Have you ever heard the quote, “what got you here won’t get you there?” There’s a 2007 book by Marshall Goldsmith with this title. But the principle has been around for a lot longer. “What got you here won’t get you there,” is the more sophisticated, older...
Every year, I keep a running list of small (and big) delights. It's not exactly a gratitude list (I'm grateful for A LOT more than 100 things, and writing that stuff down just feels repetitive or forced). It's more like a list of the things that surprised me, stopped...
It has become a tradition around here that each year in November, I release my list of book recommendations. Typically, I share a longer review of some number of books—this year I’m sharing my top five—and then the complete list for those who are curious. I won’t go...
Do you remember the last business book you read with unflinching focus? The last time you were so engrossed in a nonfiction book that you lost track of time? If you’ve had this experience recently, I’ll bet it was when you were careening through the air at...
Let’s talk FAQs. Most websites you come across have a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section. I’ve always had an FAQ page on my website. It’s a good strategy for a lot of reasons: It saves you time: Why answer the same questions over and over, when you can...
This summer, I did a bunch of market research interviews. In the process, I uncovered some really useful data points (as one does when they do the research!) that I’m now using to shape my messaging. One of the most interesting data points I uncovered was that a lot...
One of the most valuable transferable skills I picked up along the way to earning my PhD (yep. I have one) is the ability to see ideas from different angles. It’s kind of like having x-ray vision, but for universal concepts. In philosophy grad school, we learned how...
There’s a podcast out there with a great title using a term that I wish I’d coined. It’s called The Authorpreneur Podcast, and it’s hosted by mystery book author Amelia D. Hay (and yep, it’s trademarked). Hay and I have a very different idea of what an...
I’m often asked, “How do I find my big idea?” This is a good question. But here’s a question I like even better: “How will I know when I have my book idea?” We tend to think of the creative process as being like scientific discovery. We’ll go down into our cave with...