Linchpins, Lizard Brains and Lying to Yourself

It’s one thing to be Tweeting and obsessively checking your email in order to procrastinate about a writing project. It’s yet another to find yourself cleaning the toilet. The lizard brain, as Seth Godin calls it in his new book, LINCHPIN, will always win. Unless. Unless you identify the cunning excuses. And push through what Seth calls the resistance. Gitoutahere lizard brain. The toilet is looking good. Freewriting works. It breaks through

Shut Up Lizard Brain: I Am Not Procrastinating Today

I am writing today. I am updating The Corporate Blogging Book for a new Kindle e-book edition. First, I cracked open the procrastination nut with 20 minutes of freewriting. This really works. Mark Levy, author of Accidental Genius, turned me onto freewriting. He just finished revising his wonderful book and a new edition will be coming out soon. Essentially, freewriting means just what it sounds like. You sit down at the computer, apply your

Make Art, Not Work Says Seth Godin in #Linchpin

I’m sitting in Haft Auditorium on W. 27th street in NYC, listening to Seth Godin talk about his new book. He’s great today. One of the best presentations I’ve seen him do. He’s very focused, driven, so eager to convey his message to us. Which is that it’s OK to go forth and make art, not work. Again, make ART, not work. Making art means being a LINCHPIN who creates change, makes things happen, makes a difference, is generous - and does all

Seth Godin’s LINCHPIN Offers Jolts of Insight That Are, Er, Indispensable

My first reaction to Seth Godin’s new book - LINCHPIN: Are You Indispensable - was yadda yadda more of the same. His riffs have a singular DNA. We recognize them from his daily blog posts to http://sethgodin.typepad.com and from his previous ten or so books. Nothing wrong with that. Seth is almost always provocative. He writes about everyday things (customer service, lemonade stands, mediocrity) and draws lessons that make us sit up and say,

Is Your Blog the Hub of Social Media Marketing?

Updated: to mark the publication of the Updated Edition of The Coporate Blogging Book (With a New Preface) [Kindle edition], I have compiled a free e-book (PDF) that answers the question: Is Your Blog the Hub of Social Media Marketing? I asked a dozen or so high-profile blogging and social media experts, including corporate, nonprofit and governmental blog editors, to weigh in. I also reached out to anyone who wanted to offer an opinion.

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Setting 2010 Challenges Instead of Resolutions (But No Sky Diving)

I've been studying everyone else's New Year's Resolutions for days now, daring myself to THINK BIGGER. To try some new things that will stretch beyond my comfort zone, be uncomfortable and maybe even scary. I've been inspired by Gretchen Rubin's new book, The Happiness Project. Just released, it's already hit the New York Times bestseller list. Kudos, Gretchen. She's clearly tapped into something - namely, everyone's desire to improve