Chapter 1 of your business book should be the “scare the crap out of you” chapter. There are two ways to do that: fear and greed. Which should you use? Why “scare the crap out of you”? Business books intended to create action must include an idea or an insight that matters to the reader….
I’d like you to do me a favor today. It may not be easy. But bear with me. I want you to think about something you’ve been afraid of for a long time. Maybe you were embarrassed while speaking in front of your class at school, and you’ve always been afraid of public speaking. Maybe…
I knew I had to write about the George Floyd/Derek Chauvin verdict today, but I was afraid. It was the right verdict. That was obvious from the video. Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd. It should never have happened. But I was afraid of the trolls who will inevitably flood my comments with hate. And I…
Fear is useful. Panic is not. COVID-19, popularly known as the Coronavirus, is coming. If we’re honest, we should recognize a few facts. At least 83,000 people are infected. Most are in China, but there are also outbreaks in South Korea, Iran, Japan, and Italy. There are cases in America, too. More than 2,800 people…
Ask yourself, and be honest: do you hate Donald Trump as much as he seems to hate Muslims? The effects of hate, fear, and generalizations about your fellow humans are pernicious. They corrode your soul. You end up looking in the mirror and wondering if you are any better than the thing you hate. For…
You might be new at work. You might be shy. Maybe you’re just not at your best in person. Learning to write without bullshit could be the best way to boost your career. We all have an image of the “leaders” at work. They can stand in front of a group and inspire us. They’re…
When you’re afraid of how people will react, you distance yourself from what you write. This makes your writing weak, which makes you seem weak. Fearful writers use language to evade blame. They: Bury the lead. Flounder around before getting to the point. Use passive voice. When you say “mistakes were made” you conceal who’s responsible. Use weasel…