Me: “What’s the opposite of a hoarding disorder?”
Daughter: “I dunno, but you totally have it.”

It’s called Obsessive Compulsive Spartanism, and once Oprah gets her hands on it, I’m sure it will be a treatable condition. I don’t think I’m all the way there. My daughter is right, though: I do have the need, almost constant, to get rid of things.

I wasn’t always this way. I used to collect with the best of them, and hang on to things I didn’t even like, just because I felt guilty throwing them away. No more. No, my material purging began slowly, accelerated by necessity during two cross-country moves. It picked up more speed as I began to draw peace and calm from a new simplicity of decor. Think Zen meets Pottery Barn.

In all of this unloading, there are only two things I truly regret giving away:

1) the musical Santa cookie jar, complete with peeling paint. I missed it so much the following Christmas that I went on e-Bay and found one almost like it;

2) the metal and wicker fruit basket I gave away last month. I realized, too late, that this basket had great energy, and even though it was a bit rusted, chipped and wicker-rotty, I miss it.

The energy signature of objects is a subject I find fascinating. There is a green shirt in my closet — pale lime green, long sleeve cotton button-up, just perfect for fishing or boating. It mocks me. There’s nothing wrong with the shirt itself; looking at it reminds me of a bad choice I made. Nothing fatal, not even life-threatening, just an unpleasant interlude and a learning experience.

I have been keeping it as a battle of wits (with a shirt! Yes, I know how crazy this sounds!) If I can overcome the emotional charge of this thing, then I win! AND I’ll still have my shirt!

It’s like when people touch a live wire and can’t seem to let go. “Just let go!” we scream, but they clutch tight. So in this very moment, I decide to let go. Let the shirt win; it has beaten me. Or have I beaten it? Either way, it goes into the Goodwill bag tonight.

I wonder if I’ll miss it??

1 – Use a 3-level goal setting approach:
- What is the minimum result that I could be happy with?
- What kind of result would make me really happy?
- What kind of result would generate fireworks?

2 – Measure success against yourself; your own past performance, not against others’ performance.

3 – Test and measure your marketing activities.  What’s working?  What’s not working?

4 – Give as much as you can, right now, in all areas of your life.

5 – Publish lots of content, wherever you can find a place to publish it.  Be heard above the noise.

6 – Do lots of networking.  Lots of it.

7 – Remember how awesome you are.

8 – Be insanely brave.  Only good can come from it.

9 – Spend more time with friends and family.

10 – Make a NOT TO DO list of the things you’d like to STOP doing.

11 – De-clutter your life, your living space, your mind.

12 – Know your desired outcome.

13 – Surround yourself with positive people.

14 – Take consistent, focused action.

Hey Friend,

I may be mistaken, but I did not see your name on the list of people
registered for the May Big Money Speaker Boot Camp.
Can you make it in May?

I know you are interested…just want to make sure that you know the
super ‘early-bird’ discount page is up-
http://www.BigMoneySpeakerBootCamp.com

I know the event is months away, however, at my December
event, we had 736 people registered and an event room that
only held 500! I don’t want you to be left out of my May event!

To Your Wealth,

James
http://www.BigMoneySpeakerBootCamp.com

PS: We do have limited seating- go to the super ‘early-bird’
discount page now-
http://www.BigMoneySpeakerBootCamp.com

Authors Note: Terry Bean is one of the coolest guys in Detroit – please make a point of getting to know him if you don’t already…

Terry Bean wants you to know about the following
(View Terry Bean’s profile)

In the old days we got paid for what we knew. We had a skill or knowledge set and we used it to make a living. People played to their strength or at the very least to the needs of their community.

In the 70s what you knew became less important. In fact the popular refrain of “its not what you know its who you know” still echoes today. The thought being that knowing the right people can help you get the job, deal or opportunity you seek.

Some people will tell you its not who you know, its who knows you. They’re right, but its actually deeper than that.

In today’s world its all about how you’re known. Does your network immediately think of you when they hear the perfect opportunity for you? What’s your reputation in the community? Is your particular area of expertise fully associated with you? Have you ever changed jobs in such a manner that you had to re-educate your network as to how you wish to be known?

Two years ago we would call this your personal brand. There’s a lot of backlash going on today that say people can’t be brands. I’m not sure if I agree. What I do know for sure is that understanding “How YOU’RE Known” to your network and confirming that it’s how you wish to be known is of vital importance.

How are you known?

How do you wish to be known?

MCC+ members will be going through an exercise on this very topic the meeting after next (the next one on 1/30/12 is all about the importance of Mastermind groups).

Upcoming events

Digital Marketing Monday 1/23/12  is a fast paced session that will answer questions you have about digital marketing. It will cover a lot on social media and other digital tools and will take an inside look at local technology advertising firm Buz.fm. This will be a great session that includes lunch and will have plenty of time for Q&A.

MCC Live Royal Oak is Tuesday, 1/24/12 It’s time for another Great MCC Live Lunch. This session will look at if you’re smart enough for your smart phone…Bring your Droids, Blackberry’s and iPhone’s and let’s share great apps that can help us all achieve more.

MCC Live West Side on 2/14/12 Since it’s Valentine’s Day we will all be dressed in red and talking about the things we LOVE about Detroit!!!

LA2M- Gonna be near Ann Arbor over lunch on a Wednesday? Be sure to check out the calendar for all of the cool meetings LA2M hosts every Wednesday.

This weekend is the big ice festival in Plymouth as well as the last weekend of the only auto show that matters. Will you be attending either? Have you been? Let us know.

Here’s to an enjoyable weekend that recharges you to make next week your best one yet!!!

Be connected-

Terry Bean

be sure to download my 7 page dissertation on THE ASK at http://trybean.com

and make it simple for your website visitors to “pin” your content on their pinterest gallery.

Pinterest is a site that gained popularity this year, but it did so without a lot of fanfare. Even signing up is a stealth operation – you have to apply for an invitation, wait several days for your invite, and then head back over to fill in your profile.

What exactly is Pinterest?

Pinning 101

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.

People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and share their favorite recipes.

Based on who I am following, this is what I see when I log in to my pinterest account:

From there I am able to pin things I like to my pinboards:

Once I’ve added something, people who see my pins are able to repin to their boards, or just enjoy what I’ve shared.

This has been great for people looking for just about everything. Plan your home remodel, find interesting things you like, shop for gifts – all through the sharing of photographs. Brilliant!

So, make it simple for your visitors who don’t yet pin regularly – and especially for those who do (they probably have the browser PIN IT button installed already). You can add the Pinterest Plugin to your wordpress pages – and let’s start pinning!

 

Here are more articles on Pinterest:
6 Ways Brands can Rock Pinterest

How an Alaskan Mom Brings Millions to her Carpentry Blog

The only thing I’d like to see next is the embedding app for publishing completed boards to my blog…

The Ellen DeGeneres Show is sure figuring out how to incorporate new social trends into her shows. Too fun to pass up – and a reminder to check your photos before you visit her in the studio audience!

The top two books by far are The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Here’s a few that you could read after that:

1. Blue Ocean Strategy – W. Chan Kim
2. Business Model Generation – Alexander Osterwalder
3. Crush It! – Gary Vaynerchuk
4. Delivering Happiness – Tony Hsieh
5. Drive – Daniel H. Pink
6. Founders at Work – Jessica Livingston
7. Getting Things Done – David Allen
8. Good to Great – Jim Collins
9. Guerrilla Marketing – Jay Conrad Levinson
10. How To Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
11. Inbound Marketing – Brian Halligan, Dharmesh Shah and David Meerman Scott
12. Influence – Robert B. Cialdini
13. Innovation and Entrepreneurship – Peter F. Drucker
14. Losing My Virginity – Richard Branson
15. Made to Stick – Chip Heath
16. Making Ideas Happen – Scott Belsky
17. Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World’s Most Unusual Workplace – Ricardo Semler
18. Never Eat Alone – Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz
19. Permission Marketing – Seth Godin
20. Purple Cow – Seth Godin
21. Ready, Fire, Aim – Michael Masterson
22. Rework – Jason Fried
23. Steve Jobs – Walter Isaacson
24. Street Smarts – Norm Brodsky
25. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing – Al Ries and Jack Trout
26. The 4-Hour Workweek – Timothy Ferriss
27. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen R. Covey
28. The Art of the Start – Guy Kawasaki
29. The Dip – Seth Godin
30. The E-Myth Revisited – Michael E. Gerber
31. The Fountainhead – Ayn Rand
32. The Four Steps to the Epiphany – Steven Gary Blank
33. The Innovator’s Dilemma – Clayton M. Christensen
34. The Lean Startup – Eric Ries
35. The One Minute Entrepreneur – Ken Blanchard
36. The Paradox of Choice – Barry Schwartz
37. The Personal MBA – Josh Kaufman
38. The Toyota Way – Jeffrey K. Liker
39. The Ultimate Sales Machine – Chet Holmes, Jay Conrad Levinson and Michael Gerber
40. Tribes – Seth Godin

I’ve come across the question myself. If I post this photo do I need to credit someone? How many words can I share, and what if my blog doesn’t showcase the quote properly…here are some words of wisdom from Seth Godin to help you navigate this question yourself. (Just in case you were asking the same things.)

Simple Thoughts about Fair Use by Seth Godin

There are tons of reasons to have a blog.  Here are a few.

Blogging helps establish you as an expert in your field:

If you write extensively about topics in your field, people will come to regard you as an established expert; the more you write, the more that will be true.  And in marketing, being an “expert” is gold.  This, in my opinion, may be the single most important reason to maintain a blog.

Blogging gives users a reason to come back

If your website content never changes, visitors will read what they want to once and leave and probably never be back.  But if you’re writing new content all the time, they have a reason to come back. And if your content is interesting, they may even become loyal readers (and fans).

Blogging gives you a reason to create new content

Once you’ve established a blogging habit, you’ll want to keep doing it (the definition of a habit, after all).  If you don’t have a blog, adding new content is difficult and may involve redesigning your site.  Blogs are simple; they manage themselves.  All you have to do is to keep pouring content into them.

Blogging helps you think and improves your creativity

By disciplining yourself to blog frequently, you are making yourself create new ideas, think new thoughts, and explain things in new ways.  Blogging will keep you out of mental ruts.  New ideas will emerge, and you may even find yourself changing or redefining your business model.

Google loves activity

Did you know that Google gets bored easily, and if it finds nothing new when it checks your site, it probably will stop checking?  But did you know that Google sees each new blog post as a separate page, and more pages and more content equals more attention from search engines?  Want to get found?  Write more stuff, and do it often!

In 2012:

The audience of internet users in the U.S. will grow to 239 million, about 75% of the total population.

Social Media:

• Facebook will reach 143 million US users in 2012, up 8% over 2011.
• About 2/3 of Internet users will use social networks in 2012.
• More than 90% of social network users will be on Facebook.

Online Video:

• Online video viewers will reach 169 million in 2012.
• 53% of the population and 71% of Internet users will be watching online video.
• Mobile video viewers will reach 55 million.
• Smartphone video viewers will reach 51 million.

Ecommerce:

• 88% of US Internet users ages 14+ will browse or research products online in 2012.
• 84% of Internet researchers will make at least one purchase via the web during 2012.
• Online shoppers will reach 184 million, up 3% from 2011.
• Online buyers will reach 155 million, up 4% from 2011.

Mobile Marketing:

• Smartphone users will increase by 18% to 107 million.
• 94% of smartphone users will be accessing the Internet on their phones.
• Mobile shoppers will reach 73 million.
• Mobile buyers will reach 38 million.
• Smartphone shoppers will reach 68 million.
• Smartphone buyers will reach 36.4 million in 2012.
• Tablet users will reach 55 million, a 63% increase over 2011.
• iPad users will grow to 42 million.
• 76% of tablet users will be iPad users.
• Adult eReader users will reach 45 million in 2012, up from 33.3 million in 2011.

Maybe you should get more involved?