I think that fear of failure has been one of my greatest roadblocks.  I have failed at succeeding in so many things because of the very thing I was trying to avoid.  Seth Godin
says that playing it safe is one of the riskiest things one can do in business.  The same can be said for fear of failure.  If you’re not willing to fail at something, then you’ll probably not really try it or at least not the way you need to to be successful at it.

We see it in sports all the time.  A team is dominating and then suddenly they stop playing the way they did to get the lead and start playing soft hoping the other team won’t come back.  They stop being risky which is what made them successful and play it safe.  The fear failure which only leads them towards failure.

I can remember back to my days in school where I was afraid to give an answer for fear of being wrong.   And what would happen if I were wrong?  The other kids would laugh at me.  Even today, I sometimes fear being laughed at… but why?  Failing because I never tried is much worse than failing because I tried.  So what if people laugh.  I’m now one step closer to succeeding… and then we’ll see who’s laughing.

Are you afraid of failing?  Don’t be.  Give whatever it is you want to do a shot and if you fail, we’ll all laugh… even you, and then you’ll get back up and try again.   That’s the formula for success.  Yea for you!  Yea for me!

I was a Spicy VIP recently. That’s right.  I was one of the select few to preview Chick-fil-A’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich.  And here’s my review… it was thoroughly enjoyable.  Not too spicy, but by the time I finished the sandwich, I had a good little burn going on in my mouth.  Fortunately they included a free lemonade with refills.  So here’s my recommendation… get one and enjoy.

Now, I’m not saying my reviews can be bought, but if you’re throwing free food at me, I’m probably giving a positive review. I figure for the price I’m paying, it’s the least I can do in return… unless you’re serving dog crap (literally) or food from my elementary school.

So put the word out for me that I’m selling my self to any restaurant who want to ply me with free food.  Any takers?

I had a humorous conversation with a fellow Realtor today. I was talking about my new brokerage and some of my marketing strategies. I wouldn’t say that I’m doing anything too out of the ordinary. I’ve created a website to capture leads, I’m seeking referrals, I’ve created street signs, I’ll be using some print media, and I’m using social media.

My comments about social media garnered a quick response that, “that stuff doesn’t work.” I countered that since I had found at least one client through a social media source who had already sold and bought, I would have to say that it does work. I added that while I don’t think social media is an end all, it should definitely be a part of the marketing plan.

My Realtor friend quoted a comment from the newspaper that said that Twitter was a bunch of people hiding behind their computers and afraid to truly be social. This is of course exactly the opposite. If you use Twitter correctly, you will not only interact with others online, but you will meet them at social functions such as tweetups, social media breakfasts, and social media happy hours.

My friend also told me that Facebook was a waste of time. He may be correct, but when I asked if he had an account, he said, “no.”  While it is not always the case that you have to try something to know whether it is good or bad, other things would require at least a brief experience.  I believe Twitter and Facebook are in the latter category.  I have been on Facebook for three years and Twitter for close to two. I can guarantee that there are many ways to waste enormous amounts of time with these social media tools, but there are also ways to use them efficiently and have great success in networking for personal and business purposes.

Is social media for everyone? Probably not. Can it be a powerful tool when used as a piece of a business’s marketing plan? Definitely. Erik Deckers said it best when he said that, “even if you think social media is stupid, your clients may not.”

If you live in the Indianapolis area, I’m hosting a free workshop on how to effectively use social media in your business and would love to have you come. Am I a social media expert? No, but I know some of the best ways to use social media and firmly believe that I can help a lot of small business owners take that next step in successfully marketing their goods and services.

Here’s to your marketing success.

Continuing my effort to support the arts, I went to my son’s second grade musical. Okay, so I was somewhat obligated to go, and it was free. Sure the acting wasn’t quite to the standards of Broadway and the writing wasn’t particularly crisp or subtextual. But I came with a measured expectation, and was pleasantly surprised.

So what are you doing to support the arts? More importantly, what are you doing to support your kids? Are you going to their shows? Their sporting events? Are you signing them up for summer camps? But what are you doing with them? I admit that this is an area I often fail at. I make sure my kids have lots of activities, but I tend to forget to set aside all my projects just to spend an extra few minutes playing with them. I need to sit down and play legos, ride bikes or scooters, or just wrestle with them.

At some point in my life, I got big and grumpy. So first and foremost, I’m going to encourage myself to spend more time playing with my kids. I still want them to have their activities outside the house, but I have a feeling, the moments I spend with them will be more memorable than the times when I’m paying someone to hang with them. That’s my guess.

It’s that time of year again. American Idol is down to two contestants. Last year at this time, I picked Adam Lambert to win even though I was rooting for Kris Allen. I should have known it would have been Kris once Danny Gokey was booted because most of Danny’s fans would have voted for Kris. Needless to say, I was very happy with the winner.

This year it’s not so cut and dry. I’m pulling for Lee DeWyze although Crystal Bowersox is just as deserving. It’s really just a toss up. But it may work like last year with more of Casey’s fans voting for Lee. I wonder if guys have an advantage because of all the tween/young teen girls voting (How else can you explain Tim Urban?).

After the first season, I didn’t watch American Idol until last season when my daughter became interested. For the past two seasons, it has been the family TV viewing event. It drives me crazy, how much time the show wastes, but I know they’re just selling advertising. For me, they could cut the show to showing the performers and listening to Simon Cowell’s comments. The rest is just fluff. I can do without the “dog”, “pitchy”, and “I don’t know, it just didn’t work for me” comments. And if I have to watch Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, or Miley Cyrus again, I may rip my ears off.

So let’s cut to the chase and let Lee and Crystal battle it out. Both are truly talented artists and deserve their future recording contracts and success.

On a related side note, I still laugh about Wanda Sykes cutting on the Idol winners saying they aren’t real stars because they just won a contest. Yeah, a contest voted on by millions of fans. Isn’t that what all “stars” are? Aren’t they really just winners of a big contest voted on by fans? I guarantee they wouldn’t be doing their shows if fans weren’t voting with their money. And didn’t I see Wanda show up on Idol this year? I guess the money or number of viewers were enough to change her opinion.

My favorite pen is the Pilot G-2 05(that’s the 0.5 mm version).  I’d never been impressed with a gel pen before I found this one.  I’m sure there are some high end pens that write beautifully, but I tend to misplace pens.  The thought of losing one of my Pilot G-2 05s is pretty tough to take (and it’s happened), so I can only imagine how I’d feel about losing a Mont Blanc.

If you want a great disposable (you can get refills) pen, the Pilot G-2 05 is excellent.  The ink flows smoothly and doesn’t skip.  It’s not too heavy and fat, and it’s not too light.  It has a rubbery grip for comfort, no cap to lose, and a clip that is strong and doesn’t break easily (also the clip isn’t metal, so I don’t chip my teeth when I find myself chewing on my pen… it’s a long story).  Most importantly, I enjoy spinning it.

Of course it comes in blue or black and a variety of other colors.  You can also get the pen in the 0.7 mm and 1.0 mm, but for me those are too thick except for when I’m writing my signature.

Have you ever tried the Pilot G-2?  When I find others carrying the pen, it’s like we have an instant bond.  We’re like a little community.  One day, I could see a big Pilot G-2 convention where we all gather together like Trekkies.  We’d dress up as our favorite G-2 pen and… Okay, maybe not.  But as you can see, I love these pens!

I think I’m done obsessing now… But have I ever told you how much I love the Paper Mate Sharpwriter 0.7mm Mechanical Pencil?