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10 Ideas Worth Sharing This Week

“Hollywood has a way of making everything seem like an overnight success.” — Kevin Hart

This week’s ideas include everything from how to be a better storyteller, to why you should charge a dollar more than your competition, to how to get the job you want.

Let’s do it…

1. CONTENT DOESN’T WORK THE WAY YOU THINK IT DOES

“What we call content is not an end-product. It is a social token. It is something that people make, remake, or pass around to say something about themselves or their relationships with their friends.”

The things media analyst Jeff Jarvis has seen at VIDCON (a convention for YouTube creators and their devoted fans) have changed his perspective on the value of content.

In this post, he explains the disconnect between how previous generations view content creation and how a younger generation actually uses it.

Plus, he shares this amazing stat: 40% of millenials say YouTube creators understand them better than their friends.

2. PAULO COELHO IS A PERSON YOU SHOULD KNOW

“You drown not by falling into a river, but by being submerged in it.”

Paulo Coelho is an author who built a remarkable following not only for his books, but as a result of his use of social media and the inspirational observations he shares about work, creativity, and life.

In my profile of him, you’ll learn how to overcome your fears, why it’s dangerous to give — or take — advice, and how to become a better writer.

3. KEVIN HART’S THREE SECRETS TO STORYTELLING

“The most overlooked aspect of storytelling is capturing attention before you’ve even started.”

There are a lot of reasons for comedian Kevin Hart’s success, but one of them is his ability to tell a funny story. This video breaks down how he does it — complete with examples of him using a number of tricks to maximize the effectiveness of his stories.

In the video, you’ll learn how to capture people’s attention before you start your story, how to commit to your story, and how to experiment with your story.

4. WHY YOU SHOULD CHARGE A DOLLAR MORE

“What happens if Lyft (or your project) decides to race to the top instead? What if they say, ‘We’re always a dollar more than Uber?’ And then they spend that dollar, all of it, on the drivers…What kind of person buys the cheap ride, the ride with the stressed-out, angry drivers?”

Any assumptions you have about pricing and the need to be cheaper in order to attract more business will be called into question by this Seth Godin post.

In it, he points out the advantages that can be had by charging more than your competition — as long as what you provide is worth it.

5. ERIC THOMAS IS A PERSON YOU SHOULD KNOW

“It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.”

Eric Thomas is a motivational speaker who more than lives up to his title. If you watch any of his videos, you will feel like you want to go out and conquer the world — immediately.

In my profile of him, you’ll learn why you need to stop making excuses, how to stop lying about your grind, and how to change your life blueprint.

6. YOUR RESUME WON’T GET YOU A NEW JOB — THIS WILL

“The natural state of a resume is uncool. Your goal with a resume is not to make it cool — that’s impossible. Your goal is to make it less uncool. That’s freakin’ hard.”

This Jason Flamm article points out that resumes are an outdated and ineffective way to get a new job and suggests several other ways to get where you want to go.

It suggests you become an expert in what you want to do and find a platform to prove you can do it.

It’s reminiscent of some advice I gave to a friend about how to get your dream job.

7. HOW TO TELL YOUR ORIGIN STORY

“Your origin story helps people decide whether or not to trust you.”

It’s amazing how many people and businesses struggle to tell their story. This Andy Raskin post lays out a simple way to hone in on your story and outlines the five key elements it should include.

8. IT’S TIME TO KILL ADVERTISING

“We are in need of a radical shift that pulls us away from advertising and pushes us closer to becoming better storytellers. We need to clear the slate, start over and reimagine how we can tell new stories for an incredibly complex new world, from the ground up.”

This AdWeek column calls for the death of advertising and to replace it with more innovative “Storyworlds,” reminiscent of what happens in Hollywood.

Specifically, it points out how most advertising is still being produced in traditional ways and delivered through traditional mediums, missing out on the opportunity to tell bigger, longer, more complex stories that could have a bigger impact.

9. DIANA KANDER IS A PERSON YOU SHOULD KNOW

“Your success is completely based on who trusts you.”

Diana Kander is an entrepreneur and expert on what makes some startup businesses succeed and others fail.

In my profile of her, you’ll learn why your approach to innovation is probably dead wrong, five ways to get your first customer, and how to stay focused when you have too many good ideas.

10. WHY YOU NEED “DEFENSIBLE MARKETING ASSETS”

“None of these will make you $1 today. Or even tomorrow or probably not even this month. But they build up a base under your brand that competitors can never, ever disrupt — no matter how big their marketing budget.”

It’s become so easy to pay for clicks these days that it’s become hard not to get hooked on bought traffic and paid marketing.

But this Mitchell Harper post suggests if you’re in it for long-term success, it’s important to invest in “defensible marketing assets,” things that will accrue in value as opposed to cost over time.