How to be a badass

by Wally Conger

bbsf_sidebarConfession time.

I’m a podcast junkie.

I’m hooked on all the independent “radio” I can find online and listen to through my computer and iPhone.

For at least an hour each day, I listen to everything from old radio dramas like “The Shadow,” to ‘casts by sci-fi geeks, political whackjobs, and brilliant economists, to how-to’s on business.

One of the newest and best podcasts I’ve latched onto has gotta be something called Bigger Better Stronger Faster, a weekly half-hour featuring Johnny B. Truant and Joel Runyon.

I’m a diehard fan of these guys.

Bigger Better Stronger Faster is all about reaching your potential as a human being.

It’s about improving in every part of your life — physically, mentally, in relationships, in work…

Hell, why mince words?

Bigger Better Stronger Faster is about how to be a badass.

And if you agree with me that living on the 9-to-5 job treadmill is no way to live, you’ll really want to check it out.

What’s cool is that it won’t cost you a dime.

Subscribe to Bigger Better Stronger Faster via iTunes. Or download specific episodes here…

http://biggerbetterstrongerfaster.com/

Take special note of Episode 3, titled “Gaining Perspective on Your Problems and Limits.”

I think you’ll dig it.

RIP Ray Harryhausen

by Wally Conger

Ray_harryhausen-002My childhood would’ve sucked without Ray Harryhausen in it.

Before Star Wars hit the big screen in 1977, we kids “made do” on Saturday afternoons with fantasy and sci-fi special effects classics like Jason and the Argonauts, with its stop-action sword-swinging skeleton warriors, and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, which featured that iconic, horned Cyclops.

Those great moments were creations of FX pioneer Harryhausen, who died this week at age 92.

Life seems a little smaller right now.

Without Ray, there might never have been a George Lucas.

Without Ray, 13 hours of Hobbit movies (with at least six more hours on the way) would have been unthinkable to Peter Jackson.

The guy made one hell of an impact on a lotta people.

Bringing his distinctive vision and enthusiasm to appreciative audiences was Ray Harryhausen’s business.

Makes me wonder what kind of impact you and I can make with our passions, our unique insights, and our willingness to share with others.

Ray Harryhausen changed lives.

We should aspire to do no less.

“Some people say Casablanca or Citizen Kane … I say Jason and the Argonauts is the greatest film ever made.” — Tom Hanks

How to get inside Tony Stark’s noggin

by Wally Conger

Iron-Man-035So people are asking the fanboy what he thinks of Iron Man 3, this past weekend’s big blockbuster.

I loved every minute of it.

The movie’s clever and reverent reinventions of the Marvel Comics mythos are a dream-come-true for an old geek like me.

But here’s what I appreciated most…

The movie ain’t so much about a superhero as it is about a really, really smart guy who can think ahead of bad situations and bad guys.

And then kick butt.

It’s exhilarating to watch somebody — superhero or not, fictional or not — use their noggins to work out problems.

It’s why we enjoy stories about Sherlock Holmes, or even Michael Westen.

These characters are problem-solvers.

And that’s what a successful business is all about.

I don’t care if you’re fixing people’s dishwashers or training them to fix their own dishwashers — if you’re running a business, you’re solving problems.

And if you don’t have your own business in these shaky economic times, I think you’ve got problems of your own to fix.

Go see Iron Man 3, get pumped, then solve a problem or two.

It can mean money in the bank.

“You know, it’s moments like these when I realize how much of a superhero I am.” — Tony Stark

I’m mourning a loss this week

by Wally Conger

dentistI had a lower-right molar extracted earlier this week.

The tooth had a big honkin’ fissure in it, so I had a crown put on it a couple of years ago. But the damn thing went dead dead dead, and no root canal was gonna save it.

So it hadda go bye-bye.

The good news is that I experienced absolutely no pain during or after.

The bad news is that — crazyass as it sounds — I’m suffering a weird sense of loss.

Yep. Sounds silly, but I’m mourning a missing tooth and fondly recalling days when I could chew mindlessly on the right side of my mouth.

But here’s what I wanted to tell you about…

The evening after my molar got yanked, the phone rang.

It was the oral surgeon, calling personally to see how I was feeling.

To be honest, that kind’ve follow-up from a doctor has been rare in my experience.

In fact, that kind’ve follow-up from ANY business owner I’ve dealt with has been pretty damn rare.

And here’s the deal…

Since Wednesday night, I’ve probably told eight or more people about this doctor’s follow-up.

Just goes to show that when you provide good service to your clients and customers, people can’t help but talk about it.

Why?

Because it’s so darn rare.

And it’ll brand your business positively.

Just sayin’.

Life’s too short to spend with a-holes

by Wally Conger

asteriskOver coffee yesterday, my friend Jeff told me this story…

Seems his teenage daughter worked very hard on her algebra and, as a result, scored high on a recent test. But the teacher scribbled a note on it.

“Congrats on the 94%,” it said, “but I know you cheated.”

My pal is understandably outraged. And of course his kid’s devastated.

But the incident reminds me of an especially insufferable client I had a few years back.

I’d written a piece of sales copy for this guy’s product, which resulted in his profits rocketing skyward.

You’da thought he’d have said something nice to me about it.

Nope.

Instead, he griped about the fee I’d charged him.

“You know,” he complained, “for this kind’ve money, I could’ve written that copy myself.”

Sure, I was mad.

But I bit my tongue and said nothing.

And as soon as I deposited his check, I fired the jerk.

Yeah, I fired a client.

My philosophy — life’s too damn short to spend trying to make a-holes happy.

No matter what you do, how well you solve their problems, or how much money you make for ’em, there are gonna be folks out there you’ll never make happy.

It’s a lot more rewarding to work with clients who fit your style perfectly, and who appreciate your value.

Where can you find such clients?

I find most of them by chatting with people at my local coffee house.

I just let people tell me about their problems and challenges, then offer them solutions — for a fee.

Simple, huh?

Fear is always worth fighting

by Wally Conger

FearI think you hafta agree, this has been a crazyass week so far.

The news out of Boston is filled with angst and hand-wringing and finger-pointing and politics.

Worst of all, it’s brimming with fear.

A lot of people are afraid, as they have every right to be when horrible things like these bombings occur.

But notice that while some people sit emotionally distraught and obsessed in front of their TV sets, computer screens, and smartphones, sucking in both legitimate concern and destructive fear-mongering, life DOES go on.

Fear doesn’t have to cripple you.

Anyway, I thought that today I’d share something special with you.

More than two years ago, I spoke with Warren Bluhm, author of the terrific book Refuse To Be Afraid. (You can find it at a really great price on Amazon.)

For about an hour, Warren and I chatted about…
– How we talk ourselves into fear and self-doubt.
– Three steps you must take to banish the fear habit.
– How politicians and bureaucrats shamelessly use fear to manipulate and de-motivate us.
– How falling off a cliff in Vermont finally squashed Warren’s fear of falling off cliffs.
– How “procrastination” is actually just another word for fear.
– How to quickly turn fear into creative energy.
– How friends shouldn’t let friends drown in the “quotidian.” (You’re probably knee-deep in the goddamn quotidian right now!)
– How 1960s singer-songwriter Barry McGuire (“Eve of Destruction”) inspired Warren to overcome his own fear of songwriting.
– What to do when fear becomes your “comfort zone” and immobilizes you.
– How Warren (ironically) had to crush fear to write his anti-fear manifesto Refuse To Be Afraid.

I recorded the whole conversation, and the audio is a free download — no opt-in, nuttin’ required.

You’ll find it right here…

Refuse to be Afraid (45:56 — 7.88 MB)

During this stressful week, please try to take some time to listen to this audio.

I hope it helps.

Big can be pretty damn cool (or not)

April 14, 2013

I’ve been on a “big” kick lately. It started with picking up a copy of the fully restored 1960 sea-monster classic Gorgo on Blu-ray. (Highly recommended, by the way.) Then my usual late-night DVD habit turned to stuff like the original Godzilla, King Kong vs. Godzilla, and King Kong Escapes. Plus, I just finished reading [...]

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How bad sh-t becomes good business

April 1, 2013

I read about this last night and just wanted to share it with you… Seems that in late 2009, this guy Erik Wood from the Seattle area was taking a walk with his 3-year-old daughter Eve. “We were very visible,” he says. Anyway, he explains that Eve was walking just a few feet ahead of [...]

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A Facebook friend called me a mean name

March 27, 2013

Get this… One of my Facebook “friends” — you know, one of those folks who ask to be your FB friend and you don’t know them at all but you figger what the hell — called me a “lame f-cktard” this week. Seems I got on her bad side when I mentioned that it wasn’t [...]

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I love sushi…but REALLY?!

March 24, 2013

Here’s kind’ve a crazyass fun thing to do… Google the phrase “bad business names.” Or “silly business names.” You’ll be amazed at how many funny hits you get. I just tried it, and here’s a brief list of results: Casket Basement Tofu Loft Caviar Shack Chainsaw Cottage Girdle Garage A Pane In The Glass Eat [...]

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