Tag Archives: learning

Great read on the world of media

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These guys all have a story behind them.

The tycoons at the heads of the modern and historic media empires the world over are a story in themselves. This is that story.

From William Randolph Hearst to Elon Musk, this book demonstrates the power these people wield. For those who tried to get in their way it was never, or will never be, easy.

The Murdoch family takes up a lot of the pages with good reason. The havoc they are causing the world continues as the family navigates legal battles and infighting over ownership, whilst also trying to squeeze every last drop from the press titles it still owns.

I wouldn’t normally go for a book like this but it was great. Well written and interesting from start to finish. Highly recommend.

Ways to be nice to yourself

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Go sit in a church. Not for the religion unless that’s your thing. Meditate. Enjoy the silence. Feel safe.

Listen to an album. Listen to it, stop everything else. See where it takes you. Make some notes on the feelings you feel, plus anything else that pops up in your head.

A smell in the place you work. Coffee maybe, a candle, incense sticks. It gives you a sense that you’re in your space.

Buy something for yourself. A piece of clothing you like (rather than need). A t-shirt, maybe. A pen or a notebook. Don’t go crazy on price; it’s just a small token.

Watch a favourite movie. Spend the couple of hours totally into it. No other distractions.

Exercise. Even a dozen squats while you make a coffee is something. The more you can do, the better. Do whatever you can.

Treating yourself like someone special, someone who deserves to be treated well, will make you stronger.

You have a lot to give.

You’re valuable.

You deserve it.

Become what you are

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Heard this very special quote this morning, from one of the ancient Greek poets:

“Become such as you are, having learned what that is.” – Pindar

Until we take time to understand ourselves and our purpose, we can’t expect to find all of the answers we crave.

Understand your true nature.

Your strengths, weaknesses, and passions.

We are in such a hurry to get to the solution (especially us men). This isn’t always the ideal solution.

The answers will come when we stop and think.

Give it a try. Embark on your own voyage of self discovery.

Became what he is?

Three new books incoming

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Placed an order yesterday for some new insights:

Daniel Kahneman – Thinking, Fast and Slow: I’m aware of economic theory but it’s a long time since I took steps to go a little deeper. This will be my jumping off point on that one.

Scott Galloway – The Algebra of Wealth: Personal finance strategy affects us all but most of us spend hardly any time thinking about what we are doing, let alone taking action.

The First 90 Days – Michael Watkins: I’m starting a new job in a couple of weeks. I like to go into anything with some kind of plan, however rudimentary. Similar books of this kind are on my shelves and this one could add a new angle.

(I don’t do affiliate marketing and don’t want to automatically send anyone to Amazon so this is why there are no links.)

Training resource for AI learning

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Came across this excellent learning resource for all things AI, focussed on busy professionals looking to get ahead of the crowd quickly and efficiently.

Section – the business behind the training – is backed by best-selling author, NYU Professor of Marketing and podcaster Scott Galloway.

His work stands out in the world we live in today as forward thinking, a challenge to the status quo, and a call to action for people glued to their screens looking forward to little more than minimum wage work (and lots of it) for years to come.

Upskilling and lifelong learning are more than just buzzwords. They’re the way to stand out, get better opportunities and earn more over time.

Get involved. It’s never too late to start.

Not all content has equal value

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I spent half my Saturday at a workshop yesterday. I won the ticket in a raffle so I showed up with an open mind and plenty of space in my notebook. 

The alarm bells started ringing after 30 minutes when we were hit with the first sales pitch. 

Our own introductions were given 5 minutes each, maximum (there were five of us attending). The person running the session then spent the next 30-40 minutes telling us part one of her own story.

Part one!

And so it continued. It was a 3.5 hour sales pitch. I took a few things from the session, especially towards the end, but most of it was filled with the sound of our presenter’s voice.

Which brings me to the title of this post. The labels you put onto your content and the experience you give to people who take time out of their weekend (my weekends are precious and not to be messed with – can you tell this??) has to do what it says on the tin as an absolute minimum.

The content in this one could have been delivered in under an hour as a webinar. Throw in some Q&A plus a (brief, interesting) sales pitch, promo or offer and I would have been content. 

Instead, it left me with a couple of uncomfortable feelings. 

Firstly, that I’d been sold to. For a long time during the weekend. My precious weekend. No-one likes this feeling, ever. 

Second, it made me highly unlikely to refer someone to this event as it didn’t live up to the billing of a workshop. I spoke twice, maybe 15 minutes total in 3.5 hours. The definition of a workshop is “a meeting at which a group of people engage in intensive discussion and activity on a particular subject or project”. This was not a workshop, it was a seminar/webinar.

Thirdly, I genuinely like the person who ran the session and know she can do so much better. I want the best for my contacts and connections. I want them to thrive and grow. This session could have been amazing but it wasn’t. 

Time to write my feedback email….

Practical Steps To Bounce Back From Lockdown

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We can’t avoid the problems that this COVID-19 situiation is causing for us all around the world and the pain of the families of those who have died or are suffering at this moment can’t be understated.

Taking a few practical steps to stay active, physically and mentally, right now is a good place to start if you’re feeling significant stress or have lost your source of income, for example.

But there are also some specific things that you can do in this period to come out on the other side of it in a strong position, especially when it comes to your business or your own personal brand online.

Show up

Do everything you can to help those around you in your online community in whatever form that takes. Zoom calls, Facebook messages, phone calls, whatever. As much action spent on this in the coming weeks will be remembered by those who needed a pick-me-up or a happy face on the other end of the line.

Posting helpful tips and advice to your community also makes a lot of sense. Demonstrate your expertise and the depth of your skills and experience as much as you can.

Work on your profiles.

Take some time to audit every profile you have online today. Does it accurately reflect who you are and what you do? If it’s LinkedIn, are your contact details correct? Do you need an updated profile pic? Go through every one you have and make sure they’re all tip top.

Self improvement

It’s a great time to do some learning. Courses from top universities around the world are free on sites like Coursera so take the first step and sign up for something that can take your skills to a new level. And if you are looking to make a career change or have hit a roadblock in your career, this is the time to road test a few new subjects.

We will all come out of this process in a different way, but be sure to do all that you can to move yourself forwards during this time and keep a positive frame of mind. Let’s hope it’s resolved soon enough!