It’s easy to get frustrated at life sometimes. You could be commuting in Atlanta and stuck in traffic. Someone could do something that seems very..well…dumb. You could pass someone in the store that seems absolutely rude.

Before becoming offended or begin to pass judgements on that person or situation you’ve known for less than one minute, think about the times where you haven’t been yourself. Where situations out of your control have affected your mood or decision making.

Also think about times when things don’t go your way. We’re not always dealt a fair hand a lot of times. We get stuck in traffic on our way to an important meeting or to visit family. The outdoor concert or baseball game you’ve been looking forward to gets rained out. You’re working out in the gym and someone appears to be hogging that machine you’ve been wanting to use.

These are all things I have personally gotten frustrated with. If we’re honest, one of the hardest things to remember is that it’s not always about us. The world affects us all differently and we all handle it different ways.

Knowing that, I think we could all be more empathetic with everyone around us and make better decisions on how we respond to certain situations. What would the world look like then?

The post It’s Not About You: The Value of Empathy appeared first on Brain Wads.

I’d been following @JonAcuff’s content for a short while. I had heard of his first blog but really didn’t follow him on social media until the last couple of months. That following on social led to me spending my last week of time on MART reading a new book on my Kindle.

Acuff’s latest book is called START, a book about “punching fear in the face” and “being awesome.” I initially had my reservations. Some of his online content was funny but I initially saw this book as another “ra ra…follow your dreams…quit your day job and go be awesome…” type of book. While I like the random shots of inspiration from time to time and will rotate quotes on my computer background from time to time but do get tired of the “quit everything and start something new.” I feel like some of that motivational ‘wisdom’ disregards the rules of the real world like bills, family time etc.

Plus, secretly I was somewhat put off by his one post “To all the guys who think Pinterest is just for girls.” The inner hipster in me was like “men on Pinterest was so last spring. Has he not heard of Board of Man?” I got over that brief and unnecessary ego trip quickly.

I also got over any pre-conceived notions I had about his book. After gaining a free Kindle version from a promotion of theirs, I realized that I had unfairly judged his book by its cover. Acuff pulls from his own life experiences and missteps along his path of times when he tried to quit everything and “live his dream”….and failed. The advice he provides is extremely practical and the book didn’t take me very long to read. What did I learn?

There’s merit in being an apprentice for a bit

I don’t remember the exact word he used but the concept still applies. He talks about how he decided to work for Dave Ramsey instead of trying to set off on his own and be his own boss. Acuff knew that Ramsey was an extremely accomplished writer and speaker and a master at what he did. He said that taking the time to learn from Ramsey for a while would be more beneficial to him long term than anything. Taking time to work under someone and learn more is an ideal you don’t see too often, especially in work motivation books like this one. Kudos to him on including this concept. I didn’t see it coming but found a lot of value there.

Don’t chase your dream at the expense of others

The family-life issue is one that I’m sure is a major factors for entrepreneurs or aspiring dream chasers. You want to drop everything for this new opportunity that may or may not be lucrative. You want to spend your extra hours working on the side gig. However, there’s always the chance you’ll not be able to have the income to support your family. You may be working on side gigs when you could (or should) be spending time with your wife and kids.

Acuff puts a lot of value in his book around not succeeding at the expense of those who are directly affected by your decisions. He had made some entrepreneurial mistakes in his past and brings them to light as a learning tool for the readers. What does he suggest to pursue your dream? Finding down time that doesn’t take away from the things in life that really matter. His main suggestion? Getting up early. Which leads to the last thing I learned.

Get up earlier

I still struggle with this. I’ve blogged about it before but it was one of those posts where I was publicly trying to talk myself into an ideal. Acuff suggests just getting up 30 minutes earlier to put a dent into building your dream or working on that side project while the family is still asleep. He mentions how his kids rarely beg for his attention at 5 in the morning nor does his wife feel neglected when he was typing away in the wee hours of the morning. Some of the most successful people I know and/or have heard of are early risers. There has to be something to that idea.

The book was a great little jolt of electricity to put into my day job. I’m not going to start a new job on the side anytime soon or try and build a company out of my garage. The book doesn’t really even push for that. It teaches that awesome could just be doing better in your day-to-day job that you already have. After all, in my opinion, that’s a great place to start. If you can’t be awesome where you already are, why would it change in a different location?

Below is a trailer to the book. Has anyone else read it?

The post Surprised by START appeared first on Brain Wads.

The behind-the-scenes photos the last year of filming have been fun enough. Now there’s a trailer. My life is going to temporarily shut down for a day or two in two weeks. Enjoy.

Also, enjoy this photo of the Bluths in Baroque.

The post It’s the Final Countdown: Arrested Development Season Four Trailer appeared first on Brain Wads.

To be a good digital strategist, you obviously have to know the space. Not know 30,000 foot view stats about different platforms but spend some time in each area you are working in to know how people engage from a user level. You have to be in the weeds. So yes, spending time online is critical to your job.

So when does not being online help me be better at a job that wouldn’t exist without the internet?

The term digital strategist is two words – not one.

Digital = takes place online or in some other digital experience (mobile, AR etc).

Strategy = thinking about a creative solution to a problem.

So if the internet is impacting how I think and approach problem solving, wouldn’t my best problem solving be done away from a computer monitor from time to time?

Our best thinking isn’t done browsing the web or checking every ding that pops up in the corner of our screen. We have to be able to look at a client problem from every angle and step out of our digital box. It’s when we aren’t staring at a screen is when we do our best thinking.

I’m the lead digital person at my agency at the moment and rarely carry a computer to a brainstorming meeting. When I’m trying to figure out a new idea for a client in my office, I give all my attention to my analog white board. I shut the computer off, put my phone on silent (and face-down) and think.

I’ll be honest, this is hard. Checking my phone or an email is a nervous twitch I get whenever my brain idles, even if it’s for just a moment. I feel left out if I’m not on top of the latest breaking technology announcement or new app that’s hit the market.

Then I realized: I’m not a journalist. I’m not trying to break news. It’s not my focus or task. That new app will be there a couple of hours later. Those emails aren’t going anywhere. It’s not the doing or the multitasking that will add value to a project…it’s the initial creative thinking (which supports the eventual doing).

What do you think?

What role does technology play in our creative process?

The post Would less time online make me a better digital strategist? appeared first on Brain Wads.

This ad that floated around the internet this week is a perfect example of such innovation:

The creators of this ad space knew that they had two audiences for their awareness campaign. One – adults who may not be aware of child abuse or could be the abusers. Two – children who needed help. By creating a specific message that only children would be able to clearly see, the ad actually provided a safe communication outlet for children in need.

There was no brilliant social campaign for this billboard. No QR codes to share the experience. Just a very powerful idea presented in a well-delivered story. The PR power in this campaign was in the innovative idea itself, not a gimmick. It’s a great example of solid creative thinking. I love this.

The post When Innovation Serves a Function appeared first on Brain Wads.

I’ve seen this before but it resonated more with me today. It’s easy to cast an opinion on someone or be rougher than we should, whether it’s an overwhelmed hostess at a restaurant or someone we run into on the street. We don’t know what they’re going through or their intent.

Kindness goes a long way, even if it doesn’t feel deserved.

(ht to Kendrick Disch on Google + for this)

The post Empathy is Important appeared first on Brain Wads.

I know this past weekend saw a lot of graduations and there are many more to come. It’s hard to believe that it’s been over four years since I walked the line at WKU. Sure, four years is hardly enough time to garner any substantial real world career wisdom. That said, I’ve still been able to learn a thing or two. Here are things I was either told or wish I was told on my last day as a student.

 Learn Something From Every Opportunity

The job economy is better than when I graduated but it’s still not amazing. You’re probably going to have a job of some kind that you had built up in your mind as “making it.” An astronomically few people land their “dream role” right out of school. That said, just because you aren’t where you want to end up, doesn’t mean you can’t learn a thing or two.

When I was out of school, I wanted to get a job at a big flashy ad agency in downtown Chicago, having lunches in Millenium Park and having Don Draper-ish moments (minus the debauchery of course). I ended up at an incentives supplier company on the south side of Chicago. It wasn’t where I had envisioned in my mind but I learned a TON working there. I was able to garner a lot of B2B marketing experience, meet some cool people and learn job and life skills that I still have to take advantage of and use today. It was a bigger opportunity than I saw on the surface and helped me eventually get to other great options down the road.

Don’t Overlook the Menial Tasks

We’ve already determined you may not get a flashy job right out of the gate. You may get a job at the company you want to be at…but there will be tasks you don’t like. There will be days where you could be doing nothing but filling in spreadsheets, stuffing envelopes or doing other day-to-day “grunt work” that doesn’t feel “strategic.” That’s okay.

That said, don’t overlook these tasks. They have to be done. Only the people that do those jobs well see advancement. How could your boss trust you with heavier work if you can’t be trusted with the smaller tasks? Keep chugging away and look for those small opportunities to prove yourself. They won’t fall in your lap, you’ll have to be ready for them.

Dont Be Intimidated by Titles

You’re going to be in meetings your first year with a CEO or an “Executive VP of _________.” Don’t let those titles intimidate or frighten you. Be respectful of course but also remember they’re human too. Not machines. They’ll respect the confidence you have.

Be Willing to Take a Chance

There may be some opportunities that don’t sound “safe.” It may be going to a new city where you don’t know anyone. It could be with a company you’ve never heard of. It could be taking a chance on a startup company that’s in a bootstrapping mode. You’re young. Be willing to take chances like that. They could end up being very fruitful opportunities. If not, I almost guarantee you’ll learn something along the way. Be open to taking risks while you’re still young enough to screw up and get away with it.

Live Under Your Means

This is almost counter-cultural and hard to do on a lot of entry-level salaries. That said, you don’t have to try and live on the same level as your parents in your first couple of years. Stuff will happen – expensive stuff. A car’s head gasket could blow on a road trip. You could have to move across the country. Something expensive could break.

It’s important to live on less than what you have if all possible. Take less trips to Starbucks and make your own coffee. Go out for lunch less and pack your own during the week. I’m not advocating to not go out and have fun…you have to do once-in-a-lifetime trips or experiences with friends. However, making tiny sacrifices here and there does add up over time. When things do go wrong, you’ll be able to handle it.

Give What You Can

Give to a charity. Donate time to volunteer. Your work doesn’t just lie in the office. Take time to invest in other people. It doesn’t have to be a huge endeavor. Resources, time and money, are finite. Don’t avoid helping people because it doesn’t feel impactful enough. Making a difference, even for just one person, is a big deal. If we’re blessed with extra resources, we should take the time to invest in people that could benefit from what we have to offer – time, money, skills or advice.

I realize none of this is mind-blowing advice but it’s what I have for the class of 2013. I’m not sure if it’s helpful but it’s all I have for now.  Good luck!

The post Six Pieces of Advice for Recent Grads appeared first on Brain Wads.

They’re new brand mantra is taking time to listen. Not listen in the way that social media-ish people like me talk about as part of a “good social strategy.” Listening has become part of their overall brand voice and tone. Yesterday, I even tweeted about the new ad and garnered a response from the brand:

@drewhawkins Please feel free to share your feedback. We are listening.

— jcpenney (@jcpenney) May 1, 2013

If you were to go and look at their Twitter feed, you would see hundreds of personalized responses acknowledging misteps, suggestions and ways they can make people happy. Here are a few things I like about this initiative.

Transparency

JC Penney has had a terrible year. It’s not a secret. Shoot, it’s hit the news. They haven’t had a major scandal or unethical behavior…just very poor stock and administrative performance. Lots of changes were made that tipped the apple cart of a lot of their brand ambassadors. Instead of trying yet another rebrand, JC Penney is effectively hitting the reset button. I’ve noticed that people are more likely to forgive a person – or a brand – if they’re open and transparent about saying “we’ve messed up.” The brand didn’t try and sweep the last year under the rug…but they are trying to put the past behind them.

Brand Consistency

A lot of times, you’ll see a brand communicate one way in traditional mediums but then another way on social. JC Penney’s voice and tone via social accurately reflected how they were communicating through the ad. They appeared heartfelt and at least made the impression that they were actually listening.

What’s Next?

Who knows how this will ultimately affect the brand overall? I think many shoppers will be willing to give them a second chance. This tactic of hitting restart could be effective…but it’s a tactic they’ll only be able to pull off once. The onus is on JC Penney to deliver on their second chance promises. I doubt they’d be able to recover from another downturn with a similar approach.

JC Penney says that it’s listening for feedback and incorporating what people want. It’s impossible to please everyone all the time, especially on the internet, so the brand will likely step on some toes along the way. However, JCP is willing to give it a try – and that’s as good a start as any.

The post You can’t please everyone…but JCPenney is willing to try appeared first on Brain Wads.

So much truth. No wonder these guys are millionaires.

The post Words of Wisdom from Ducky Dynasty appeared first on Brain Wads.

My first job wasn’t at Hinda Incentives in Chicago. Sure, it was my first “salary + benefits” job but I wouldn’t say it’s where I really got my start. It was at Imagewest, the full-service agency on the campus of Western Kentucky University, my wife and I’s alma mater.

It’s hard to get into an internship where you have hands-on work where you can lay claim on any portfolio-worthy work to show off to a potential employer. WKU worked around that debacle when they opened up Imagewest in the Ad+PR department. It’s literally an ad agency. We made money for the company, called clients for new business opportunities, pitched ideas and created work from the ground up. We weren’t fetching coffee or doing busy work – we were adding value to a real company. Though we worked for free, the experience was extremely valuable. So valuable that when I graduated in 2009 in a bottomed-out job economy, all of my coworkers that graduated with me that year all landed jobs before the year was out.

Was Cool…Now Wall Street Journal Cool

When I was working at Imagewest, they had just recently launched a summer program where a group of students would travel abroad and work on a campaign for a client overseas. That’s cool in itself. Then I saw that their efforts got a nod in the Wall Street Journal this week. 

Amazing.

I don’t know the students involved in the story. However, I’m proud of the group I worked with at Imagewest and proud of how far that organization has come in garnering great media attention. In addition, Imagewest alum are working for some of the biggest and/or coolest ad shops across the country. Not bad for a student-run shop!

Also, in case you were curious on “building a portfolio” as a student, you can check out one project I helped with here on Behance (keep in mind this was made 5 years ago). My original background was in broadcast advertising and online video so I was tasked with making this video below to help promote our agency. Fun times, though I don’t miss the long hours spent in the video editing lab. Don’t make fun of me too much.

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