“This is Totally and Utterly Pointless. A Complete waste of time”

I knew the words weren’t nice ones…..but they fit how I felt.

Having just missed a 3rd open layup in 10 minutes, I was running my third lap around Joel Abramson’s over sized back yard as self imposed punishment for my ineptitude on the court.

As 2 undersized Jewish kids from the suburbs, we realized our only real chance of making it to the NBA relied on a self imposed carrot and the stick discipline – big baskets were rewarded with enthusiastic high fives and missed 5 footers were punished by the brisk jog of shame around the Abramson’s carefully coiffed pool and 1/2 acre back yard.

We had been doing this for going on a full week, and both of us were convinced it was our ticket to top shelf pre-pubescent fitness and a lucrative career as professional point guards for the philadelphia 76ers.

Somewhere in that 3rd lap I had an epiphany.

In one bright and frightful moment, I realized I was never going to play professional basketball.

I would never hear my name screamed by the roar of the crowd.

I would never trade knowing nods with Dr. J before a big playoff game.

I would never hear Magic Johnson talk about the difficulty of guarding me one on one with the game on the line.

Having been a kid who wore bright red NBA style wrist bands to all but the most solemn occasions - everything BIG I believed in up to that point in my life was taken from me….in one white hot bolt of terrible truth.

I began to run faster.

I was in the midst of my first existential crisis.

I was 9 years old, and had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with the rest of my life.

Maybe like you, I’ve spent most of the years since looking for something big to believe in.

Something meaningful.

Something that matters.

My own pursuit of passion – both personally and professionally alike – has lead me on many odd, unusual and even ominous paths.

And every time I’ve felt (or found) myself beat up, busted and broken……one thing has always redeemed me.

Believing in something big.

Serving something bigger, bolder and more important than myself.

And trusting that there was a wisdom in betting BIG on that something to show me the way.

I’m not talking about religion per se.

Or dogma, ritual or blind faith.

(although that’s certainly ok if that’s what motivates You)

Instead -

I want to share 3 quick stories with you.

They are a bit revealing in ways that I don’t typically share – but I hope that they help you connect to your sense of what that big thing is.

If there is a point in any of these stories that it seems like I’m sounding like a saint – or someone who goes out of his way to do good for the world – trust me - while I’d love to believe that was true – it’s not.  (or even remotely close)

The first story happened when I was 18. [Read more...]

Here is an article I submitted earlier today to EzineArticles on quick and easy content creation ideas.  We’ve been covering lots of super simple content marketing strategies over the last week or so, and while the article below is a lot more concise than I’d typically post here, I thought it was worth sharing, anyway..:-)

Who else is struggling when it comes to creating copious amounts of killer content for your blog? 

Do you suffer from the ignominious irritation of experiencing writers block at ALL the wrong times? 

Are you finally feeling some momentum in your marketing…and then suddenly, all of the ideas seem to dry up and go away?

If you said YES, the good news is, you are certainly not alone.  As a matter of fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the biggest reason so many people give up on the “online dream” is that we hit a wall when it comes to creating enough content to draw a community of fans, friends and followers in our niche of choice.

With that said, I’m going to give you a few simple types of content ideas that will not only make your blog POP with pride, it will make the actual content you create far more compelling to boot.  Curious to know more?  Continue reading as we take a closer look below!

Controversial Content

The easiest way to create an audience out of thin air?  Be controversial.  Say something that shakes up the status quo.  (The good news is, most markets need it, too!)

Confrontational Content

Pick an issue that irks you and TACKLE it head on.  Name names.  Point fingers.  Cry FOUL into the wind…and watch your community come together and comment!  (either for your position or against….it really doesn’t matter)

Curated Content

Make a list and check it twice!  Providing a compilation, or a list of great articles or blog posts around the web is a great way to get lots of attention, to make your blog an authority, and of course, to engender the appreciation of other publishers in your niche.  (who will of course send THEIR traffic, or simply CITE your site to check out where you highlighted what they had to say)

Comedic Content

Lighten up and be funny!  Everybody likes to laugh and keeping people giggling is a great way to get tons of traffic, and to stand out a bit in the sea of seriousness that most marketers, and their content offer

Charitable Content

Do it for a GOOD cause.  Find something worthy to support every month in your marketplace or community and create content around it.  The truth is, there are lots of folks who do good in just about every niche under the sun, and finding people to praise is a good way to play well with others as well.  (something my therapist wants me to do more of, too!)

Complimentary Content

When all other ideas dry up….simply find a big fish in your niche and COVER them with complimentary “kisses”.  Everyone wants to feel appreciated, significant and noticed, and when you pay people compliments, not only will they appreciate it, they’ll often tell their readers to check YOUR content out to learn how much THEY rock!  (sneaky but effective and it actually FEELS good, too!)