When we were younger, our parents would always warn us about developing a reputation. This was said as if the only reputation one could develop was a bad one.

I discuss in Amazing Things Will Happen that everyone should be concerned about their reputation, but why not strive to insure that it is a reputation for being trustworthy, loyal and kind?

Last week, I found my reputation front and center and for some reason it gave me pause.

The World Domination Summit is a unique conference experience that I’ve raved about here and here. In only it’s second year, Chris Guillebeau and team have created something very special. With only 500 attendees the first year, 1,000 the second and who knows how many next year it is doing very well.

Tickets are not easy to get. They go on sale and sell out in a matter of hours if not minutes. So, when the first batch of tickets were announced last week, I made sure to tell everyone I know so that they didn’t miss out.

As expected the tickets sold out before the end of the day and I noticed that several of my friends had purchased tickets thanks to the Facebook integration with Eventbrite.

Then something began to happen that I wasn’t ready for.

My friends began publicly sharing that the reason they bought their ticket was based on my endorsement.

First, I saw DJ Waldow share this.

Then Steve Garfield said something similar.

It was also happening on Twitter as Cara Posey shared.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m comfortable with everything I’ve shared about the event and the fact that each of these people trust me enough to purchase a $500 ticket and spend all the money that goes along with attending an event based on my simple words.

What gave me pause is that we each need to be sure that we are that comfortable with what we endorse and rave about.

My experience at this event was stellar, but what if this year it gets too big and loses some of the magic that I loved. What if it is a flop and all of these friends returned anger and disillusioned from the event and thus never trust my recommendation for anything again?

A reputation takes years to build, but can be destroyed in an instant. Always keep that in mind with every action you take.

Conferences are taxing on the soul. When one brings you half-way around the world, your body and mind get lost sometimes.

Jaume Marin from Visit Costa Brava, one of the men who made this trip possible for us, pointed out that there was a weekend market open just across the green. He encourged us to check it out and made note that while it may start off as nothing but cheap clothes and shoes, that it would open up to fresh produce and other goodies after making a hard right. We didn’t want to miss the turn.

There is always a rush that comes from being in an open air market in a different county. Part of them are familiar to the flea markets here at home, but then so much is different as well.

The giggles of children. The haggling of adults. The smells of cheap, yet satisfying food cooking on a grill.  I may not have recognized a single word that was being said around me and yet you still understand everything that is being said.

My senses awoke as we turned to face produce, meat and even more people. The colors and smells brought a smile to my face and a rumbly in my tumbly.

The colors of the produce. The stalls of hanging meat. The unique personalities manning their stalls and hocking their wares.

I don’t know what it is, but produce always looks stunning at a farmers market. Maybe it is the sunshine lighting them instead of the dull overhead glow in a supermarket. You can’t help but want to buy it all.

Sucking in the energy and images around me I took photos of it all. Through the magic of it all, one stall caught my attention over all others. Square wooden boxes were filled with raw spices of every color and scent. Inhaling deeply from each box, I basked in their glorious smells.

The kitchen is not a foreign place to me. As the cook of our family, our spice cabinet is my best friend. Yet, here I stood in front of multi-colored mysteries. As is the natural thing to do for me, I began taking photographs. The owner of the booth didn’t seem to mind me doing so. It is amazing how much can be communicated with a simple smile.

In broken English, she asked me with a bit of a grin, “Only photos or are you going to buy?”

I stopped. I know that many vendors don’t like you taking photos no matter where you are in the world. It is something I’ve never understood, but have accepted as part of human nature. But, having been through this before I knew without hesitation what my answer would be.

“It depends. What spices should I buy to bring home the flavor of Girona to my family?”

If you were not aware, that is the perfect answer to the question at hand. It shows that you are not just an idiot tourist. You know where you are and are asking for a personalized response. With those simple words you are showing that you care about their opinion and want to have a human connection rather than only a snapshot memory.

We went back and forth as she quizzed me what I’d be using it for. Did I want it spicy or not? Would I be using it to cook fish, vegetables or chicken?

In the end, we decided on something that would be good on beef with a little bit of a kick, but not too much. While I love spicy food, my family does not.

She scooped from this one and grabbed from that. She was excited to assemble just the right mix as she paused and contemplated several times what would make the perfect mixture. She filled a bag and shook it up.

As I inhaled deeply from my new spice mix, I couldn’t help but grin like a Cheshire Cat. It smelt amazing and already I was imagining rubbing it on some skirt steak when I got home and enjoying it with a bottle of deep red Spanish wine.

I handed her a two Euro coin and with a heart felt “gracias” I was on my way.

She might not remember me, but I’ll never forget her.

The spice lady of Girona.

I get asked all the time what is the right length for content?

Is there a magical length that a video should be to go viral? Can a blog post be too long or too short?

My answer is always the same and we included it in Content Rules because so many people like it and that is the Miniskirt Philosophy as I like to call it.

Long enough to cover the essentials, but short enough to keep it interesting.

Yes, it is that simple. You are welcome.

I travel a lot.

Between speaking engagements, press trips and client work I’m on the road every couple of weeks.

Last week, my travels brought me to Girona, Spain to speak at TBEX and unlike most of my travel, my wife came along with me so that we could make an adventure out of the trip.

I wish she could come on more trips with me because having her there made it better.

Unlike many relationships, Laura and I are friends first. That makes time together something we both look forward to and any time apart isn’t a good thing.

So, how is business travel when your spouse is along for the ride? Here are five immediate perks.

1. You always have an excuse to escape from anything you don’t want to be doing.
2. A hotel room is no longer a sad place to return to at the end of a busy day.
3. No table for one looks.
4. You have a travel buddy to share all the amazing experiences with.
5. They get to see you at work which gives them a new appreciation for what you do.

There are more, but those are the immediate ones that come to mind.

While many people would be freaked out over bringing their spouse along on a trip, I’m advocating for you giving it a try the next time the opportunity presents itself. It isn’t possible for us that often since we have two great kids, but in this case it meant quality time with the grandparents. I can’t wait until the day that I get to bring my kids on a business trip. That is going to be awesome.

Thank you to the TBEX and Visit Costa Brava teams for inviting Laura to come with me on this trip. I know we both greatly appreciate the vacation time together and it wouldn’t have been possible with your help.

Six Pixels of Separation has always been one of my favorite podcasts. Mitch Joel does a great job of covering the marketing industry and sitting down with some of the best and brightest minds working in the space.

While we were both in Columbus recently, we sat down to discuss my new book Amazing Things Will Happen.

It was the first time I’ve been interviewed about the book and it felt good to get it done. You can listen here.

Thank you Mitch for being a great friend and mentor over the years.

To visit Costa Brava is to fall in love with it.

The people. The food. The beautiful country all around you. How can you not love a location like this?

I’ve just returned from a week there with my wife and I’ve tasted amazement and viewed beauty. I stepped into the Mediterranean and gazed upon the Pyrenees. We drank deep red wine and tasted aromatic olive oil over fresh tomatoes.

There are many stories to tell and images to share.

Tales of looking into the deep blue waves on the border with France and dancing with beautiful women in the shadows of a medieval castle. But, for now, please enjoy some of these travel photos taken with my iPhone and shared via Instagram as a sneak peek for the tales that are to come.

Thank you to the Visit Costa Brava and TBEX teams for bringing Laura and I over and showing us an amazing time!

Laura and I are in Girona, Spain taking part in TBEX and I wanted to post a quick update to let everyone know what a great time we are having.

The team from TBEX and Visit Costa Brava have gone above and beyond showing everyone here a great time and I can’t thank them enough for bringing us over for this. It isn’t that often that I get to bring Laura on my travels, so this is extra special.

Last night, while we dipped our feet in the Mediterranean at a beach party sponsored by Expedia, I recorded a quick audio update to share the experience with everyone.

Much more thoughts and many more photos when we return.

Because she is taking it with her iPod Touch (my old iPhone 3) rather than her phone, I know she is going to post it to Instagram.

She saw a moment that she wanted to share and didn’t think twice about stopping for a minute and capturing it. Sure, the school bus would be arriving soon, but she knew she had time and knows that moments don’t last for long.

Last week, I heard Ann Handley talk about how Instagram is a great content teaching tool because the more you use it, the more you find and appreciate moments around you that you want to share.

I jotted it down in my notebook and have been thinking about it ever since. Then this morning all this happened and I knew I had to share it.

Content Marketing is the latest craze that everyone is talking about.

It isn’t anything new, but the latest tools empower more people to create and share content. Any business can set up a social media foundation and begin creating and publishing as much relavent content as time allows. Budgets and bottlenecks no longer have to stop anyone.

Jane Quigley talks a lot about moment sharing and how it is a marketing trend to keep an eye on. She knows her stuff and is correct.

If you are stuck trying to figure out what kind of content to create and share, perhaps you should start with Instagram and a notebook.

• Start with a personal account if you don’t want it all tied back to your company yet.
• As things catch your eye, take a photo and share it.
• When an idea pops in your head, write it down.
• At the end of the day look back at what you’ve photographed and written down.
• At the end of the week, take an even longer look back and see if any trends catch your eye.

You’ll start noticing that the akward feeling of stopping to take a photograph will go away. You’ll look forward to capturing a moment and sharing it. Those blank pages will suddenly have scribbles, doodles and notes all over them that could be turned into something more.

People are the biggest problem with content marketing. They get in our own way and doubt themselves before even trying.

As you go about your day, never forget to find the moments and enjoy them. If there is a way to leverage them for your business goals then go for it. If not, just enjoy them.

This moment is brought to you by my morning coffee and a beautiful morning.

You’d be hard press to find a more genuine good guy than Steve Garfield.

He is known as the go to guy when you need anything video. Steve’s book Get Seen is a great starting point for companies (and individuals) who want to add video to their marketing mix. But, he is also a lover of good food, great beer and anything Boston.

We’ve become good friends over the years and I’m glad we’ve developed the friendship that we have. Our conversations are always lively and filled of laughter.

I love that I got to sit down with him for Passion Hit TV and talk about the road to where he is today.

Enjoy!

I was using Photobooth on my Mac as a monitor to see what my camera was seeing while filming a segment for the upcoming MarketingProfs B2B Forum that I’ll be taking part in and attending.

When I saw the photo it was too silly not to share.

Yesterday was a rough day for me.

My site went wonky due to an update I made, I lost a source of income and a life list item I was getting ready to check off may in fact not be happening. All in all, it was a pretty crappy Monday.

But, if you know me, you know I don’t stand for that. I’ve got a book to edit, so I cranked the tunes and focused on the printed out manuscript to spend some quality time with it and my favorite red pen.

Then I was reminded of this little video assignment I had agreed to. The first time I filmed it, I made a rookie mistake and didn’t get the focus right so it turned out horrible. So, I put it off as long as I could and then went for it a second time. This go around I got it right and the team was happy.

Why I share this is because those ninety seconds of being silly made up for the hours of yuck that came before them.

They reminded me that while there will always be curveballs in life, that smiling and being silly for a bit can help right your spirt to where it needs to go.

There is a lot on my plate at the moment and none of it is going to be easy to complete. But, one quick look around at what some of my friends are going for and it reminds me that my mountains are nothing compared to others.

The next time you get frustrated or run into that wall of doom, try being silly. It just might work.

Last week, I found myself in Columbus, Ohio taking part in Content Marketing World.

When in your second year as a conference and you have a thousand attendees and some of the best speakers in the industry, you know you are doing something right. Add in a concert from Rick Springfield, the opening keynote from Mitch Joel and a closing talk with animals from Jack Hannah and you’ve got a great time.

I was asked to give a presentation focused on small business and how they can smartly start using content marketing. It is always fun to get back to basics and that is exactly what I did with my time on the stage. There is a great write up of my talk here and my slide deck can be seen below.

As with any event, some of the best memories come from the little moments of hallway magic and time spent outside of the event. This is especially true when you end up in a food coma after a great meal at Schmidt’s Sausage House.

Somehow in all of my travels I had never met Mark Schaefer in person, but thankfully we finally have. He even interviewed me after my presentation to talk about content, but also about my new book.

Attending the first two years of a conference is always interesting. You could feel that many of the attendees had a better understanding of the topic, but were still seeking answers. There was so many information packed sessions from great speakers that I don’t know how the organizers pull it off. Joe Pulizzi and team did an amazing job and I can’t wait to see how they raise the bar even higher next year.

Content Rules, but Content Marketing World rocked!

Like many, we are a two car family.

Working from home means that my car is “the family car” that holds all of us and that we take anytime the whole family is going somewhere. My wife has a sixty five mile or so round trip commute every day, so she has the more practical commuter car that gets better mileage.

This review could be summed up easily by my wife who told me, “Out of all the cars you’ve been given to review, this is the first one I hated to see go.”

A huge thank you to Chevy for giving us a 2012 Chevy Volt for a week as an extended test drive. We would have never fully appreciated the car without having that length of time to see how it really fit into our lives.

In my opinion, this is the direction all car companies need to be moving. A mix of electric and gas that works together to give you the most driving for your dollars.

This is what our dashboard looked like when we returned the car. Over the week we drove 405.5 miles (with a lot of those being on the highway) and only used 5.3 gallons of gas which comes out to just over 75 mpg. Those are real numbers and when you see it like that it is very impressive!

Every night we’d plug the car into a standard outlet. It would take all night to charge, but in the morning on a full battery, my wife could almost make it to the office and back  using almost no gas. If I were to have a car like this as my own, we’d of course upgrade to the higher voltage outlet to charge it much faster.

Chevy has done something that at first felt like a gimmick, but here days later I’m still thinking about. They’ve gamified the driving of your car.

As you drive, there is a little spinnging globe (on the right of the photo above) that shows when you are driving the most efficiently. Acelerate or brake to fast and it goes off the grid, but do either smoothly and it’ll keep spinning with it’s little congratulatory leaves. Yesterday, as I was driving my own car I found myself not punching the gas, but doing it more gradually as the reminder of how to be more efficient grew in my head.

So, what did we think of the car? We loved it, but here are the good and the could be better points.

The Good

• The hybrid nature of the car is great since finding a place to plug in is still a rarity. Range anxiety is very real and until the batteries can hold a lot more charge and public places to recharge are common this is a must.
• The Volt has more power than we imagined it would. It was a blast to drive and it’s “sport mode” is extra fun to play with.
• Never having to fill up with gas for the entire week was a blessing.
• You feel safe in it as the design wraps around you and the eight airbags are all clearly labeled so you can’t help but feel safe.
• The keyless entry was a nice upgrade from our current cars. You leave the keychain in your purse or pocket and get in and out without ever having to touch it. I had it set so that after I got a certain distance away it automatically locked the doors.

The Could Be Better

• The dashboard is horribly organized. Buttons are in no sort of order and the last thing I want to be thinking about while driving is how where to change the temperature in the car.
• The interior needs to be updated so that the cup holders are not so far back that they get in the way of driving.
• It needs power seats that allow the driver to be higher. Both my wife and I felt like we were in a low rider the entire time.
• Improve the bluetooth connectivity so that it auto detects devices when you return to the car. Having to connect my phone each time is not a good thing.
• Our kids said that the back seat was not comfortable for taking a nap in. They are eleven and thirteen and thought it could use a bit more legroom as well since I drive with the seat all the way back and they didn’t have a lot of room behind me.
• Better battery technology that holds a longer charge.

The biggest problem though is the cost. This isn’t just a problem with the Volt, but almost all hybrid cars are still very expensive because the demand isn’t there for them yet. Until the prices come down, they are never going to catch on with enough people to really shift the auto industry in the direction that they need to go. I hope the technology improves at a much more rapid pace so that the cost can be lowered and these type of cars become the norm, rather than a vanity.

All in all, we thouroughly enjoyed the Chevy Volt and are now curious to try other hybrid cars since we are sold on the concept.

This car could easily replace my wife’s commuter car. A quick search online shows that many of the things we didn’t like are currently being worked on so maybe the 2013 will be even better?

It isn’t big enough to be our family car since while it has a nice sized trunk area, it wouldn’t hold our black lab and enough supplies for a weekend away which is how we judge.

A big thank you to Chevy for listening online. When I put out a call to automobile manufacturers on Twitter that we were looking to rent a hybrid car for a week to test them out they were the only ones that responded. Guess more car companies need to work on their listening skills. *grin*

And yes, I took all of these photos myself except for the dashboard one which my wife took.

I’m a busy man. I’m in the finishing stages of my newest book, I filed paperwork for a new company last week, there are several different projects I’m working to pull together and I’ve got my loving family to care for.

But, in the middle of all this chaos and tasks list, I make sure that I don’t forget the importance of the quiet moments that no one talks about and less people seem to be taking these days.

Those moments where you walk away from everything and you let your brain relax, stretch and take in the world around you.

Tuesday night I was in Carpinteria, California. I had spent the entire day in a film studio and I was out of energy. I drove down to the beach and after grabbing a burger from The Spot, I began walking.

The sky was a beautiful fire of pinks as the sun began to set below the horizon. There were a few photographers getting their shots, kids fishing and locals kicked back on their decks enjoying the cool evening breeze.

I took this snapshot and continued to walk along the beach. No purpose, goal or reason. I wanted to unwind after a long day and take the moment in.

When you let your brain go is when it comes up with some of the best ideas.

I wasn’t thinking about anything I was working on, but of course my mind didn’t forget the list and little ideas would pop up. I wasn’t focusing on any one thing, so it was up to my mind to figure out what it wanted to focus on at the moment. I was focused on the lapping of the waves and the squawk of hungry seagulls.

Yesterday, was the last weekend of summer vacation for the kids and we spent it on Good Harbor Beach. I played more in the ocean than I had in years. I laid on our blanket and took in the heat of the sun and the random conversations around me. I took some photos with my phone, but the idea of checking anything was not going to happen on this day.

We are all busy. We all have a never ending list of things we have to get done. But, we are all not doing is taking enough quiet moments for ourselves.

Sure, we can’t all go to the beach every day, but what else can you do that will let you unplug and your mind to wander? Go for a walk, hit the gym or lay out on the grass in a local park. You’d be amazed where your mind might go and it is good for your soul as well.

I’m not sure when the next time I’ll be back to the beach, but I’m so glad I took the time to enjoy it while I was there.

Growing up, the only traveling I did was from the back seat of the family car. It wasn’t until I was in college that I  took my first airplane trip.

Few things make me more excited than going someplace I’ve never been before and looking at my schedule for the next month I’ve got some amazing places in my sights.

Next week I’ll be in Santa Barbara, California filming something for Lynda.com. Then I get to see Columbus, Ohio for the first time for Content Marketing World.

After that I’m combining a speaking engagement with a bit of vacation with Laura as we both head to TBEX Europe in Girona, Spain. The only other time we’ve traveled like this together was a quick trip to London several years ago, so we are both excited.

As if all that wasn’t enough, I’m going to be jumping on the train after we get home from Spain to attend and speak at Podcamp East in Wilmington, Delaware.

The fact that I’ve never spent much time in any of these cities has me extra excited. I get excited becaue it means I’ll throw what I need in my GORUCK and go out walking the streets with my camera. I’ll meet strangers and try new food. I’ll see things that I’ve never seen before and hear conversations that I could never hear anywhere else.

The memories that come from traveling is why I love it so much. There is only so much that one can experience if they never leave their home town or state.

For me it doesn’t matter if I’m jumping in a car and driving somewhere an hour away or on to a plane to fly across the world. When I’m traveling is some of the happiest times in my life.

Earlier this summer I had the pleasure of attending the Vimeo Festival + Awards on behalf of .tv as one of their advocates.

It was a real honor for me to chat with Dae Mellancamp, President of Vimeo. She was so down to earth and giving with her time and I have a feeling we could have chatted about the power of online video for a lot longer than we did.

Ever since I set up my own profile on Vimeo I’ve been a big fan of their site and hearing what they have planned makes me extremely happy.

If you are a video producer and haven’t checked out all the features that Vimeo gives you, I suggest you take some time today to check it out.

I get hired to create all sorts of different things. My only rule is that I’ve got to be excited about any project I accept.

So when Citrix asked me if I’d be interested in writing an eBook for them about workshifting as a parent I jumped at the opportunity.

You can download a PDF of the book or view it as a slide show below.

I firmly believe that being able to workshift makes it easier to balance maintaining a happy family and a successful career. Every parent will get something out of this. I tried to not talk about only the technology, but more about the mindset and actions you must take to balance the two.

Thanks to the team at GoToMeeting for getting me involved in this. I had a blast on the project and look forward to more projects in the future.

Parents, once you’ve read it I’d love your feedback and additions that you think I may have forgotten.

Yesterday, Emily and I had a pretty crappy morning.

It was the first day of drama camp for her at a new local arts center. Emily loves the stage (don’t know where she gets it *grin*) and after having two other camps be canceled earlier this year she had been looking forward to it all summer.

We arrived and checked the place out. After a half hour of waiting it was obvious that something wasn’t right and that once again she was going to be disappointed.

I was angry because we had paid for this camp weeks ago and if something had changed we expected a phone call or email letting us know what was going on.

But, even in my anger, I wanted to make sure that I used this as a chance to show Emily how to correctly handle the situation. Yes, I vented both on Twitter and Facebook, but even now as I write this, I’m not mentioning the company by name because honestly you don’t need to know it and it wouldn’t help the situation at all.

As I called and left a voice mail with the company, I made sure Emily heard how I handled it.

I was direct and let them know how disapointed we were and how it was not the way to make a first impression. At the time I didn’t know that my wife was also leaving them a message since I had been texting her updates while we waited.

This could have easily been the end of the story, but I’m happy to report that it isn’t.

The person responsible called my wife and apologized. They had canceled the camp the week before and said point blank that they dropped the ball and there was no excuse for not notifying us sooner. She took full ownership for the mistake and when it was suggested she might want to say sorry to my daughter she jumped at the opportunity.

Emily is excited because she wants to go back and see what other classes she can take there. The simple act of owning the mistake and saying sorry made the horrible first impression wash away.

Remaining level headed and civil is always the right decision.

Far too often we jump from angry to asshole without any care for the person(s) on the other end.

Next time before you blow, pause and ask if it is really worth it. The high road is usually the right one, even if it isn’t the easiest one.

This post is part of the #PositivelySocial movement that Frank Eliason proposed. I can’t wait to read the others that take part. 

We’ve all heard that there are some topics you should never discuss with friends. I’ve never believed this, because if you are real friends you should be able to discuss any topic even if you don’t agree on it.

I’m sitting here with my morning coffee. The house is still mostly asleep. The quiet gives me time to reflect and think about the world around me.

Humans are never going to fully agree with one another. Our brains allow us each to individually form our own beliefs and make decisions about everything. The chances to two humans being in complete agreement on everything is impossible. We love, hate, like and feel meh about everything we come in contact with. The song on the radio, our frosty beverage of choice and the color of our car. Each, another decision that we each make.

The Internet opened up our front door to the world.

Now, the decisions I make and the things I believe in can be seen by the world. Each of us has the choice what to share and how much. The world around us has control over if they want to see them or not. It is the cornerstone of the social graph that our lives are now part of.

We each have beliefs that we are more passionate about than others. It is another human trait that is amazing and scary to watch at the same time.

I always think back to a line from Kevin Smith’s movie Dogma that goes:

“I just think it’s better to have ideas. You can change an idea. Changing a belief is trickier. People die for it, people kill for it.”

I’m full of very strong beliefs. Certain things that no one will ever change my mind on. While I’m happy to have civil conversations about them, I will never try to push them on anyone.

I also have friends with very different beliefs and I want that because if you surround yourself with only similar thinking individuals, than you’ll never grow as a person. Being exposed to different cultures and ways of thinking makes you a more well rounded person and in my mind a better individual.

As you go about your day, please try to keep in mind something my dad taught me at a very young age and that I’ve tried to pass on to my children.

“To Each Their Own.”

This means that we all get to have our own opinions, beliefs and ideas. We each get to make up our own mind.

We don’t have to like what other people think and do, but if it doesn’t directly effect us or hurt other people, then we have no reason to be concerned by it.

Try to keep this in mind always. I know that it makes my life a whole lot more pleasant and I believe that if more people started thinking this way that we might cut down on some of the insanity going on in the world around us.

Make it a great day everyone.

No matter how you define a curse, it usually is seen as a bad thing.

I on the other hand, use the word a bit differently from time to time to reference something that I may have to live with as part of being me. We’ve always joked that there is a Chapman Curse that effects the men in our family with having a smile that women love.

See, all curses are not bad right?

This morning, my dear friend Karen Walrond and I had this little back and forth on Twitter. If you don’t know who Sherpa Tenzing or Samwise Gamgee is, you need to get educated.

After I realized she was fine, my response was that this all sounded like what I call the Curse of the Creative.

I have this curse and I know many other people that do as well.

It is what keeps me getting involved in new projects and trying new things. Your mind doesn’t ever really stop and even if you are kicked back in a total state of idling well, your brain is noodling on various projects, ideas and random thoughts that are always up there bouncing around.

When you get passionate about something, you jump at it without sometimes fully thinking it out. You doodle and fidget and even if all you have is a paperclip in front of you, it’ll shortly be shaped into something new.

Everywhere you go and no matter what you are doing, you mind is going. When talking to people, you constantly are thinking of ways to help them and what might be a solution to their problem.

Random things catch your attention and you love sharing them with others. You consume as much as you create. You can never seem to create enough.

All of these fall into the curse of the creative for me. It is one curse that I hope never gets lifted because even though sometimes it can be a bit annoying not to shut down the brain, it is much more often a gift than anything else.

Today I’m commuting to New York City on the Acela Express.

I’ve done this trip so many times that I’ve lost count. But, this morning my train ride is filled with a mix of emotions as Amtrak moves forward with technology and it has me feeling a bit nostalgic.

Waiting on the platform for my train to arrive, a commuter train approached from the opposite direction. The doors opened and passengers boarded. The morning hustle was in full effect.

“All aboard!”

I haven’t heard a conductor call this in a long time. He wasn’t just saying it because someone told him to. He was shouting it with enthusiasm and it instantly brought me back to the train rides of old.

This was fresh in my head as I took my seat next to a nice young woman reading her Kindle.

Earlier when I had printed my ticket at the station kiosk, I was confused as a single ticket came out. Instead of separate tickets for each leg of your journey, a single ticket is now printed. This is a smart move to save paper and I can’t help but wonder how many people may not realize this and throw away their ticket after their first bit of travel.

As the conductor made his way through our car and took my ticket I heard a new sound. The beep of an electronic scanner.

This is a move in the right direction. I know the next step is fully electronic tickets in the Amtrak app.

This bit of needed progress is great, but I instantly thought of a nameless conductor that I’ve been looking to profile on Passion Hit TV ever since Amtrak sponsored the show.

On one of my early morning commutes, I over heard him talking to a fellow passenger. Whenever he use to rip the tickets in half and he recognized the person, he’d ask if they could sign it for him.

He kept a rubber band wrapped stack of these autographed train ticket stubs in his pocket. He had celebrities, sports stars and politicians. What a great stack of memories and he had the stories to go with each of them.

Tangible souvenirs are quickly being replaced by check-ins and status updates.

He is no longer going to be able to collect the ticket stubs and I’ll never get to here the click, click of a conductor punching my ticket.

As we move forward with innovation and technology, I love every bit of it. Having WiFi on the train allows me to share these thoughts with you, but it also distracts me from watching the country side roll by. Looking around, most people are looking at a screen of some sort, rather than getting to know the strangers around them.

There has always been something nostalgic about train travel for me and as it evolves with the world around it, a piece of me will fondly call out for a simpler time and days gone by riding the train.

Did you know that I have a new book coming out before the end of the year called Amazing Things Will Happen?

If you didn’t, you do now and I’ve got a crazy idea that I’d like to run by you in the hopes that one of you likes it enough to make it happen.

I make part of my living as a professional speaker and know that I’m happiest when on stage in front of an energized crowd.

To help support the release of the book I’m looking for someone (an event, company or organization) to pre-order 500 copies of Amazing Things Will Happen.

In return for this I will:

• Give an energizing speech at your 2013 event anywhere in the Continental United States.
• Cover all of my own travel expenses to get there.
• Sign all of the books (I’ll even bring the markers!)
• Help promote the event with a minimum of a blog post, video and plug in my email newsletter.
• Anything else creative that we agree to

I’m offering this to the first entity that contacts me and completes the pre-order. Please note that I have special pricing for this offer through a specific vendor and the order must happen through them for this to be valid.

This is a first come, first served type of promotion and I reserve the right to pass on an event or company if it isn’t appropriate to me in some way.

The conversation gets started with an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

The response to my Shot@Life Blogust post yesterday was simply amazing.

Thank you to each person who commented and helped raise such a large amount of money to help make vaccines available to children around the world who would not usually have access to them.

The world needs a lot of help and it should be the duty of each and every one of us to make it a better place.

We have a rule whenever we go camping or hiking to “leave it better than we found it” and I try to keep that in mind ever single day.

While I’ve always made myself available to help with any charity or organization that approached me, things changed earlier this year when I went to Ghana with ONE.

Seeing first hand how much help a single country needed changed me. Our own country needs a lot of help as well. The whole world needs help.

I’m committed to making the world a better place. Working with organizations like ONE and now with Shot@Life are just the beginning of how I can help. I have so many ideas on things we could do together and I hope at least some of them end up happening.

Recently I’ve become more committed to helping bring change to the world through creativity. I have a head full of ideas and need to start making them realities. The $100 Investment certainly pushed me forward with making this more official quicker than originally planned and that is a good thing.

The work I get to do with Wediko, Know My World and most recently Lost Kidz is rewarding, but I want more.

Can I help you or your organization? My camera, words and hard work are always available for worthy causes. Please consider contacting me out if there is a way we can do some good together.

This big blue marble we live on needs a lot of help and it is up to each of us to do our part to help those around us. Are you with me?

This post is my contribution to Shot@Life’s Blogust Blog Relay For Good.

Thirty of us are sharing stories of the power of comments on our blogs or people that comment and who inspire us. All of this is to help raise awareness for the work Shot@Life does and to raise a lot of money.

Every comment left on this post will initiate a $20 donation to help immunize a child in a developing country, so please get vocal.

I chose Clarence Smith Jr. because he is a dear friend that not enough people know about. He is the founder of BOLD Edition, a photographer with a great eye and a writer of considerable skill. He has written a novel that he shared a chapter at a time online and did a limited run web comic about his family life. To put it simply, he is mad talented.

He doesn’t comment often, but when he does I know I’ve created something worthy of his attention and that means a lot. Clarence doesn’t mince words and always cuts to the point.

Over breakfast earlier this year, I dubbed him a “mixtape journalist” because of the way he loves to tell stories across multiple forms of media. He seemed to enjoy it, even if he didn’t fully embrace it.

Clarence is a busy man and father, so he doesn’t create as often as I’d like. I’m constantly pushing him to do more. The world needs to consume his words and enjoy the world through his eyes. If you need an example look to this post about the tornados that hit Monson, MA last year.

Recently he bought a beautiful new motorcycle and has been putting miles under it this summer. He’ll share the occasional Instagram photo from his journeys, but I’m hoping for more because I have a feeling on those open roads his mind wanders with words bouncing around along with the gravel under the tires.

I’m inspired by him for multiple reasons. His inability to bite his tongue when he has something to say. His dedication to the importance of barbershops and the knowledge he gains when he sits in the chair. A never ending love of Kool-aid, comic books and video games. All of these make him the unique friend that he is.

I’ll never forget the first time we met.

A mutual friend had said we should meet each other and so we got together for dinner. I’ll always remember him grinning like a naughy five year old as he told me, “watch me mess with our waiter.” He proceeded to order a veggie burger with bacon I knew I liked this guy. We’ve been tight ever since.

We don’t live that far apart, but with us both having busy family lives and other commitments we don’t see each other as often as I wished.

One of the few photos of us together that I know about is this one that Steve Garfield captured. It always makes me smile.

I firmly believe that Clarence has a bright future ahead of him.

He has the chops to be a storyteller on a whole new level and I hope someone gives him the chance to do that. When he hits the street with his Leica and Field Notes I know he is going to come back with something unique and completely him. He writes in a way that I can’t and while that irks me somedays, it more often pushes me to write better.

He is going to read this, shake his head and give me a hard time about it. But, it is from the heart and I mean every word of it.

My world is a better place because Clarence Smith Jr. is in it. I’m inspired and pushed and always love our conversations. I can only imagine what sort of comment he is going to leave here.

Keep pushing buddy and don’t ever give up!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Because this is a relay, I now have the pleasure of handing it over to Liz Gumbinner from Mom-101. She is an absolute peach and always has something great to say so definitely check her out tomorrow (and beyond).

Please don’t forget to comment, so that children around the world can benefit from the great work Shot@Life does.

Say hello, tell me someone that inspires you or make up a funny poem. Whatever you comment, it helps!

Thank you.

About Shot@Life: Shot@Life educates, connects and empowers Americans to champion vaccines as one of the most cost-effective ways to save the lives of children in developing countries. A national call to action for this global cause, the campaign rallies the American public, members of Congress, and civil society partners around the fact that together, we can save a child’s life every 20 seconds by expanding access to vaccines. By encouraging Americans to learn about, advocate for, and donate vaccines, the United Nations Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign will decrease vaccine-preventable childhood deaths and give children a shot at a healthy life. Find out more on their site, Facebook or Twitter.

I’ve kept a journal my entire life. When I read about blogging and saw a close friend start doing it I figured I’d give it a try.

My grandfather was a photographer with a darkroom in his basement. I grew up with cameras always around me and enjoyed taking photos. Every minute of every day, I’m taking photos in my mind if not with a camera in my hand.

While at Bentley I spun tunes at WBTY. The moment I read about podcasting, I hit the record button and began sharing my thoughts with the world.

When Mrs. Pet cast me as The Lorax in our elementary school play, I realized how much I liked being on stage in front of a crowd.

Over the course of my life I’ve been blessed to make money doing all of the above things. A world of possibilities that I could have never imagined has shown itself to me and every day I wake up not knowing what it holds, but I’m excited to face it.

But, each of these activities I take part in because first and foremost I love doing them.

I don’t know what it is that keeps the creative juices flowing through me, but I constantly have to create to stay sane. Social media allows me to share my creations with the world and the neat thing is that people appreciate what I share. But, if they didn’t would I stop creating them? Hell no!

If you love doing something, then do it.

Get out there and keep on doing those activities because you get satisfaction from them. You don’t have to have a plan for how to monetize it or attract more people. All you need is to know that you enjoy doing it and keep on moving forward.

In the early days of podcasting, people would ask me what they should start a podcast about. Today, I get asked what kind of content they should create. Who am I to tell someone what they should create?

The answer I’ve always given them is to figure out what you love and then create around that.

Some people prefer words over photos. We each like different types of music, food and locations. If you are passionate about whatever is that you are creating, then the rest will follow and people will connect. But, if you are creating it based on some top 10 list or formula that someone is selling then it’ll never be successful.

I don’t care if anyone reads this post. I hope they do and I hope someone benefits from it. But, I sat down to write it because if I didn’t the words would be bouncing around in my head and distracting me from the rest of the day. I enjoyed writing these words with my morning coffee and I’m smiling as I get ready to hit the publish button.

Stop worrying about what other people will think or if they’ll like what you create and just do it already.

Do it for the love first and everything else second.

There are several types of emails I get on a regular basis and one of those is the “I want to be a writer, where do I start?” variety.

As a published author, people assume I have discovered the lost scrolls of wisdom that contain the secrets of becoming a writer and that I will share this knowledge with everyone who asks.

Now, I didn’t find any scrolls in the back, dusty corner of the local library, but I do know the answer to this question and I give the same answer to every person who asks me.

If you want to be a writer, start writing.

Shocking I know, but truthful it is.

Sorry to get all Yoda on you, but it really is that simple and it applies to more than writing.

People want short cuts and get rich quick schemes to achieve their dreams. While those exist and a lucky few get to use them, the rest of us have to work hard to get what we desire.

If you want to do anything in the creative space, you’ve must create on a regular basis. You have to consume what other people are creating and then figure out what you want to create.

I would have never got to this point in my career without years of writing, taking pictures and speaking for little or no recognition. Yesterday, when I mentioned podcasting and someone asked me how I learned to do it, I giggled as I explained to them that I’ve been creating them since 2004.

No one is going to hand you the keys to your future. It is up to you to blaze the path and then walk down it.

Stop blaming others and look inside of yourself. If you really want to become something it is up to you to do it.

Now, go forth and make amazing things happen ok?

I’ve made some damn good friends over the years and one of the most unique is author Scott Stratten. He collects superhero statues, is now covered in tattoos, speaks his mind and is a die hard Detroit Lions fan.

Last year we were kicked back on the patio of his room at the Hotel Valley Ho in Arizona watching Monday night football, drinking mini bar cans of beer when he told me the idea for his new book The Book of Business Awesome/The Book of Business UnAwesome. I instantly loved it (especially the cover idea), but told him I never thought our publisher would ever go for it.

Thankfully they did and now you can have your own copy!

Scott let me read an advance copy of the book and it was a blast to text message him as I read it. We had a good time going back and forth as I laughed, cheered and screamed at some of the stories.

For those of you who are fans of Scott, sit back and get ready for a secret that I was shocked to discover in the book. Yes, the king of slamming QR codes has decided to include them throughout the book so that he can keep you updated on the latest stories that fit the book’s themes. I’m sure that more than one jackass is going to call him out on it.

What makes this book unique is that it is a good old fashion flip book. Read it one way and you get stories of companies being awesome. Flip it over and you can read of those who are unawesome. I’m planning on having fun making sure that both sides are shown whenever I find copies in bookstores.

How can you not love a book that not only have two covers, but even two author photos and bios? Genius idea. Check it out.

But, I don’t want you thinking the cover is the only thing that is awesome, because ever page of the book is filled with the straight forward writing I’ve come to expect from Scott. I promise you’ll learn more than one thing reading it.

He pulls no punches as he openly shares stories companies of all sizes that have done it right and done it very wrong. This book is going to instantly become something that every employee should read to make sure that they carry themselves appropriately.

I expected to have heard all of the stories in the book, but was pleasantly surprised to find lots of new ones.

The Book of Business Awesome/The Book of Business UnAwesome is quite simply an awesome read. You should buy a copy for yourself and at least one other to give to someone who needs it.

If you are going to buy any number of copies this is the week to do so because Scott has all sorts of fun rewards for you. Read all about the rewards and how your library can get a copy of the book for free if you order on immediately.

Mark this one as another awesome book to put on your shelves!

I love movies and I love movie trailers even more.

This morning, two beautiful ones caught my eye that I had to share with you immediately because each is very unique and absolutely stunning to watch.

The first is for the latest from the Wachowski Brothers (famous for The Matrix movies) called Cloud Atlas. I have never heard of the book and knew nothing about the movie until watching this. The plot alone excites me, but the look and style blew me away.

The second is visually one of the most mesmerizing movie trailers I’ve ever seen. Shot over five years all on 70mm film Samsara looks to be a visual masterpiece. I can’t wait to see this in a massive theater surrounded by an audience.

Watch both of these on the biggest screen you have access to.

At Blogworld this year, I sat down with old friend Cali Lewis for a GeekBeat.tv interview.

We talked a lot about Passion Hit TV and Content Rules. We also laughed a lot and had a bunch of fun.

I’m approaching forty and have never been in great shape. While I enjoy backpacking and outdoor activities, I’ve never been as active as I’d like for as long as I can remember. But, last year several things happen that got me thinking more about the importance of living healthier.

I’ll never be a small guy and I believe all the lose weight fast options are dangerous and stupid. If you want success you need to change everything and make it a lifestyle rather than something you do for a few weeks or month and stop.

This is why Nike’s evolution from a simple shoe company into one of the premier fitness technology companies intrigues me.

Earlier this year during SXSW, I purchased my Nike+ FuelBand. I had missed that they were selling them and had been trying to get one for weeks, but two dear friends stepped up and hooked me up. Laura and I began wearing ours and have been using them ever since.

I get asked all the time what I think about the device and here are my thoughts:

• I prefer it over other similar devices such as the FitBit (which I also own) because I instantly know if I forget to put it on. If I don’t see it on my wrist I know I’ve forgotten it. I plug it in every night so that it is waiting on my desk in the morning.
• The way Nike calculates Fuel is a bit wonky. Sitting at my desk, typing every day I earn quite a bit of it. I’d think this would be lower. Laura hates that she gets more points for an hour of folding laundry than she does spending the same time with her personal trainer. Mowing my lawn seems to get me more points than anything.
• Once you figure out what kind of points you get on an average day, you can set your goals appropriately. I’m hoping they change the way this is calculated so you actually get more for doing more.
• After a few days of wearing it, I forgot I had it on. I worried it would bug me, but it doesn’t.

The Nike+ FuelBand has an app for your phone so that you can sync up with a simple click of a button. At any point you can see how you are doing compared to your friends and you are motivated by earning different awards and milestones. The first time my phone jumped to an awards video it freaked me out because I wasn’t expecting it. Exactly what game makers love to have you do. Now I look forward to unlocking them because they are always a moment of bliss.

The Nike+ dashboard contains all the vitals on everything you and your friends have been doing so that you can track your progress. It has been fun to watch it grow as I use more apps and devices and they seamlessly integrate into the familiar design.

Jane McGonical is someone that I have a huge mental crush on. Her book Reality is Broken is an epic read that will melt your brain.

If you have never had the pleasure of hearing her speak, you should take the time to watch her TEDTalk “Gaming Can Make a Better World” to understand what Nike figured out and why this isn’t simply a silly marketing gamification play by them. The mentality of gaming is a very powerful motivator.

Of course, Nike continues to take it further with the release of new shoes that track your workouts.

I purchased a pair of their LUNARTR1+ shoes that contain a small Nike+ transmitter in the sole of each shoe. Yesterday I completed my first workout with the shoe and the Nike+ Training app on my phone.

Yes, it really does track all your foot movements in conjunction with the training. During the work out I was too busy trying to catch my breath to marvel at how damn cool this is. As I jumped, lunged and performed the other tasks, the technology was tracking and counting everything I did. Unfortunately it is smart enough that if you don’t do a particular exercise correct it doesn’t count it. No cutting corners with this trainer!

While, I don’t see me becoming a runner anytime soon, I also love their running app because it tracks where I go for walks with the family and it was cool to see a map of where we had been after the fact since it keeps track with your phones built in GPS. I hope at some point this is built right into the shoes or Fuelband so that I don’t have to always think about starting the app before going out.

The system is far from perfect, but I’m excited that it is finally motivating me to focus on being more active.

I hope Nike releases the arm band that they keep showing in their videos because right now having to plug the training sensor into my phone means that I can’t use the training app in the way that it is shown. Plus, where is the iPad version so I can actually see what is going on? The videos are top notch, so I don’t see what the issue is. A bit of false advertising that I hope they fix soon because I’d love to be able to use the training app at the gym, but can’t currently do that.

I also hope that they realize that average guys like me are a big market for them. Most fitness companies focus on the elite athletes and already in shape people. But, what about all the men and women out there who want to be active and while they won’t be doing a GORUCK Challenge anytime soon, they want to get in shape? How about some training and focus on us? Lots of money to be made in that segment I believe.

It isn’t perfect and it won’t work for everyone, but Nike has evolved into something much bigger than a shoe company and that is exciting to me. With the release of a Kinect training program later this year and who knows what else on the horizon, they are looking to stay a leader in this field.

Finally, kudos to the team behind the scenes who are making sure to leverage social media in a smart and conversational nature. Every time @NikeTraining replies on Twitter or I see @Nike posting on Instagram it reminds me that they know it is about more than just selling. Well done!

As for me? I’ve got a workout to go do!

#MakeItCount

Update: I had to get a new iPhone the other day and went from a 4 to a 4s. Today when I used the Nike+ Training app it said it no longer needed the adapter to connect with my shoes. Guess the iPhone 4s has some new sensor in it that I didn’t know about. This is a BIG improvement.

charity: water has one simple goal and that is to bring clean drinking water to every person in the world.

I’ve long admired how they realized from day one the power of photos and video to show exactly where donation dollars go.

Today, they’ve outdone themselves with their video for Rachel’s Gift One Year Later.

I love that they let the visuals shine and tell the story. When there is dialogue it is simple, short and powerful. Everything about this story is touching and joyful all at the same time.

They do amazing work and tell amazing stories. Every time they touch my heart, but this time they touched my soul. I wasn’t expecting to cry this afternoon, but this video certainly touched me in that way.

Please consider getting involved today in some way.

<snark>

When you write a best selling book on content, people tend to ask you for your thoughts on different tactics and strategies.

A few months ago all the talk was about Pinterest and before that people were getting excited about Google+. Now everyone seems to be fascinated with the knowledge that they can put words on top of their photos instead of making yet another brightly colored infographic.

I know. Photoshop has existed for years. We’ve all been looking at print ads, billboards and movie posters for as long as we can remember. But, still people are amazed that they can add words to their photos right from their phones. Oh, how far technology has come!

I giggled as I watched this trend begin and now I see people doing it all the time. My Instagram feed is full of them and my Facebook newsfeed is litered with more and more of them.

Guess what though?

If your brand is thinking about diving into this because everyone is doing it, remember that it is a tactic and not a strategy. Where does it fit into your other marketing programs and what can you do with this trend that is unique and relavent to your business? Always ask why before you do anything. Make sure it is a fit and that you are not doing it simply because everyone else is. Following the herd rarely gets you noticed.

We as a society love shiny new toys and are scared of doing the grunt work. We see other people doing things, so we have to do them. If there is a shortcut that looks like it’ll make things easier we take it.

Does anyone else find the humor in the classic saying that “a picture tells a thousand stories” and yet here we are with people feeling they need to add words to their images in order to tell a specific story?

I do.

</snark>

Update: Shortly after hitting post on this, I saw that Chris Brogan was talking about this too. Great read from him.

Yesterday, I spoke to members of the Syracuse University communications teams.

It was a lot of fun, chatting with a room full of great people about the importance of content marketing and how to approach it. While I wasn’t there long enough to take in a lacrosse or basketball game, I did get to walk around campus and take some photos while there.

Here is what I saw.

I gave the opening keynote speech at this years TBEX conference in Keystone, Colorado.

TBEX is the largest event in the world focused on travel writing. It was fun to take our Content Rules concepts and apply them directly to the travel and tourism industry.

Plus, I had fun with the title of the presentation because no one knew about my next book yet.

Yesterday, it was announced that I’ll be speaking at TBEX Europe this September in Girona, Spain. I won’t be keynoting, but I’m psyched to check another country off my list and to be part of another great event.

You can find out more information on how you can have me speak at your next event or other ways you can work with me.

I’m always looking for the next great adventure.

Photo Credit: Dave Cynkin

At 11 am I sent out the announcement that my next book is called Amazing Things Will Happen: A Real World Guide on Achieving Success and Happiness and that it was now available to pre-order.

I wanted to watch how (and if) it would spread from a single email. I know that email marketing works, but it is always fun to experiment and see what happens.

Thankfully, it went just as I had hoped for.

I watched as people tweeted the news, shared their pre-orders and sent congratulation messages that also contained a link to the book. I still haven’t said anything publicly about the book until this post and yet I’ve watched it climb the charts at Amazon and had family members over the weekend talk to me about it because they had heard about it from other people.

Amazing Things Will Happen is the book I’ve always wanted to write. I was working on the proposal when Ann called me to write Content Rules with her.

If you’ve ever listened to Managing the Gray than you know what you are in for. Straight forward advice that helps me be successful in the hopes that it will help you be successful.

It’ll get labeled as a “self help book” and I’ve got mixed feelings about that. I firmly believe this book will help people out, but it also isn’t one that is going to be filled with fake promises like so many of these books contain. I wrote it in the typical blunt, yet helpful manner that I usually write. I don’t sugar coat anything and I know some people are going to disagree with me. I’m ok with all of it.

The book hits shelves on November 27, 2012 and yes it’ll be available on all electronic book formats and an audiobook will be released as well. You just can’t pre-order the ebook or audio formats yet, but I promise they are coming.

First week sales are extremely important, so if you could please order a copy from your bookstore of choice I’d be ever so appreciative.

I’m looking to work with events and brands on bulk order promotions and events. I’m plotting out a fun book tour. I’m dreaming up some crazy bonus things to go beyond the pages. If you have ideas or want to be part of the fun contact me and we can discuss.

It is an exciting time in my world and while I never like to rush time, I can’t wait for November to arrive!

My dad was born to be a blogger. He writes up his perspective on things and e-mails them to me from time to time and they are always heart felt and touching.

Recently he was pondering about how few people drive with the window open any more. There was a time when AC in a car was a luxury and most people during the hot summer would be seen with the windows down, arm out and tunes playing.

Now, you see nothing but windows up and everyone isolated from everyone else on the road. It got me thinking.

The world we live in now allows us to interact and connect with people without ever opening the windows.

I can sit here and type these words and somewhere you can sit and read them. Throughout this we have no chance of physically interacting with each other.

I’m a big advocate for the “beer and coffee” approach to life, which besides being a great album from Matthew Ebel, is really about making sure you sit down and truly interact with other people beyond the screens in your life. That you open the window and enjoy the company of other people face-to-face and away from all the confines of our social networks.

Every time I read a travel post on We Blog the World, Legal Nomads or any of the other travel sites I love they fill me with a new appreciation of the location they are covering. But, just like driving down the road with the windows up, I can only appreciate it so much until I actually travel there myself and take it all in.

Lately, I’ve been driving around with the window down a lot more. The hot summer air feels great and their is always a liberating feeling as you get on the highway and crank up the tunes. The kids found it weird the first time we did this, but have since embraced it.

I caught myself playing Superman with my hand out the window the other night. I haven’t done that in years. Of course I hadn’t, because the windows are always up.

So much life is going on around us every day. Stop and think about how if the window or walls are up, how are you ever going to experience it all?

And am I the only one that finds it weird there is no longer any hand signal for put down your window? The old fashion rolling signal doesn’t work any more.

Have a great weekend!

This past weekend when I traveled to Portland for the World Domination Summit, I figured it was the perfect time to kick the tires on my new lens.

If you missed the news, the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Pancake Lens is one of their newest and I wanted it the minute I saw it.

I’m happy to report that I’m very satisfied with the results.

It was a little concerning when I first opened the photos in Lightroom because they appeared to have a slight vignette around them, but I’m blaming it being late because there really wasn’t any.

The best thing about this lens is it is sharp and fast. Plus it is tiny.

I have the standard battery grip on my Canon 5D MKIII and this lens is actually shallower than that. I’ll never travel again without this lens being on my camera. Instead of the typical cover I place on it when packing, I’ll pop this on for an instant extra lens with no added weight or size.

This lens is also meant to be great for video and the only thing I’ve shot with it is a talking head shot of myself for the latest Passion Hit TV so I’m not comfortable reviewing it on that aspect.

I’m loving this lens and looking forward to shooting with it more in the future. All photos below taken with it.

Little moments of magic are hard to explain.

When you live through one, you know in your heart and soul that you were part of something and yet trying to explain it to others who did not witness it in person is near impossible. This is where I am now. Trying to explain this past weekend in Portland at the World Domination Summit.

The focus of the event is “living a remarkable life in a conventional world” and I’ve always known that my life certainly falls into that framework.

Looking around the theatre, packed on all three levels, I saw people of every age, color and nationality. Men, women, artist, entrepreneurs, dreamers and professors. Some were already blazing their own paths, while many were actively trying to find theirs.

After a hello I’d start every conversation with the simple question of, “what brought you here?” The reasons were as diverse as the people.

For me, I attended because I wanted to be surrounded by like minded people. I needed to talk to others who believe that we each make our lives what we dream for them to be. I was curious if what I had written in my next book was in fact true or not.

As I write these words on the plane on my way home, I can confirm that I found everything I had set out for. I’ve already bought my ticket for next years event and this conference has moved to the top of my personal must attend list of events.

The adventurous spirit was alive and well and by the end of the first day, an idea that I’ve been toying with for years was screaming inside to be let out. I made a silent promise that when I got home I was going to figure out a way to finally let it out and play.

Grabbing dumplings and local brews with old friend Eric Rice proved to only fuel the fire. We talked about the old days and the stagnate streams of social we were both growing tired of. As we kicked back later with coffee and shared stories of our children I couldn’t shake the importance of the weekend.

As if everything wasn’t already amazing about the weekend, there was one more moment of magic as the summit came to a close on an emotional high.

Chris Guillebeau took the stage and purposely rolled up his sleeves.

He told a story of losing significant money on the previous years event. About the team discussions and decisions to continue and to not take on sponsors.

He shared the story of a first year attendee wanting to make a generous anonymous donation and the conflict this posed to the team to stay pure to their ideals in light of making a profit on this years event.

You could see the emotion in his eyes and the passion in his heart. Whatever he was going to share next was big and even I could feel it welling up inside me and I had no idea what was coming.

He announced that as we left the theater, every attendee was going to be handed an envelope. Chris held up one and ripped it carefully open. Inside was a hundred dollar bill and a simple ask.

This $100 investment was to support each of us in doing something good. One thousand of us rose to our feet with a roar of applauds.

Events are started to make money. The World Domination Summit was started to change lives. Taking a donation and the profits from this years event and turning around and giving it to the attendees is one of the most generous and genius decisions I’ve ever witnessed.

I’m taking my $100 Investment and opening a bank account with it to start that crazy idea I’ve been thinking about. A year from now I hope to return to #WDS2013 and tell my story about what I did with it and more.

Thank you Chris and every energizing soul who shared in this weekend with me.

My life is better because of it.

My body is on East Coast time, so another morning on the road finds me vertical earlier than I should be.

Yet, the sun is up and in the distance past the buildings and streets of Portland I can see the mountains in the red of the early morning glow. The hotel room coffee may be a bit bitter and weak, but I’ll enjoy my view, collect my thoughts and roll on with the day as any smart man should.

The World Domination Summit is a crazy name for a conference. It instantly confuses people. It makes them crack jokes. They wonder what sort of crazy cult you’ve gotten involved with.

I spent yesterday surrounded by the most beautiful of crazy people and I’m alright with that. They are small business owners, artists, true intellectuals and more than one dreamer. While we come from different corners of the globe and work in every field imaginable, it isn’t about what we do. This conference is full of people with the same vibe and approach to life.

As the conference creator Chris Guillebeau described it as he kicked off the show, we are about community, adventure and service.

Yesterday I had my mind expanded by Dr. Brené Brown, my heart broken by Scott Harrison and ass kicked into high gear by Scott Belsky.

On top of that I met a kindred spirit Melissa Dinwiddie who described herself to me as an “artist and creative instigator.” I was reminded of the simple things that can make a big impact by Jonathan Fields, all the while realizing that I need to spend more time with him away from conferences. Then during lunch over trays of spicy Korean BBQ in the park with Krista from Blissful Media Group I learned about global garbage and the economics behind it from all the research that Katrina Mitchell has done.

There is still another full day of sessions and workshops. My brain will continue to be stimulated and my heart will swell.

I’m invigorated to be at an event where very few people know me or my story. I love that we talk about our passions and dreams before what words are on our business cards. The focus is not on the latest technology or social strategy. We are talking about making our lives better on our terms.

Every single person I meet and say hello to is up to something amazing and I love that.

World Domination Summit is officially a dangerous event in the best possible way!

Right now I’m somewhere over America on my way to San Francisco and then on to Portland, OR to attend World Domination Summit 2012.

This is the first conference I’ve paid completely for in a number of years and while I’d love to be on stage, I’m excited to be there fully as a participant. Plus, I’m jazzed to be returning to Portland because I fell in love with the city when I spoke there on the Content Rules book tour and it’ll be great to return!

Ever since I first heard my dear friend Karen Walrond first mention the event last year I’ve been curious. Then when I found out it was created by Chris Guillebeau I was hooked.

This is only the second year, but it was so popular last year that this years tickets were opened in blocks and sold out almost immediately after they were announced. As someone who has thought about putting on my own event (I’m scared of the logistics of it), I can’t imagine how psyched Chris and his team must be for the success.

Because I know plenty of you are going to be wondering what this event is all about, watch this video to get an idea.

If you are attending, please be sure to say hi. I’ll be the guy walking around with my GORUCK on my back and my camera in my hand. I’m looking forward to catching up with a few old friends and really excited to be meeting so many new ones. Hoping I can squeeze in a couple of Passion Hit TV interviews as well, but we shall see.

You can follow along with the #WDS2012 tag if you can’t be in good old PDX.

Last week was a long one for me. In addition to having a gravely sick dog at the house (he is much better now), I was under deadline for my latest book.

Writing for a living is awesome, but it also involves a lot of late nights, self doubt and long hours of alone time.

But, every time I get caught in one of those moments where you see the towel and are tempted to reach for it, I remind myself that creating things has always been what makes me the happiest and this next book is important to me so I kept on pushing.

Saturday I was sitting in our sunroom with Laura. She was working on homework for school and I was doing a full edit of the manuscript. The kids were not home and yet here we sat on the couch beside each other working away. I suddenly laughed to myself and let slip with a bit of celebration, “I’m done!”

It was one of those moments that catches you off guard in the best possible way. Something I had been toiling away with and fighting against had come to a close. Sure, there is a lot of editing, tweaking and more writing to do once my dear editor gets her hands on it, but this was a major milestone.

I’ve determined that writing a book is similar to hiking a mountain with several peaks. The first one is always the hardest.

You are pushing forward, always looking at the approaching summit. It isn’t easy, but you finally reach it and turn in the manuscript. It is the hardest peak to get to, but it is a psyche out because there are several more littler peaks ahead of you that you must climb before the actual summit of being done.

Celebrating small victories is something I firmly believe in so after e-mailing the manuscript to Wiley,  I poured a little bit of my Macallan 25 into two glasses, we clinked together and smiled.

Writing is a long haul endeavor when done right. It isn’t always fun, but damn do I love it!!

This post marks the start of my 11th year of blogging.

Ten years ago yesterday, I wrote about a beach trip with several close friends and the rest is history. Since then it has been a long, strange and amazing adventure.

Over the years, my writing has certainly evolved. I’ve always treated this as an online journal, but as the web matured and more people got to know me I’ve certainly pulled back my writing.

I remember when podcasting started getting popular and being one of the first professional podcasters brought a lot of attention my way. Laura made a comment that she missed my old blogging because it always felt like she was getting to peek inside my brain. While I’m still very open with my thoughts and words, I do censor myself from time to time as I know the audience reading is much greater than the small band of friends and family who were reading back in 2002.

As much as some things have changed, many have stayed the same.

Too many people write for the hope of eyeballs. They forget to let their thoughts flow and share a part of their soul. They depend on bulleted lists and eye popping headlines to bring in readers. They write because they feel they have to, rather than actually having something to say. When all else fails they make a list or go to the link baiting pond in the hopes of stirring up attention.

I blog because I’ve always needed to create and share my thoughts.

It has helped me launch businesses, write a book (now two), meet thousands of people around the world, form some of the closest friendships of my life and take part in amazing experience after experience.

Ten years from now I wonder what the world around me will look like. I certainly didn’t think I was going to be where I am today when I wrote those few words ten years ago.

Onward and upward!

I’m taking part in the Thrill of the Grill Challenge and recorded this quick grilling tip as part of the arrangement.

Please leave your favorite grilling tip or recipe on my post on Digital Dads. Thanks!

I’m a big fan of the FlightTrack Pro app and have used it for a long time. I bought a copy for myself and for Laura so that she can track all my travel delays just like I do.

So, when the team from Mobiata (who make the app) asked if they could hire me to write up a recap of my TBEX experience for their new blog how could I say no?

In addition to the post, I also filmed this travel video about the event.

If you’ve never heard of TBEX, I also recently wrote a travel journal from the trip and their next event is in Spain this September.

I’m curious to see where Mobiata takes their blog and what new travel apps they may have coming down the pike.

This lens excited me when it was announced because I love pancake prime lens and how little they are. I’m also planning ahead to when Canon finally catches up and releases a mirror less 4/3rds camera sometime this year (all rumor at this point). This lens will be perfect for that kind of camera and was the main reason for buying it.

Personally I love shooting with a prime lens and the challenges they give you. Plus, I can’t wait to throw it on when I film the next Passion Hit TV to see how it performs there.

All three of us are passionate photographers who also work with clients to use photography when it is appropriate and we got to share stores from both our personal and professional lives in this talk.

Unfortunately they didn’t capture the video, but the slides and our audio is here. Enjoy.

The above video is only one of over 100 recorded sessions from BlogWorld & New Media Expo New York 2012. You can get all of the videos — plus bonus interviews and other bonus content — by picking up the entire Virtual Ticket.

I’ve been involved in social media since before the term even existed. I’ve appreciated and leveraged the power of connecting with people from around the globe since I first dialed a modem into a BBS and started talking to strangers.

The online world and social media has been very good to me. I make a good living consulting, speaking and writing and all of that came about from years of hard work and the access I’ve been given by being connected

If you haven’t heard of Path, it is an app (iPhone & Android) that allows you to share thoughts, locations, photos and the music you are listening to. You can comment on other people’s posts and instead of a simple like or +1, you can choose from several emotions to give any post. All this sounds familiar right?

Every social network allows you to do pretty much all of those things. But, Path has one very significant difference that currently is forcing a different user behavior within it’s walls. It only allows you to have 150 friends.

Because of this little limitation, people are very choosy about who they connect and share with. I know my “rule” is that if I haven’t had a real sit down conversation with you and I wouldn’t let you stay over at my house, then there is no way you are going to be connected with me here.

This close knit feature causes a certain circle of trust to be created by the people you interact with. The conversations that happen there and what is shared are things you’d never see said publicly on other networks because they’d come with too much baggage.

It gets a little interesting though when you comment on someone you are connected with and then other people you don’t know comment as well. That is always a little trippy.

This morning it solidified for me when someone really put themselves out there. Sharing intimate details of something horrible that happened to them. It was a conversation that you use to see happen online more, but now rarely happens.

You know why else I love it? Because there is zero pitching or pimping going on. There is no A List and people could care less what number you have on any other site.

People are talking about their lives, kids and struggles rather than sharing links, tips and everything else that happens on the web at large. People are being people and I love that.

It is going to be interesting to see where Path goes. Right now it is very young and pure and I love it. As it grows and needs to make money, what will happen to it? I’d pay to keep it like it is right now. I hope that is the business model they are opting for because if advertising or marketing of any sort creeps in, then it becomes just another social network rather than my morning coffee with friends that it serves as right now.

One of my favorite memories from my recent trip to Ghana was having dinner with several students from Ashesi University.

I had never heard of the school before that night, but each of the students I chatted with were dreaming big and wanted to make Africa an even more powerful place.

I wrote about the night on the ONE blog previously.

Turns out, that my own college has a program with this university. As a graduate from Bentley University this made me proud and I hope to find a way to do something together in the future.

What sparked this post was a new video from Ashesi that I think captures the enthusiasm and drive of the school in a perfect light. I wonder if the copy of Content Rules I sent them helped at all

It is a dream of mine that perhaps someday I can at least speak to a class if not teach for a bit there. This video and the conversation with those students that night was very inspiring and I think we could do some amazing things together.

Yesterday, I passed on a speaking engagement after being told about the size and scope of the great event that people pay to attend and then when I asked what their speaker budget was I was told, “We don’t pay our speakers because we’ve found we get the same quality from people we pay or don’t pay.”

I politely declined the invitation.

Saying no is not easy for me because it is in my DNA not to disappoint people, but I’ve come to realize that business is business and saying no is a critical part of that. If people want to work with me, they need to value me.

This doesn’t mean I don’t speak unless you pay me. Each time I take the stage there is a different arrangement in place. But, in each of them I know that the organizers value me and my time and that is why I do it.

The same goes for consulting.

Over the years I’ve worked on a ton of campaigns. Some have won awards and others are still talked about to this day. I’ve learned a lot along the way and that experience is not something I can’t just hand over to you or give you in a simple sound bite. As Tom Webster loves to say, “you have to do the work.”

Is it fair for one company to pick my brain for free and then another pay a lot of money for my help? I love helping people out and sharing advice, but when it comes to developing a strategy, creating an engaging marketing campaign or something more than there has to be value in it for me as well as you.

Remember that every thing you say yes to takes away from something else. If I’m on the road, I’m missing my family. If I accept a speaking engagement with one event, I can’t accept a second one during the same time slot. For every hour I spend on a writing assignment, it takes away from me writing my next book.

Opportunity costs are sometimes more valuable than actual money. It is a constant balancing act. Likewise, this isn’t about saying no to everything that doesn’t pay you money. There are lot more ways to “pay” for something beyond just straight up payment.

I’ve always used the Hell Yeah! test when making a decision and it works for a lot of people. Try using that the next time you are debating if you should say yes or no to an offer. It usually serves me well.

If we don’t value ourselves, than no one else is ever going to. That is a fact of life that took me a long time to realize and honestly it is something I have to remind myself of quite often because of that nice guy thing I often don’t.

Saying no is one of the hardest things for a lot of us to say. When you really stop and think about that it is rather strange isn’t it? But, I know it is also the truth.

Everyone’s time is valuable. The knowledge in each of our heads is unique and valuable. Don’t ever be afraid to say no.

Shortly after the release of Content Rules, I made it known that I wanted to take on more freelance writing assignments.

While I still haven’t landed a magazine column which is on my life list, I have been hired to write for several online publications and the first posts have begun to appear and I wanted to share them with you.

My most recent posts include:

• The Life of the Solopreneur is my first post on the new GoTo Blog from Citrix. I took the opportunity to discuss how I work and do what I do and how putting a name on it is never an easy thing.
• Babble has asked me to write several times for them and it has never worked out until recently. I’ll now be writing under the headline of Slice of Life With a Side of Travel With C.C. Chapman and my first post focused on how much more I enjoyed a recent trip to New York City just from walking more. Read it and let me know what you think.
• After raving about the site for years, I’m officially writing for Workshifting.com and my first article is You Can’t Parentshift focusing on how parents may be able to work from anywhere, but you can’t parent from anywhere.

If you enjoy my writing, you’ll see more posts on all three sites in the coming months.

I’m also of course working hard at finishing up my next book. I’m feeling very good about it and where it is going. All signs are still pointing to it being released before the end of the year. Bet it makes a good Christmas present! *grin*

Need someone to write for you? E-mail me and we can talk.