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Big goal advice, Things to read & watch + Presenting Ideas
Greetings friends and fans:

My favorite months are transitions between seasons and here in September in Seattle, I have not been disappointed. When the weather and the sun change their habits, it's a reminder to me that change is natural and I should be changing too. 
 

How do you build habits? A goals update

In a past newsletter, I told you about the super simple way I track major new goals I'm working on. I use the old school method of a chart I update every day with slots for each goal. It's the same method I've used to write and publish 7 books. 

I simply check the box in green if I worked on that goal, or red if I didn't (choices that unintentionally give my chart a festive holiday vibe). And the three goals I've been working on this year are: a new book about the design of the world, learning to draw and developing my public speaking coaching business.

You can see in the middle block I had a stretch of a few weeks with lots of red. This chart is on the big whiteboard across from my desk, so I see it all day long. My theory is eventually if there's enough red it bothers me so much I make sure to prioritize the next day around those goals. The older I get the longer it often takes, but I eventually come around. 

Here's a decidedly unglamorous photo of me this morning at the board. There's still a lot of red there, and there was a rough patch of red in the middle, but my averages are slowly getting better, and as I like to tell myself, micro progress is infinitely better than no progress

Do you have a simple way to track daily goals that works for you? I'd love to see a photo of it in action.  


 

I will teach you to be a better speaker

As mentioned in past newsletters, a growing business for me is public speaking training and coaching. There is a full day workshop I teach often for corporations and organizations, and I'm offering it to the public next month here in Seattle. 

My book Confessions of a Public Speaker can only go so far. One of the best chapters in it is about managing fears (you can read it for free here - PDF), but knowledge of how to do it only pays off when you practice using that knowledge. 

I've been teaching this workshop for years in private offerings - and it's been refined to optimize student time. The workshop is small, making it easier to create a safe and fun environment, and it enables me to give everyone customized feedback and advice, with lots of time doing exercises and practicing to grow your skills.  



There are still some early bird tickets available ($399/$549): Click here to get all the details

Please do spread the word - if there's enough interest in these public workshops I'd offer them more than once a year. Here's a 20% discount code you can use and share - code: speakfun.

I primarily teach this workshop in-house and if you'd like to have me bring the workshop to your organization, just get in touch. I also offer limited hours for 1-on-1 coaching and video review of a presentation you've already presented.
 

Movie / Book / Media rundown

I've been blogging much less this year, but reading and watching much more! Yay consumption! Here's the best recommendations I have:

1. Sorry To Bother You  (Film) - The premise is a young black man struggling to make a living as a telemarketer, but this is merely the table stakes for a wild, hysterical, troubling and uncategorizable film experience. I haven't seen a movie that kept me thinking for as many days after as this one in a long time. It should be a classic for both it's screenwriting as well as it's social commentary.  

2. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Film/Netflix streaming) - This is a pure adolescent joyride of a film that didn't get the acclaim I thought it deserved. It's so visually playful, well written and performed, that even though the premise is simple and centered on the dalliances of the titular character (I don't think the film passes the Bechel test), most everyone gets made fun of in well written, if teenager-scoped barbs. I rarely look to films for escape, but this is one of those films I'm sure I'll rewatch again for that reason.  

3. I Like Killing Flies (Film) - This bootstrapped documentary is about the legendary Shopsin's restaurant in NYC, whose main proprietor, Kenny Shopson was notorious for his creative food and unusual and (often creatively curmudgeonly) philosophies. He died recently, so I went and rewatched this and found it just as captivating as the first time. I grew up in Queens and there's something about his choices (good and bad) and attitudes that was strangely familiar to me, almost as if he were an uncle or a neighbor.  

4. Arbitrary Stupid Goal (Book/Memoir) - this memoir from the daughter of Kenny Shopsin is about her experience growing up in pre-gentrified Greenwich Village and working in her father's restaurant. It's a quirky read of strange characters, curious road trips, and the enduring life advice her father gave her - "Pick an arbitrary, stupid goal, become totally involved in it, and pursue it with vigor, and what happens to you in that pursuit is your life. and understand the pursuit is stupid, but not stupid to purse because it’s the only way you can inject meaning into your life - otherwise you’re left with this great.. why bother?"
 

Upcoming Speaking  

If I'll be near you and you want to chat over a coffee or a drink, get in touch:
  • Ignite Seattle #37, Seattle, WA, Oct. 4th (I'm the MC for this fantastic arts/culture storytelling evening)
  • Leading Design - London, UK, Oct. 10-12
  • TBA/Private - Santa Monica, CA, Dec 3-4

Fun at Sony's San Francisco Office

I'm fortunate to make a living writing and speaking, but sometimes I get an extra special treat: visiting a place that makes something I use and love. Recently I gave a talk at Sony's SF office on practical creativity and The Dance of The Possible and I'm a fan of one of their most popular games (God of War) which they had on display in their front lobby. The folks at Sony were a great and energetic audience and it was a pleasure to get to meet them. 



You can help - please spread the word

Most of the words I write are free and I hope to continue doing this forever! Yet I have bills to pay - and my only income is speaking engagements and book royalties. You can help me keep going by:
  • Forward this newsletter to others and suggest people join the list
  • Share posts I've written with others in your world (Facebook, Twitter, or good old email)
  • Suggest me as a keynote speaker for events and conferences you know about
  • Write a review on Amazon.com of one of my books (let other potential readers know what you thought)
  • Thanks for your support! I literally could not do this without you. 
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