Success Crushers: Are You Guilty Of This Sin ?
I just watched a video, that really was just audio, over at John Reese’s ugly little blog.
John knows how to use Camtasia, but has no idea how to create an audio by itself.
He’s got a bunch of people stirred up because they think he’s being hypocritical. They have no idea what he’s saying, because they’re to worried about what he said.
Why do people think they have to argue with what somebody said, as if their very lives depend on it ?
Why do people feel the need to try and crush the success of someone more successful than they are ?
Why do they call someone’s blog ugly and disparage their use of video software to make an audio ?
Can we not let people be wrong without having to try and save them from their stupidity ?
That’s the biggest reason I can think of not to visit forums - The Success Crushers.
I read over 100 blogs, a city newspaper or two and a national paper … every single day.
Do I read some conflicting viewpoints about things I believe ? Sure I do.
Do I take time to argue with every one of them. Not only no, hell no.
Take the good, the parts that you know are true and throw out the bad and just … let … it … go.
Try this next time you read something that you don’t believe … repeat after me …. GOOBER !
That’s all you have to do. Call ‘em ( or me ) a GOOBER ! and keep movin’. Don’t waste your valuable time trying to save the world.
Every minute you waste arguing with people on their blog is one you didn’t use CREATING content that you can sell or leverage. That minute is gone forever and you can’t get it back to use towards your own edification or education.
Have I made this mistake in the past ? Uh, … yeah, like 5 minutes ago.
Am I gonna try to do less arguing and more creating in 2007 ? Uh, … yeah.
Think of it this way - how often do you see the uber-successful running from blog to blog, arguing semantics, fighting over nits and twiddles ? Uh, … almost never.
Does Seth Godin run from blog to blog trying to argue semantics and little piddlyass points ?
Do you see Donald Trump’s name in the comment section of every blog on the A-List ?
Is Bill Gates a known blog spammer and frequent commenter on Scobles new blog ?
Where’s all the comments from steve Jobs ?
You know, as well as I do, that the uber-successful spend their time CREATING, not RECREATING.
Let’s take 2007 and try this - if you disagree with a silly, little, minor point that you read, spend the time you’d use arguing, creating a bit of content for an ebook, an article, software or whatever you think will be valuable to the market you sell to.
If the matter is life-threatening or major, feel free to argue a bit. But if we’d just unsubscribe from the blogs that lead us into wasting our time arguing, we’d be more successful within our markets in a shorter period of time.
NOTICE - I never said commenting is bad, in fact I love it when people add to the conversation. I can even go along with sucking up AND praise, heck, I do that. It’s the 3 day bitchfests and long drawn-out aguments over piddlyass things that I’m sick of.
How about it ? Do you have any more ideas for how we can make better use of our time in 2007 ? Can you teach us a lesson that will help us create, rather than recreate, more often in 2007 ? Do we need blog created about this topic ?
Gimme one, single bit-o-advice that will help me create more content in 2007 ?
Or we can do an Ask-type thang in the comments and we’ll look for someone to answer our questions.
What’s your one, most burning question about creating content that you can leverage or sell ?
As my good friend Tone-Loc said, ” Let’s do it. “
BTW - the image above is from the good folks over at www.despair.com, where you can find some really great stuff, like the poster above.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Awesome advice, Mike, that I’m afraid will go largely unheeded.
I am absolutely amazed at the time and effort some will expend to share an uninformed opinion. A true waste of resources.
I find a good answer to someone who does that is - ” Do you really want to think of yourself as someone who thinks THAT MUCH of something that small ? ”
The person is always stopped — never knows how to answer.
Do you suppose it could be because he or she didn’t think at all before starting to talk ?
Thanks Mike. No parade needs rain. Great ideas need support and bad ones aren’t worth wasting time on.
Hi Liz,
i truly believe that the real reason is fear.
fear of doing something themselves drives them to denigrate the work of others.
If you produce something, somebody may come along and say something about it and that scares the heck out of people.
The people who’re moaning and groaning about the audios are the one’s who have plenty of INFORMATION but very little IMPLEMENTATION.
Yet, they complain about the information they’re spoonfed, instead of taking it and implementing it and seeing for themselves if it’s right for them.
Fear is likely a big part of it, Mike. But isn’t it odd that those who fear doing something themselves don’t fear making themselves look foolish?
Hi Carolyn,
I think they think they’re consultants of somne kind, helping others learn what they’re doing wrong.
Makes ‘em feel big to bust somebody’s chops in print.
They probably send the link by email to their Mama’s, who live upstairs and pay for the internet access and pick out their undies for them.
“John knows how to use Camtasia, but has no idea how to create an audio by itself.”
OR…
Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve tested “audio only” VS. a simple Camtasia video w/audio and discovered that the video outpulls just audio by 24 TIMES. Yes, 2,400%.
I’m smarter than I look.
~John
Hi John,
I haven’t seen you since Bob Silber’s seminar in the Keys. I even remember you babysitting at Willie’s.
I wondered if you’d come by after I linked to your audios in two different ways. Two.
Good to see you still pay attention to your logs.
I’m sure you must be right about the video with no video or you would learn how to make a simple audio. Thanks for sharing that with my readers.
I wondered if you’d enlighten us mere mortals.
Did you catch that BC ? 2400% per John Reese.
Maybe you missed all the sarcasm I put into the post I wrote, John. Did you notice my - ” Why do they call someone’s blog ugly and disparage their use of video software to make an audio ? ”
That was to make sure EVERYONE who read it clicked thru … you know people want to see a trainwreck.
I’m smarter than you look, too
Thanks for coming by John, it was a real treat to have you comment and I appreciate your time and the info you shared.
Mike,
I was just giving you a hard time.
Your post was actually brought to my attention by the wonderful world of Google Alerts.
You still play golf? I haven’t played but a couple of times in the past 2-3 years. I need to dust off the clubs and play again.
Keep up the good work.
~John
Hey John,
I would never think you were trying to be mean-spirited.
I’ve never known you to be someone who’s above trying to help, teach, etc.
You’ve shared more than almost anybody in the game ever has.
I still play 2-3 times a week, with customers, suppliers, etc. Playing to a 6 … or less
I write a golf blog too - http://www.travellinggolfer.com
We have 20 + blogs and 30+ other sites.
Hope to run across you soon and I appreciate all your efforts to share what you learn with all of us.
You’re a marketers marketer.
Great post, Mike. I often wonder if it’s some people’s only goal in life to point out the foibles and faults of others. Some of the worst are those that miss the good, by focusing on the bad – like typo trolls. I call it the “Art Factor” after the Christmas Vacation movie:
Art: “The little lights are not twinkling.”
Clark: “I know, Art, and thanks for noticing.”
Thanks Tony !
I needed a litle levity, as we’re battling moving about 50+ sites to a new server, and you provided it … on cue.
BTW, I think it would have been better if you’d said ….
Once read a poem about negative poets that captures what you are talking about Mike:
““`
I’ve never seen a poem kill itself.
But, some people’s works are so depressing,
They’d make any poem want to.
Put yourself in your poem’s shoes.
Have some consideration for your creations.
Would you want to be that poem you write about?
““`
People don’t realize how their negative comments can suck the life out of their own creativity, not to mention that of the people they are trying to infect.
It’s a shame, though.
Regards
Thanks Shane.
That’s the first time I’d ever read that and it’s absolutely true and something I’ll try to remember in 2007, as I try to be a more positive individual myself.
Mike. I think you’ve got it just right. All the stuff I’ve read from you is positive. In fact, I like how you mix it up with people. You’re wit/sarcasm is sharp as a nail, man. Keep that up for 2007 and I’ll keep laughing.
Regards
Thanks Shanedawg.
I try to help people learn to help themselves.
I have been there and done that, sales wise and I want to help people learn to sell more and have it cost them less to do so.
My goals for 2007 include helping businesses increase the lifetime value of each of their customers.
BTW, a blog IS a business.
Hi Mike, just stumbled onto your blog today from the “Z” list. Kathy Sierra, over at Creating Passionate Users, had a post recently about a similar phenomenon with negative comments. Her response is to think or say, “How interesting…” to give that inner voice that constantly finds fault a pause to think and move on to something more constructive. I’ve incorporated this tactic into my dealings with the world and find it quite useful. How very interesting.
Enjoying your posts. I’ll be back.
Joachim Klehe
Boerne, Texas
Thanks Joachim.
Kathy is one of my favorite bloggers and Liz’s Z List is a great place to find friends.
We appreciate your stopping by and taking time to comment.
This blog is super awesome…thank you so much for posting so much timeless information. I used to be a victim of arguing with people in my distant past (when I was younger). I hate arguing with people now and when it happens, I simply walk away, because I instantly relize that confrontation isn’t worth the time.
Thanks for the comment, Josef.
Learning such a valuable lesson almost makes it worth the time you lost.
I appreciate you adding to the conversation here.
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