brain pickings

I write short and actionable advice, called brain pickings, on slow marketing, productivity and humanity. Come for the humor, stay for the hindsight.

run as if someone just called you a jogger

1 minute of reading

there’s something so pure about running that I’ve not been able to replicate with any other limbs based activity,
(and I’ve tried many)

the buoyant, almost drunken sense of movement,

the meditative repetition that comes with placing one foot in front of the other, and then the other foot in front of the first,

pushing yourself (a little maniacally) as far as you can go to then see what happens when you get there,

waking up the next morning to do it all over again.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

today is day 189 of the year, there are 177 days remaining of 2022.

run as if someone just called you a jogger Read More »

failure, a love letter

2 minutes of reading

if you’ve been writing marketing copy for more than 5 minutes you’ve probably heard of Blair Warren’s “One Sentence Persuasion…”

People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions, and help them throw rocks at their enemies.

I used to break it apart into a checklist and revisit my copy to ensure I’ve touched all of those points, at least once…

still do, sometimes.

but regardless of the niche I would write for and how familiar I was with the topic, “justifying their failures” came completely naturally to me,
the keys on my computer would press themselves faster than I could read,

I have an unfair advantage, you see…

I’m in a strong, monogamous, relationship with failure,
her and I go waaay back,

come what may,
through thick or thin,
better or worse (especially worse,)
we stick by each other,

I feared her for the longest time,
didn’t want to commit, felt like she was weighing me down,
so we were on and off for while…

it was futile of course,
the second I understood what a great talent for teaching she had, I went running back to her.

we’ve never been apart since.

I love failure.

she forces me to ask all the right questions and give name to the nameless so it can be thought.

I failed at every single thing I’ve ever done, you have too.

the guaranteed way to success is to be willing to fail long enough until you succeed.

so instead of postponing the inevitable, ask yourself…

where are you most afraid to fail?
maybe you should start there.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

today is day 188 of the year, there are 178 days remaining of 2022.

failure, a love letter Read More »

the madonna

1 minute of reading

she was the first woman in her village to go to university,

during a time when meat was a luxury reserved for the few, she studied biochemistry and obtained a high position working at a meat factory,
we were never hungry.

after being forced to quit her job, she bought a sewing machine and taught herself how to use it,
first socks, then shirts, then coats,
a few years later, my parents had built one of the biggest clothing factories in town.

after 20+ years of working in the clothing business, she reinvents herself (again,) closes down the factory, and goes back to university to study pedagogy,

my mom has now been a biochemistry teacher for 5 years.

she is a badass goddess of a woman that worked and fought and prayed for all of her accomplishments.

the times are tough, but women are tougher.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

today is day 187 of the year, there are 179 days remaining of 2022.

the madonna Read More »

to write or not to write

1 minute of reading

I’ve loved words for as long as I could read.

their ability to convey smells, and sounds, and taste;
to make you laugh and cry and keep you hostage within the world they’ve created,
a world that did not exist until you’ve opened the cover…

the warmth that comes with feeling my eyes making contact with the words on the page and have meaning rise up and echo in my head…

stopping at times because I needed to savor them for a second longer: somber, wistful, corporal…

as a child, I remember frequently retreating in my head, arranging and re-arranging the same sentence, over and over again, for hours, looking for the perfect formula that, of course, did not exist

it’s really no surprise that it’s taken me 25 years to unearth this desire to write…

publicly accountable this time, as a grand gesture of courage and stupidity (same difference?)

at the risk of tumbling head first into embarrassment, I’m now attempting to do in words what I had previously only done in thoughts…

the greatest gift of all.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

today is day 186 of the year, there are 180 days remaining of 2022.

to write or not to write Read More »

happy birthday, uncle sam

1 minute of reading

a date fraught with significance…

the birth of american independence,
the celebration of freedom, togetherness and justice;

I like the sound of these words, even if they are false.

as an european watching the news unfold in painful silence (not unlike a student in a depressing lecture,) I’ve always felt that it’s impolite to have opinions about things that I haven’t dedicated enough time to get educated on, or am directly influenced by.

I do, however, find it fascinating that I can more readily provide the date for american independence than its romanian counterpart (1st of december)

tribalism is human nature,

and there’s something to be said about a country that has managed to develop an impenetrable sense of we-ness, not because, but in spite of its cultural differences.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

today is day 185 of the year, there are 181 days remaining of 2022.

happy birthday, uncle sam Read More »

three

1 minute of reading

omne trium perfectum

she, he, they
birth, life, death
beginning, middle, end
past, present, future
mind, body, soul
red, yellow, blue
gold, silver, bronze,
first, second, third
art, science, religion
father, son, holy spirit
shiva, vishnu, brahma,
oak, ash, thorn
hip, hip, hooray!
going once, going twice… SOLD!

if at first you don’t succeed, always remember…
third time’s a charm.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

today is day 182 of the year, there are 183 days remaining of 2022.

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delay your gratification

1 minute of reading

more than high-end luxury items,
or extremely specific niche products,
or poorly reviewed, cheap commodities,

the hardest thing to sell, by and large is… prevention.

regardless of how problem (or solution) aware the prospect is, selling the cure has always been easier and more profitable than selling prevention, why?

  1. seeking instant gratification is a classic human animal trait if ever there was one
  2. temporal and reward uncertainty – am I really going to obtain pleasure (lose weight, get a raise) if I go through perceived pain (eat less, exercise, take on this project) in X time?

professionally? I’ve never been mad at impulse buyers in my life (especially the kind that don’t ask for refunds)
personally? I’ve been navigating my life based on this one aphorism I’ve learned from John Williamson:

short term pleasure = long term pain
short term pain = long term pleasure

when in doubt, always choose good fuel for your engine.

and if you ever find yourself in a position in which you have to sell prevention, whether to yourself or to others,

ask yourself this:
“what is the financial and emotional cost that I will pay if I let things continue the way they have and don’t change?”

then list out the consequences…

I’ll see you tomorrow.

today is day 181 of the year, there are 184 days remaining of 2022.

delay your gratification Read More »

you’re still on mute

2 minutes of reading

I talk…
a bit too much,
(or a lot of bit, depending on who’s asking.)

from a very young age, the force and plentitude of sounds that would come rushing out of my mouth the second I’d barge home from school, would never cease to amaze my parents (and their, now sensitive, ear canals…)

fast forward 3 decades and, to this day, talking remains my main indulgence, a weakness I’ve consciously chosen to embrace.

much like a dieter who wishes to continue eating their favorite foods but is compelled to find a healthier alternative,
I too, had reached a compromise

I wouldn’t talk less,
but I’d talk better

I’d pay attention to cues,
I’d make it about them,
I’d educate and entertain…

but most importantly, I’d listen,
I’d become a storyteller;
and of the many labels sewed on me, this one’s my favorite.

it’s a life skill I’ve brought with me to work,

every time I write copy, I imagine taking the reader out on a walk…
we’d start with the promise of an easy, relaxing walk, surrounded by gorgeous scenery, to which most people agree to.

the more complex and boring my words grow into, the faster and more difficult the trail becomes.

with my mind’s eye, I visually draw an image of them having to duck under tree branches, sky’s pelting them with rain, a steep incline is visible in the distance…

and unless my avatar is a fan of Spartan races, they won’t last on my imaginary trail very long.

expecting the viewer to make an effort to understand your offer is one of biggest mistakes I see brands make…

storytellers have figured out how to keep an audience’s attention for hours, it’s not so much the length, but the clarity and resonance of your message that makes you heard.

in a world full of beautiful trails, make sure yours isn’t put on mute.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

today is day 180 of the year, there are 185 days remaining of 2022.

you’re still on mute Read More »

love, a contradiction

1 minute of reading

it is such a profoundly earthly desire to love and feel loved in return.

to love is to feel stronger and weaker all at once,
both hopeful and cynical,
lost and found.

it’s in this chaotic choreography of conflicts that I think lays the most beautiful type of love…
the kind that is deeply connected and protective of each other’s otherness,

free of manipulation and expectations,
free of noise and performance,
the kind of love that grounds you even when your world is shifting.

something that combines such maturity and naiveté is nothing short of human.

so hard and yet,
so easy.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

today is day 179 of the year, there are 186 days remaining of 2022.

love, a contradiction Read More »

talk salesy to me

1 minute of reading

“do what you have to, but don’t make it salesy”

salesy.

as someone that’s worked in marketing for over 10 years, this is a very familiar sound to my ears.

especially coming from new clients,
typically said with a very strong sense of (misplaced) righteousness.

we learn to navigate such comments because we know that what the client actually means to say is…

sell it, but don’t make it look like you’re trying.
sell it, but don’t be inauthentic.
sell it, but don’t do it too well.

and what they really, really, really mean to say is…

sell it, but don’t lie.
sell it, but don’t make me look bad.
sell it, but don’t be needy, pushy or bitchy.

ah! well that is a completely different word to salesy.

selling brings clients.
not new colors, not features, not fairy dust,
selling.

we sell, ALL the time.
most of the time we sell ourselves, our values and opinions.

and if you really do think, that your thing is going to be the thing that can move the needle for someone, it is then your moral obligation to sell.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

today is day 178 of the year, there are 187 days remaining of 2022.

talk salesy to me Read More »

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