art of comedy. 

It begins with guts and dedication

Some of the interviews in the book are from the 1980s when Apatow called comedians to request interviews for his radio show. When they agreed, they didn't realize a 15-year-old high school kid would show up with a tape recorder. That takes guts and dedication. He did air the interviews on his school radio station, so it wasn't a lie, but the station didn't broadcast past the walls of the school. 

Apatow went on to perform stand-up comedy in Los Angeles. He seemed to cross paths or work on projects with some of the best names in comedy. He was an executive producer of The Ben Stiller Show (one of my favorites), The Larry Sanders Show (another favorite), and so many more classic shows and movies. I love that he has been inspired to start performing stand-up again after all of these years. 

Reading Sick In The Head has reinvigorated my interest in performing comedy. I've written here before about studying and graduating from Second City in Toronto. I even had my own improv comedy troupe for about a year in Galway, Ireland, where we performed every Thursday night. I've never done stand-up, but I have material floating around in my head and in notebooks, so who knows. I also used to record fake radio shows and crank calls, when I was a kid. Garry Shandling mentioned that, "for some reason, every comedian he knew pretended to have a radio show as a kid." Perhaps I should take this as a sign.

I learned so many lessons about life, writing, and performing from the interviews. I have transcribed them below for you. I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Sick In The Head. I expect each reader will find gems that apply to themselves. There are many more guests in the book like Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Steve Allen. Here are the quotes from Sick In The Head that stood out to me most. I hope these inspire you too. 

On Life... 

Albert Brooks

• "There's no line at the bank for being ahead of your time."

• "Be generous and you can be the best person who ever lived."

• "The subject of dying and getting old never gets old."

Chris Rock

• "You learn more from fucking up than you do from success, unfortunately. And failure, if you don't let it defeat you, is what fuels your future success."

Keegan-Michael Key

• "You've got to delegate. Trust people and delegate."

• "But then you get the tools, and one of those tools is the confidence to say, "Of course I can do that."

Louis C.K.

• On setting goals... "I had a direction in my life."

Sarah Silverman

• "You don't get what you want, you get what you think you deserve."

Spike Jonze

• "I always wanted to know why before I believed something."

• "...but in skateboarding, the city is a playground. Look at things differently."

Eric Idle

• "People are always interested in conversation because they don't get any."

• "To tolerate assholes is not a good idea - it only encourages them."

David Sedaris

• "Don't expect everything to work."

Jay Leno

• "You learn from the bad jobs. You don't learn anything from the good jobs."

Judd Apatow

• "…success never satisfies whatever you thought it was going to do for you."

• "As soon as I let go, everything went better….my career took off."

• "I feel like, as creative people, we're all on this journey to get comfortable with who we are, to understand who we are, to find a way for our art to express that."

• "…life is about finding ways to connect to other people…"

• (On Garry Shandling's advice) "You have to have a dream before you can execute it."

• "…they have a vision, and they work their asses off to make it a reality."

• "A lot of the need to be productive is the terror of things falling apart."

• "(Jay Leno) made me want to treat people kindly."

On Writing...

David Sedaris

• "When you become a grown-up, you realize how much weight your words might have -- to a younger person."

Jerry Seinfeld

• "It's one thing to see something. And I think the next step is to do something with it."

• "If you always want less, in words as well as things, you'll do well as a writer."

Garry Shandling

• "The most important thing a comic can do is write from his insides."

• "Whenever you turn to what the organic state of any given character is, the fears and the anger and the struggle, you're going to get conflict and a lot of hilarious stuff."

James L. Brooks

• "It's worth it. Writing is worth it."

• "You can't do your best work when you're self-conscious, when you're conscious of yourself."

Jon Stewart 

• (On comedy writing for Daily Show) "I never think about its purpose. I think about its process…"

Mike Nichols

• "What matters is how much it connects with people."

Sarah Silverman

• "I tried to teach myself how to think ahead."

Stephen Colbert

• (Quoting a teacher) "Write what you know, and write what you are interested in."

Jay Leno

• "The whole trick to being a successful comedian is to make fun of the things you like… So you find a common bond with people… everybody has a TV, so you talk about TV."

Judd Apatow

• "Start with an incredibly immature person who needs to learn a lesson."

• "Think in terms of the human story." Garry Shandling… "Yeah, this is the big bang of it."

• "Then I read somewhere that the best gift you can give other people is your story…"

• "…you write movies to figure out why you're writing the movie."

• "And that was probably the turning point for my whole career, realizing that the little moments that I thought were boring or just not interesting to other people are actually the things that people would be most interested in."

On Performance...

Garry Shandling

• "What you see on the stage is really how I am when I'm funny."

Amy Schumer

• (On Seinfeld advice to repeat his material) "Not everybody's watching everything you do, you know."

Harold Ramis

• (On improv) "focus on making everyone else look good because in that process we all look good."

Chris Rock

• "When you get real (honest), you have your biggest success."

• "When he (Louis C.K.) revealed himself, the whole world connected with him. "

Jay Leno

• "You just get better the more you do. The real trick is to listen to it and throw out everything that's not funny." Do this with a tape recorder.

Judd Apatow

• "It is interesting if you watch the arcs of so many comedians. At some point, they just become themselves.

• "Hearing what's in your mind truly makes people feel less alone and gives them hope for things that they want to do and get through things that are difficult."

• "Do not be afraid to share your story, or to be vulnerable and open when telling it."

• "Talking about this kind of stuff onstage means a lot to people. It frees them up to not feel ashamed for struggling. "

Lena Dunham

• "There are always people telling you that your experience doesn't matter, that it's navel gazing or unnecessary… But we do need to hear it, because that's who so many people are! I mean, it can be the difference between someone feeling like they have a place in the world and someone feeling they don't… art has a place in making people feel less alone."

The Main Conclusions...

The main conclusion I can draw from Sick In The Head is to be brave and honest enough to write and/or perform stories about your life. It's our stories that resonate with the audience and readers, especially when they are familiar. Treat people kindly and be complimentary. Don't fear failure. Believe in yourself. 

Even if you don't plan to become a comedian, you should start a journal and write every day. David Sedaris said, "(In your journal) each morning look at the day before and think, Okay, what was the defining moment of the day? What was the most interesting thing that happened? What was worth remembering?"

Next Steps...

I think this is a great starting point for me. I am also already getting involved with Nashville's comedy community. In the last two weeks, I have seen one improv show (LOL Nashville), several stand-ups, and even went to see Louis C.K. perform. Keep your eyes open for these hilarious local comedians, Michael Hampton, Nate Bargatze, and Dusty Slay. 

I've been talking to Luke Watson who is doing amazing work with Third Coast Comedy. I'm craving to perform improv again, maybe even stand-up. If you're subscribed to my newsletter, I will let you know when this happens.

Go grab a copy of Sick In The Head. Be sure to follow Judd Apatow on Twitter. The man is clearly a genius and generous person. I'm excited to see what new projects he has planned for us.

UPDATE: Suddenly, I'm performing improv again! 

Photo from Flickr by Sonia Recchia for Canadian Film Centre.  

Luria Petruci (AKA Cali Lewis) GeekBrief TV interview with me at Mac World in 2009. Photo by Griffin Technology.

I'm a big proponent of ethical, good-natured, non-douchey networking. I even wrote a book about networking, and my keynote presentation is all about the topic too. 

I had the great pleasure of catching up with an old friend yesterday, while we streamed live video on Facebook (video below). Luria Petruci is an early technology adopter and innovative talented video host. She once went by the name Cali Lewis and ran GeekBrief TV. I still remember when she interviewed me at Mac World in 2009. Her energy and honesty shined through her work as much then as it does now. We kept in touch via Twitter over the years and ran into each other from time to time in-person at CES.  

Networking isn't just about establishing relationships. It's about keeping in touch and looking for ways to help the other person. 

In our conversation, we spoke about the importance of networking for your career and business. I shared tips on how to grow and nurture your network online and offline. It's pretty clear how excited I was to catch up and chat with Luria after so long. I hope you enjoy our conversation and learn a thing or two about networking.

If you want to learn more about creating online video, you should definitely check out Luria's courses at Geeks University. She has been doing web video for as long as there has been web video, she's truly a pro. 

I had a fun back-and-forth with Brad Wilson and Tahira Endean on Twitter on Saturday. They reminded me how much fun social media can be when you're being social. 

I have been struggling with the social side of social media lately. Maybe you have too. I find I have been having less conversations with folks. I believe I'm partly to blame because I have been spending less time online. I have also been too self-promotional, and I haven't been listening enough. By listening, I am referring to reviewing conversations from my saved Twitter lists and search results, and the Facebook and LinkedIn groups I belong to. 

My Selfless Promotion Challenge

This week I'm trying an experiment. I'm calling this my Selfless Promotion Challenge. I'm going to put the social back into social networking. Here's my plan.  

• I've logged into my IFTTT and Buffer accounts to pause my scheduled, automated content.
• I have updated my Tweetdeck layout to only include Lists and Search Results (in addition to my replies and direct messages). 
• I will NOT like or retweet any content without a comment of my own. 
• I will NOT promote any of my own content or services. I will only promote other people.
• I will leave more comments on the blogs and groups I enjoy. 

I was trying to think of ways I could measure the results of my experiment, but I concluded measurement is beyond the point. If I am truly being selfless, I shouldn't care about the results. All I hope is that the results are more conversations, re-connections with old friends, and I make some new ones. 

I recently returned from a family adventure. We flew to Denver, rented a car, and embarked on our first DelaneysGo.com road trip. We had a wonderful time exploring the great states of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. There was just one small catch, I still had to get work done along our journey.

When you run a small business, you can't simply unplug and stop working altogether. Yes, a family vacation should be all about spending time with your family, but you should never neglect your clients.

If you are like me, you have probably found yourself in the same boat (maybe even on a boat). The following are some tips to help you run your business while on your family vacation.

9 Tips to Work Remotely With Your Family

1. Let your clients know that you will be on the road for a couple of weeks before departing, so they know to expect a delay hearing back from you.
2. Set up your trusty, Out of Office email auto-reply with the details.
3. Split the driving time with your spouse, so you can tend to your email and catch up on industry news and social media.
4. If you need to get writing done, complete invoices and proposals, you can tether your laptop to your phone. Avoid videos, so your telecom doesn't penalize you with bandwidth overage fees.
5. Since you will be sharing a hotel room with your children (like us), you will probably get to bed at a relatively early time each night. Be sure to wake up before the rest of your family and head to the lobby to work. Bonus points if you can walk to a local café with Wi-Fi. This gives you a little local flavor, plus you support a fellow small business.
6. If you can't sleep because of the looming work you know you need to get to, sneak into the bathroom and set up your temporary office. Type quietly as you perch over the toilet (not so ergonomically designed). Stand-up comedian and Conan O'Brien staff writer, Brian Kiley, is known for writing material this way.
7. If you are RVing or camping (we camped), check to see if the park has Wi-Fi. You will be surprised to learn that many do.
8. Always be brainstorming ideas for new content along your travels. Use a notepad and sketch out your thoughts for blog posts, newsletters, and any other content you plan to produce.
9. If your family is quietly reading, sleeping, or staring deeply into their devices as you travel, listen to an audiobook or podcast on your headphones. I usually choose non-fiction, business-related content, so I can discover new techniques to market my business and help my clients with theirs.

Be clear with your family that you still need to get some work done during your family vacation. Remind them that your business helps to pay for their trip. Without my amazing clients, we wouldn't have been able to go on our adventure.

I asked the DelaneysGo newsletter subscribers for their own remote working tips. Matthew Rogers suggested that we should be prepared with all fully charged devices to get work done. He uses his iPhone's personal hotspot to download client files. He also suggested using text edit to draft blog posts, since other software that depends on an internet connection can be spotty. Marc Apple recommended setting a certain time of day to check emails and to make phone calls. He urged readers to stick to that schedule to make the most of your time away.

Most importantly, understand that a family vacation should primarily be about your family. I am not suggesting you bury your head into your laptop or behind your mobile device during your whole holiday. Be open with your family, so they understand why you need to get work done.  Don't forget why you are on a family vacation in the first place. 

Have you traveled with your family and still got your work done? I'd love to hear how you did it. 

This article originally appeared in The Tennessean Newspaper.

Have you ever looked up at the sky at night and wondered about the Milky Way? Do you ever consider your actions and the effects they have on the universe? Do you want to become a better public speaker? Are you wondering what these have in common? Have I opened this post with too many questions?

I had the great pleasure of spending my birthday at TEDXNashville this year. Heather and I agreed that our favorite speaker was astrophysicist, Dr. Kelly Holley-Bockelmann. We decided "The Spacetime Symphony of Gravitational Waves" was our favorite because of several reasons. 

Why we chose Dr. Kelly Holley-Bockelmann's presentation as the best TEDX Nashville for 2016 

There were many amazing presentations, but The Spacetime Symphony of Gravitational Waves stood out for som

• She dumbed down an extremely complex topic so the audience would understand. Even I understood!
• Her passion for the topic was contagious. 
• Humor was used throughout the presentation that kept us laughing. 
• She reflected on something we all recognize, staring up to the Milky Way. I loved that she started with this and returned to it again at the end. 
• The presentation was interactive as the audience rose to take part in The Gravitational Wave Dance.
• She was the best-dressed presenter. Her dress was a memorable part of the presentation. 
• She left us with a profound thought that we must consider each day. 

As a public speaker, I always watch presenters with the intention of learning new ideas to deliver more impactful talks. This presentation was definitely one that will stick with me. 

Even if you have no interest in understanding supermassive black holes, spacetime, or gravitational waves, you must watch this presentation.

Get ready to learn why your choices matter and how they will be written into the universe. 

If you want to learn more about delivering a killer presentation, pick up a copy of Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds by Carmine Gallo.

Milky Way photo by James Wheeler

Outsiders Beware. Your Brilliant Idea Could Be Terrible.

Several years ago, I was standing in the security line at Nashville's airport. I stood there anxiously like the rest of the cattle, with my shoes in one hand and my bag in the other. As I lowered my shoes into the white plastic bin, I noticed a brilliant marketing move. 

The base of the bin had been lined with an advertisement for Zappos, the online shoe store. Picture placing your old, worn shoes into a bin with an ad encouraging you to order your next pair online. Talk about reaching your target market, right? Brilliant! 

This was the first time I had seen the white, security bin boxes branded. I imagined how many people would see the ads before arriving to their gates. What do people do when they get to their gate? They wait. They hop on their phones, tablets, or laptops, to surf the web before boarding time. I imagined Zappos' sales had spiked as a result.

Photo from http://blog.garrettspecialties.com/2009/05/22/

She shook her head in disagreement and said, "It's terrible."

When I passed the security check, the TSA agent stood behind the conveyor of plastic bins. She looked to me as I picked out my shoes. I told her I thought it was a brilliant idea for ads to be placed in the bins. She shook her head in disagreement and said, "It's terrible."

She explained that since the ads had appeared in the otherwise white bins, passengers were continuously leaving something behind. The ads camouflaged their wallets, passports, purses, and keys. I wondered how many people had to dart back to security in a mad panic after realizing their wallet was left behind. I bet people have even missed flights because of this. I agreed with the TSA agent that it was a terrible idea after all. 

What can seem brilliant in a boardroom can be terrible once rolled out, because there is not enough knowledge about the environment. I don't blame Zappos for this, I still think it was a clever idea. Unfortunately, it has also proved terrible for TSA agents and unsuspecting passengers. 

Can you think of other examples of brilliant, terrible ideas?

The Art of the Podcast

What are the five types of podcasts? What is the common thread that connects each? How can you make your podcast better?

I presented The Art of the Podcast at the Craft Content conference in Nashville. My goal was to leave the audience, a mix of current and future podcasters, with ideas on how to tell better stories and produce better podcasts. I began my talk by describing the five types of podcasts. 

The Five Types of Podcasts

1. Interview. An interview podcast is a program that features a guest and a host. Some of my favorites include; The Nice Podcast (shameless plug), The James Altucher Show, WTF with Marc Maron, Marketing Smarts, and Six Pixels of Separation. 

2. Couples-Cast. A podcast featuring two co-hosts. I used to use this definition for podcasts with actual couples like Dawn and Drew, and my first podcast, Two Boobs and a Baby. I now use it to cover all co-hosted podcasts. Check out Marketing Over Coffee as a good example.

3. Ramble-Cast. A single-host podcast. Any podcast with one person sharing what's on their mind fits this category. Tune into DicksnJanes and Up In This Brain to get a taste of what I am talking about.

4. Round Table. These are podcasts featuring a host as the moderator and a panel of subject experts; a favorite is The BeanCast.

5. Magazine. A magazine podcast is a highly produced show. It features multiple stories (like a magazine), and can also be referred to as a narrative podcast. I love shows like 99% Invisible, RadioLab, This American Life (admittedly this is a radio program first), and StartUp. I also have a new favorite, Neighbors, which I learned about from the host, Jakob Lewis, during Craft Content.

The online broadcasting barriers have dropped.

While some of my favorite podcasts began as terrestrial radio programs, some favorites have gone the other way and become radio shows. Online broadcasting barriers have dropped with the advent of inexpensive production software (Audacity is free) and hardware like microphones, mixers, and headphones. Anyone can become a podcaster now. The point is to become a good one by telling and sharing stories your listeners will be interested in. 

What makes a great podcast story?

Each of the five types of podcasts has one thing in common: Storytelling. The interviewer knows when to remain quiet to listen to his guest's story. A couples cast will feature the hosts taking turns sharing and adding to their stories. A ramble cast features a single person telling stories about her day or from her past. A roundtable moderator will pass the mic to each panelist, he will ensure they stay on the same topic while each participant adds their own stories to the mix. Like a physical magazine, a magazine podcast includes narrative stories from guests and their hosts. All powerful podcasts include rich, vivid stories. 

Four keys to podcasting an exceptional story

In The Art of the Podcast, I shared four keys to use in a podcast to relay an exceptional story. These don't have to all be used in a single podcast episode, but strong stories include one or more of the following; ambiance (background sounds, music, sound effects), conflict and resolution, honesty, and humor. 

I included several clips during my presentation as examples. The sound bites came from 99% Invisible, RadioLab, DicksnJanes, and StartUp. I am truly passionate about podcasting. I hope my audience found my presentation helpful as they weave better stories into their shows. 

If you have a podcast, please leave a link in the comments. I would love to tune in to your show. You can hear me interviewed on podcasts here or listen to my show, The Nice Podcast.

The Art of the Podcast from Dave Delaney

I've been in a bit of a creative funk lately. I have some ideas on projects I want to work on, including a new book, but I have had to rethink things. The long and the short of it, is I need to be sure what I create is aligned with where I want to be longterm. Things are still fuzzy, the funk is still here. Maybe something is holding you back too. Rather than dwell on this today, I wanted to share this inspiring short film. This might be just the kick you need to stop waiting.

Watch as Brad O’Neill looks to take his childhood dream and turn it into a reality by jumping a bike high enough to be able to base jump from it. O'Neill asks a few thought-provoking questions and shares some profound statements. It raises the question, what was your childhood dream?

"Why keep waiting? The perfect time is now."

"Usually, the things you are most apprehensive about are the ones that will bring you the most joy."

"There is a serious struggle balancing what your mind is telling you and what your heart is telling you."

"How long your life is isn't what's important. It's about how you spend your time."

Hat tip to Chris Guillebeau for sharing this on his blog today. 

Basketball or The Simpsons? This is the story of how a Sunday night tradition was born.

Back in the early 90s, I spent much of my time at a local watering hole in Toronto. The place was like a second home to my friends and me. It was like Cheers, except the patrons made up a wide range of wonderful misfits (way cooler people than Cliff and Norm).

One Sunday night the two televisions were switched to a basketball game. I was with my friends and we were discussing The Simpsons. We were all big fans of the show. Suddenly, I glanced at the clock and realized it was nearly 8:00, our favorite animated series was about to come on.

I asked the bartender if he would switch the channel from the mindless dribbling that nobody seemed to be watching to our choice. He shrugged his shoulders and said everyone was watching the game. I suggested they weren't. He replied that I would have to ask each person in the bar if it was okay to switch it to The Simpsons - and so I called his bluff. 

It was unanimous, nobody cared for basketball (it was way before the Raptors were killing it). The entire bar was filled with fans of Homer, his family, and his friends. The bartender had no other choice but to comply. He switched the channels and a tradition was born. We would meet at the bar every Sunday night in the weeks, months, and years after.

Never assume consensus.

Twenty-five seasons later, the longest-running animated series continues to entertain millions of people, including those sharing pints and laughs at my favorite Toronto watering hole every Sunday night.

Had I not questioned the assumed consensus a tradition may never have been born. The same can be said in the workplace and among your friends and family. Don't think it has to be a certain way because it seems so. Never assume consensus.

Have you ever wondered what you are good at? Ten people have the answers. You probably do too. 

Here is an exercise to get a better understanding of your strengths. I borrowed this from Pat Flynn's new book, Will It Fly? Pat referenced Gary Vaynerchuck as someone who has recommended this too. You will have to muster up a little courage and check your ego at the door, but the answers are worth it.

Take a moment to consider ten people who know you quite well. I would skip family. Choose people who you have worked with, old and new friends. Then send each person an email with a message like the one I wrote. 

Hi Jim,

I’m working on a little self-discovery project. Since you know me quite well, I am hoping you will play along with this to help me get some clarity. What do you feel is my unique ability - perhaps a “superpower” that I possess? What would you say that superpower is?

Thanks for your honest reply. It means a lot. 

Most of the replies came quickly and they absolutely meant a lot to me. I copied and pasted each person's answer into a word document, so I could have them all on one page to read. The most common words were: 

Sharing, Talking, Listening, Storyteller, Communication, Connection, Trust.

The words didn't surprise me, but they reminded me of what I am all about. These descriptions of me came from a couple of childhood friends, a former boss and friend, some friends I have known for more than a decade, a few friends who I have known for less. 

Use Your Superpowers Every Day

You should try this for yourself and see what your friends think of you. The important next step is to remember to use these superpowers every day. 

"With great power comes great responsibility." - Uncle Ben.

Will your idea fly? How to test your ideas.

Listening to Erik Fisher's Beyond The To-Do List podcast came at a great time, because I am working on some new ideas for my business. His guest was, Pat Flynn, from The Smart Passive Income Podcast and author of the new book, Will It Fly? How to Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don't Waste Your Time and Money.

I'm a big fan of Pat Flynn. Like other podcasters, he shares great advice for internet marketers. However, he approaches things in a very conversational, non-expert style. I am confident in saying that Pat Flynn is an expert in online marketing, but he delivers in a non-pushy or self-inflated ego kind of way. He's a good guy. 

The Beyond The To-Do List interview is about Pat's latest book, Will It Fly?, which is the question every entrepreneur should be asking before launching anything. Pat urges listeners and readers of his book to test their ideas before moving ahead. 

The following are key takeaways from the interview. I encourage you to listen to the full interview for more nuggets of wisdom from Pat and Erik. 

How to test your business ideas.

Grab your copy.

• Too many choices will stop you from moving forward. The unknown can cause enough fear for you to give up on an idea before you even test the waters.

• Get the answer to the question first.

• Consider the opportunity costs. Mike Stelzner from Social Media Examiner says, "You can't start one thing without stopping another."

• Don't rush into it. You need to decide on the idea and determine the steps you will need to make to move forward.

• Understand where the points of failure are.

• Make sense of your ideas by visualizing them by mind mapping. Check out MindMeister.

• Pat loves using post-it notes to create the order of his ideas by clumping them, reorganizing, and more. Beth Kanter has an excellent post about facilitating meetings with sticky notes.

• Figure out the problems you are solving with your idea first.

• Every great business solves a problem.

• An entrepreneur is a problem solver.

• Market research is crucial.

• Create your market map. Understand what's out there first by using the Three P's.

P: Places. Determine all of the places where your customer is online and offline. 

P: People. Find out who the influencers are in the space who have gained the authority. Use Twitter's advanced search to find them. Use podcasting networks to find them. Refer to the owners of popular LinkedIn Groups.  

P: Products. Figure out what the products are that already exist. You can find a position in the space if you see what is already out there. 

• Use Amazon to find the books on the topic and read the three-star reviews. Pat explains that these reviews tend to be the most honest. Reviewers provide the authors with suggestions on how the book could be improved or with new ideas not covered. These are items you can address in your product.

• Refine your idea after you have done your research.

• Get a few people to pay for your idea. Tim Ferris talked about validation in his best-selling book, The Four-Hour Work Week.

• Don't pretend to have a product with a buy now button. Instead, be honest and tell your friends, fans, and followers that you will create the product if you get enough buy-in from them. Ask them to pay up front to show they are truly interested in your idea. Make it a discount price. Include access to your early customers to help you shape what the product becomes.

• Set S.M.A.R.T goals.

• If you do not meet your goals. You know the product may not be a right fit.

• Do your homework and validate your ideas.

• When you have an idea of any kind. Talk about it with people close to you. You might be afraid people will steal the idea, but they won't.

• The pros of sharing your idea with people far outweigh the cons. The benefits include seeing and hearing the feedback. You get to have them poke holes in the ideas. They will also help you make it better by providing you with new ideas.

• Share your idea with strangers too. Don't just take one person's opinion. Use this feedback to help you determine whether you should proceed.

• Consider joining or creating a mastermind group to share these ideas.

• Onboarding means offboarding other things.

• You will need to make sacrifices in order to launch your new product. You will have to say no to other things that steal your focus.

• Make the product your one thing. Make it a healthy obsession.

• Everything you read and learn should contribute to that one idea.

• Don't let other things slow down your new idea.

• Work-life balance is a myth. Don't let your balance teeter too much to one side or the other. Be sure your communication is strong with your loved ones.

• Share what you are working on with your family, so they are aware. They will understand you will be busy if they know what you are doing. Be sure to refocus your time on them too.

I recommend you hop over to Amazon right now and pick up a copy of Pat Flynn's book, Will It Fly? How to Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don't Waste Your Time and Money. 

You can listen to the full interview below and grab the show notes at Beyond The To-Do List.

Photo by Dave Delaney. All Rights Reserved.

My kids are nine and ten years old. For the last several years, I have been recording them on the morning of their birthdays. Each birthday, I use the voice recorder app on my iPhone, to ask the birthday boy or girl one simple question. 

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I have been fascinated with this question since I began to pause and reflect upon my own career, throughout my adulthood. I find the answer to what we truly want to do for a living can often be found in the things we most enjoyed as children. 

When my brother, Mike, was about eight, I performed magic and comedy for his friends at his birthday party. I was probably eleven years old. I was a class clown. I loved making my friends laugh, but the ultimate win was cracking up a teacher. I remember Ms. Hickey once laughing hysterically as she turned to the chalkboard to hide her laughter from the class. She couldn't reveal that I had her busting her gut. 

Years later, I would study improv comedy at Second City. I even had my own improv comedy troupe when I lived in Ireland. Improv is something I've been itching to do again. In fact, I'm (finally) going out this Saturday to see an improv show in Nashville. It only took me eight years living here to finally do this.

I loved creative writing in school. I used to write short stories, poetry, and I wrote in journals religiously. As I got older, the journalling stopped. It's something I have started doing again recently. Of course, I have this blog to share my thoughts with you. I also write on the Futureforth blog, Tennessean newspaper, and in my personal email newsletter (you are subscribed, right?). 

I loved drama class in school too. My earliest memory of performing on stage was doing Little Red Riding Hood in Grade 3. I had been demoted from my role of the lumberjack hero because I had goofed off one too many times in class. Instead, I was re-cast as a tree. I was more of a prop than I was an actor. My direction was to simply tilt my body horizontally as if to collapse slightly as the replacement lumberjack swung his axe into me. From there he would hear Little Red Riding Hood’s desperate yells for help and run to her rescue. 

My parents sank in their seats and my teacher's face became raging red with anger. 

When the lumberjack scene arrived. I stood erect with my arms spread out like a great oak tree. My parents and the audience probably noted my stylish wardrobe of a green turtleneck, dark brown corduroy pants, and trendy Buster Brown shoes. The lumberjack swung his axe into my side, but instead of following my direction, I had a better idea. I slowly fell forward with my face nearly smashing against the stage floor. I fell like a real oak tree wood, “Timber!”.  The audience roared in applause and laughter as my parents sank in their seats and my teacher's face became raging red with anger. 

I love making people laugh. I love being on stage in front of an audience. I know this is why I became a speaker. I always leave the audience informed, but make sure they laugh during my presentations too. There is nothing worse than a dry, boring speaker. 

Recording what Ella and Sam want to be when they grow up is an exercise for their own reflection as they get older. The recordings are private. I have no intention of sharing them with the world. I just want them to realize that as kids, they already have wonderful ideas on what they will be when they grow up. I want them to stay in tune with these ideas as they grow. I don’t want the system to distract them from following their true passions. Sir Ken Robinson has an excellent book called The Element. Robinson wrote, “The Element is about discovering your self, and you can’t do this if you’re trapped in a compulsion to confirm. You can’t be yourself in a swarm.” 

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I bet your favorite duties in your job stem from your childhood passions. Maybe you are lucky enough to do what you have always dreamed of doing. Or maybe you are stuck in a job that has nothing to do with the true you. Take some time to jot down what you wanted to be as a kid. Add the things you enjoyed most as a child. Now ask yourself how you can begin to weave these interests and passions into your work. 

Honesty is the best policy.

I buggered up scheduling a meeting with a client today because I mixed up timezones (sorry Zoe). I apologized to her and told her the truth. My mum taught me that honesty is the best policy. Your mom (or maybe Ben Franklin) probably taught you this too. 

Today, I saw a story on LinkedIn that inspired this post about honesty. No matter how clever you think you are in concocting a lie, you aren't. This lie cost a guy a job and it wasn't even necessary. 

Brian Connors, Managing Director and Co-Founder of AllSearch Professional Staffing wrote this post. 

Never a dull day in Recruiting. A "Professional" Sales/Management Candidate cancelled an interview today because they and child had a bad car accident, child had to go to the hospital. Even sent us the pic. How sad right? Not so fast, Google "bmw car accident" if you will. I guess our only remaining question for this future superstar of business is, just how did you get from the streets of India to a hospital in Atlanta in just 3 hours?!

I had to search the image myself. I use the Google Image Search Chrome extension to easily search any image online.

Sure enough, I found the original photo on Hindu.com by Sushil Kumar Verma.

"Honesty and integrity are absolutely essential for success in life." - Zig Ziglar. 

Being dumped was the best thing that ever happened to me.

I was seeing an Australian girl for a while when I lived in Galway, Ireland. One day she called me to tell me we needed to talk. That’s never a good sign. We met up at her place after I got off work. She sat me down and nervously got to the point. She wanted to break up. 

I knew she wanted to break up when she said we needed to talk. It was either that or she was pregnant. Thank god it was the former. What I didn’t know was I would meet my future wife as a result.

The reality was I knew we weren’t soul mates. She was from Australia and I was from Canada. We weren’t going to leave Ireland together. All good things come to an end, I understood that. Instead of dwelling on the end of our short relationship, I suggested we should celebrate it. I smiled, accepted my fate and invited her out to dinner — on a breakup date.

Naturally, she was hesitant to go for dinner with me, since she literally just broke up with me. She agreed to the date once she was convinced that I had accepted her wish to terminate the relationship. 

The Home Plate was this cute little restaurant in Galway. The food was delicious and affordable for backpackers and locals on a budget. It was perfect for people like me. I think the cozy place had about ten tables at the most. 

What can I get y'all?

My ex-girlfriend and I were seated together at a two-seater near the kitchen. We were talking about mutual friends and local gossip when our waitress approached, “What can I get y’all?” I found her attractive and thought her American southern accent was odd to hear in a tiny restaurant on the west coast of Ireland. 

Dinner was a bit of a blur. I probably had the chimichanga or the chicken curry, both were my favorite dishes on the menu. After we ate, I hugged my former girlfriend and bid her farewell. Rather than heading back to my lonely flat, I went to the pub, which was conveniently located below my lonely flat. 

The evening festivities were as fun as always. I mingled with local friends and fellow backpacker chums over many pints of Guinness. The early evening became later that night, and low and behold, that cute waitress entered the pub! I approached her (with liquid courage) and exclaimed that she was my waitress earlier that night. She affirmed my statement. I then explained that I had been on a breakup date. In fact, I was now a “free man”. 

As you would expect, she was not impressed by the statement. I believe she replied with something polite like, “that’s good for you”. We didn’t talk much more that night. We both left with our respective friends and that was that — for the time being. I had no idea she would become my wife and mother of our children. 

When you are a foreign backpacker, working at a hostel, living in a city with 60,000 people, you end up mixing with the same people often. I ran into her several times after the first chance encounter. We chatted and started to get to know one another a little more each time we ran into each other — usually in a pub.

Heather cured my hangover! 

One day, weeks later, I was finishing my shift working at the hostel. I was sleep deprived and dealing with a hangover. I was ready to pull myself away from the reception desk, down the stairs, up the street, into my flat, and under my blankets to crash for the night. I was cashing out when the beautiful, blonde waitress from Tennessee entered to my surprise.

Heather approached the desk and asked me what I was doing that night. I told her I was hungover and ready to get some sleep. She frowned and said that it was too bad. I asked why and she replied, “because I was going to see if you wanted to join me for a pint.” 

Suddenly I felt one-hundred percent again. My foggy fatigue was instantly converted to positive energy. It was a miracle, Heather had cured my hangover! We left the hostel together and spent the evening laughing, talking, and listening to the finest Irish traditional music in the world at The Crane pub. Our first date of many over the next seventeen years (and counting).

A breakup could have been the worst thing ever. Instead, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. As painful as they can be, breakups happen for a reason. 

What's your biggest regret? 

A chalkboard was set up in the middle of New York City asking passersby to write down their biggest regrets. As the board filled up, the filmmakers noticed that all of these responses had one alarming thing in common. Do the things you'll regret not doing.

More common life regrets from the blackboard: 

• Not saying "yes" to things.
• Being too afraid of failure.
• Wasting time. 
• Not going after your dreams.
• Not keeping in touch with friends.
• Not finding the time.
• Just doing plan B.
• Staying in your comfort zone.
• Not pursuing your career.
• Not getting involved.
• Not speaking your mind.
• Not following your dreams.

The moral of the story is to treat every day as a clean slate. Do the things you'll regret not doing. 

Take a moment today to jot down your own regrets. Life goes by quickly, consider doing something different today to put you in the right direction. We all need to aim to reduce our regrets. What are you going to do?

When I worked at that gas station, I had a regular customer who always cracked me up. He was an elderly man with a thick British accent. When he came in each week, I would ask him how he was. He would stare up into my eyes from his seat and give me a sly smile. 

"Do you have an hour? I am going to need about an hour or more to tell you how I am. It's a complicated question with a complex answer. I would love to tell you how I am. Will your boss mind if you slip away for sixty minutes to listen to me tell you how I am?" 

I would smile and awkwardly reply that I didn't think that would be possible. He would nod and explain that I should refrain from asking how he was doing if I didn’t really want to know the answer. I always laughed and appreciated his candor. 

The Business Rhetorical Question

The biggest business lie is the one you answer when someone asks you how your business is. I have heard this question hundreds of times at networking events and conferences. The answer we always hear is that business is great, we are very busy. It's a lie. 

The truth is that most people wouldn't attend networking events or conferences if business was booming. They attend to meet new people and hopefully land new business, and that's perfectly fine. That's part of what networking is all about.

I love Chris Brogan's take on the "busy" answer. He's not busy, he's blessed. 

Maybe the next time someone asks you how your business is you should be honest. Tell them you are seeking a new client. They may be able to provide you with an introduction, or perhaps they can hire you. Just don't take sixty minutes to answer their question.

I am currently writing this from a small town north of Toronto, Ontario. I had lunch with an old friend who is a steel salesperson today. He spends his time driving from metal shop to metal shop across the province meeting with owners to close sales and build his network. He is old school and it works for him.

I asked him for his advice on how he makes sales and he told me to knock on some doors.

Most of my business at Futureforth comes from word of mouth. The trouble is, I sometimes depend on it too much. Instead of knocking on doors, I wait for the business owners to knock on mine. It doesn't sound very proactive, right? It isn't.

Instead of driving back to his office after our lunch, he was going to pop into a few businesses he noticed as he drove to meet me. He literally will walk in unannounced and introduce himself. He's not a pushy, sales guy. He simply wants to meet the owners and get on their radar. 

People do business with those they know, like and trust.

He will ask the owners if they need any steel now. If so, he will offer to get a quote. If the owner says no, he will suggest that he give them a quote to share his prices. My friend is a charming, good guy. He's not a slick, sales jerk. 

His main goal is to make people like him. He reminded me that people do business with those they know and like. If they like him, they will decide to give him a chance for business. Once he makes a sale, he's in with that new customer. 

It all starts with knocking on some doors. It was a good reminder for me to do the same. How about you?

Let me begin by explaining that I do not work in the film industry, nor do I shoot animals. Having come from Toronto, it's hard not to have learned a thing or two about how movies are made. I expect coming from Nashville; most natives know enough about hunting (whether they do it or not). 

In the film industry, Toronto is known as Hollywood North. At any given moment, you can see multiple film shoots occurring. The city can easily be transformed to resemble New York or Chicago because of the similar architecture. Filmmakers get a nice tax break, and that weak Canadian dollar helps seal the deals too. Chicago, the movie, was filmed in Toronto. 

After I returned to Toronto from backpacking Europe, I worked nights and some days at an international youth hostel. I intended to meet fellow backpackers but also save enough money to return to Ireland for a year (which I did, and then some). 

I used to work Saturday or Sunday mornings at the hostel. If things were slow and we had vacancies, I would drive to the local bus station to find international backpackers arriving. I would happily approach them, show them fliers for the hostel, and give them a free ride if they needed one. Most people eagerly took me up on the offer.

Officers swarmed out of nowhere with their guns drawn!

Photo from Flickr by dtstuff9. 

I clearly remember one Saturday morning as I waited for future hostel guests to arrive at the bus station. The sky was blue, and the sun shone brightly at the busy downtown intersection. Suddenly, unmarked police cars swarmed the streets. Undercover officers swarmed out of nowhere with guns drawn at a man crossing the road. They each yelled, "Get down with your hands up!" The bad guy dropped to his knees; he knew they had him captured. There was no point in resisting or trying to escape. 

As a Toronto native, I knowingly glanced around for the cameras. Yep, I spotted it. A large crane was at the corner with a camera facing down on the scene below. An action-filled shot like that was presumably a major scene of the film. The director yelled, "Back to ones, people", and they began to shoot it again - and again and again. 

Each time the police takedown began, unsuspecting pedestrians would duck for cover thinking it was all real. The pedestrians were usually weary travelers having just stepped foot into Toronto from hours of travel. Welcome to Hollywood North. Soon after they learned it was a film shoot, the embarrassed people would laugh about experiencing a staged police takedown, right as they stepped off the bus! Now that is a story to share with your loved ones back home.

The part where I got embarrassed...

When I moved to Nashville, I was taking a walk around the surrounding neighborhoods. As I walked past a house, I saw a man outside in a camouflage jacket and scruffy beard. A large Ford F-150 truck was parked in his driveway with a huge apparatus attached to the trailer. It was a large steel crane that could be elevated with a stand at the top for the camera. I instantly got excited at the thought that movies were being shot in Nashville too. 

I smiled at the man and asked him what he was shooting. He looked dumbfounded and yelled, "Deer!" I could swear he added a "duh" to his reply. When I returned home to Heather, I told her the story. She laughed out loud as she explained what a deer stand was. What I thought was a camera crane was a tripod for hunters to get above their targets to blast them to bits. 

I had misidentified the hunting accessory. At least I was correct about something getting shot from that thing. In my defense, nowadays, many hunters film their victims from their deer (or tree) stands and post them on YouTube. So maybe I wasn't completely wrong. Okay, I was. :) 

Has this ever happened to you? What object did you mistakenly take for something else?

I work hard serving my clients, preparing for speaking engagements, and writing. I do my best to spend as much time as possible with my family too. It's exhausting working all of the time. Add in parenting and caring for Max, and well... I'm beat! 

This weekend the plan was to leave our kiddos with my wonderful in-laws, and to head for the hills with Heather. We booked a cabin, fully equiped with a wood-burning fireplace and hot tub. We were overdue for a relaxing weekend unplugged.

When we awoke this morning there was already some accumulation of snow. Winter was (finally) upon us. Friends joke about it because I'm vocal about craving snow this time each year. I get jealous seeing the white stuff in friend's Instagram feeds elsewhere. Today I got what I wanted, but with bad timing. 

4 inches of snow and still falling...

We attempted to drive downtown to drop the kids off, but we never made it. It took us 3 hours to drive 20 miles. We were stuck in standstill traffic along Interstate 40 for 2 hours. As we exited the interstate we got stuck in the snow. Some kind passersby stopped to help push our car. Heather took the wheel, and I joined the good people who were shoving our car forward.

WSMV even caught our antics and we made the news. Our phones were blowing up with texts from our pals who caught us on the news. I made a silly video below to share for your viewing pleasure. We're the gray Highlander. 

As I write this, the snow is still coming down. We have about 4 inches of the white stuff so far, and we expect about four more. Bring it on! 

Be sure to check out the fun photos and videos with the hashtags #snowmaggedon2016 and #nashvillesnow. You can bet I'm having a blast playing in it. You can follow my photos on Instagram if you like. 

Photo from Flickr by C.C. Chapman.

One thing you will learn about me by subscribing to this blog is I have had many jobs in my life. I love sharing stories about them, like fending off jerks at gas stations. I have also worked at many bars and restaurants over the years. This story is about a lesson I learned as a server that you can apply to your business. 

I once worked for a restaurant/folk bar / Jewish buffet/club in Toronto called Free Times Café (still going strong). Like many restaurants and bars in T.O., this one is in an old home. It is decorated with funky lamps and mismatched tables and chairs. It has a cool, eclectic, artsy vibe. 

Nights for me were filled with folk music and serving beer; Sundays had live Klezmer bands and enough latkes and blintzes to make anyone cry, "Oy!". I also had busy weekday lunches, serving neighboring office workers and college students. At Free Times, I learned the secret power of a free slice of pie. 

The Secret Power of a Free Slice of Pie

One weekday, I was serving a table of four women over lunch. One of the women was annoyed because her meal came out much later than the other three. The kitchen was backed up, a mistake was made with her order, and she had to wait and eat after her friends had dug into their dishes. 

As a server, you have only a few things to get right to serve people. Getting the orders correct and high-quality is essential to ensuring customers are happy. In addition, smiling and remembering names always helps. Going that extra mile in any way possible will ensure a nice tip. 

The hungry woman was angry about the situation. I couldn't blame her. There she sat, salivating, as her colleagues pigged out. I knew the secret to making everything good again - the pie. 

We usually had two different cakes or pies each day of the week. The server's job was to pretty up the plate and up-sell them to customers. A slice of pie already looks nice, but add a little syrup, whipping cream, and a dusting of cinnamon or chocolate powder, and boom! That's a fine-looking dish. 

One dollar earned us a lifelong customer.

After clearing the woman's plate, I delivered a delicious-looking pie plate. I apologized for the mix-up in the kitchen and exclaimed dessert was on me. Her anger changed to joy as her eyes lit up in elated delight. Her companions all burst out with a supportive laugh. All was good in the world again. The event made the lunch a positive and memorable experience. 

Not only did the lady leave happy, but she returned several times each month for lunch with friends. One of her colleagues returned for lunch soon after. She sheepishly admitted she had hoped I would mess up her order so she could get the free pie, too. 

One free slice of pie cost the house less about a buck. One dollar earned us a lifelong customer. I would say it was worth every cent.

What can you offer your disgruntled customers to make things great again? It probably won't cost you as much as you think.