I was anxiously awaiting the books release. So on launch day, I ordered a copy on my Kindle. I took a quick peak, which turned into reading a few pages, which then snowballed into reading the entire book in one sitting.

Rework represents the new rules of business from the guys who are walking the walk and not just writing books. The CEO, Jason Fried, started 37Signals as a small web development company back in 1999. As of today, the company has created  on-line tools such as Basecamp, Campfire, Highrise, and many others. 37Signals now has over three-million customers worldwide. Not such a small web development company anymore are they?

To me, this book solidifies many of the assumptions I’ve carried for a long time. Those spending time learning the concepts and theories in business school might be wasting their time. Learning in-depth concepts and theories maybe outdated and may not work as well anymore.

Mark Cuban’s quote represents that pretty clearly. He says,

“If given a choice between investing in someone who has read REWORK or has an MBA, I’m investing in REWORK every time. A must read for every entrepreneur.”
-Mark Cuban, co-founder HDNet, owner of the Dallas Mavericks”

I tend to agree with Cuban here. So Mark, if you’re looking for someone…. drop me an email

It’s a fast and enjoyable read, and I highly recommended it to anyone with an interest in working for themselves or starting a business.

I wanted to say it’s a great read for anyone with an interest in entrepreneurship, but David and Jason say, “enough with entrepreneurs!”

They suggest we should retire that term immediatley. They say that the term entrepreneur is loaded with baggage and smells like a member’s-only club. They continue to say, “everyone should be encouraged to start his/her own business, not just some rare breed that self-identifies as an entrepreneur.”

If you’ve ever wanted to start your own business, but you’re worried that you don’t have the business savvy of an MBA graduate, this just might be your ticket. This could be the tool that  provides you with more real-world applicable business knowledge than an MBA, and you can acquire it in just under two hours for about $10 bucks.

Buy it. It’s worth it.

It was interesting because he was explaining all the ways a resume is required to be written and prepared, according to his college. (Much hasn’t changed since the last time I wrote a resume).

It made me think of something Mitch Joel said about the resume at last weeks Art of Marketing Conference in Toronto.

Mitch said, and I’m paraphrasing as I don’t remember exactly, “The resume is dead, your new resume is what the first page of Google says about you.” It’s interesting and I believe that’s where we’re heading, but  it’s not entirely accurate yet. There are many companies living in the pre-2004 era that still require the traditional boring resume.

Back to Adam.

Adam’s resume will be blasted to every business and, possibly, every opportunity he sees. Think about that and think about the last time you applied for a job. Did you do the same thing? I know I did. So what does that mean for our resumes? In one sense, our resumes have become a simple form of tangible spam. You’re spamming companies and hoping someone bites. Is that any different from the Nigerian prince who just died and left you $500,000,000 in cash? Not really.

In once sense, we gotta give the email scammers credit. At least their stories are getting better every year.

So if hundreds of people are spamming for the same position, and everyone is writing a  resume, as it’s supposed to be written, we’re stuck competing against against each other and a big pile of stinky spam.

Which brings me back to the ‘good ole Purple Cow.’

If I had to write a resume again, I think I’d print it on purple construction paper with white polka dots. Or maybe I’d print it on a giant piece of Bristol board. Or maybe I’d create a video.

I’m not sure.

But if I was an employer and I just received 100 pieces of white 8.5 x 11 paper, all printed the same required way, all properly groomed and filled with the same exaggerated hyperbole, I know which one I’d grab first; the purple one, of course.

Adam wants to be police officer. My suggestion to Adam was that he create a fun video of himself on a stake out. He could be eating burgers, drinking a chocolate milkshake and having a discussion about his prior experiences. Maybe he could cut to some mock arrests where he shows his knowledge of the criminal code. Maybe he could show off his physical training and conduct a few take-downs. He could even include interviews with his references.

I’d not only watch it, and probably post it on YouTube, but I’d also hire Adam.

Of course it would need to be done right…. Dragnet style.

Adam responded and said he thought it was a cool idea, but he wanted to see someone else do it first. He wants to see if it works before he takes that risk.

Ahh, of course we want to see it done first, but then it’s not cool anymore. Then it’s not original anymore. Then it’s not a risky anymore. Then it’s nothing more than just a new kind of white paper.

Therefore, Adam decided the safe bet is the white piece of paper that’s identical to the thousands of other white pieces of paper.

The point isn’t really about creating a purple resume. The point is creating a resume that shows how remarkable you are.

Everyone else’s resumes are filled with the same impeccable education and life experience B.S. Everyone’s resume has the most amazing set of references. If everyone’s the same, then chances are, there is someone with a better education, better experiences, and better references then you.

What makes you different?

However, these tools only work when you’ve got the endpoint in mind. This reminds me a lot of GPS Navigation.

If you get in your car and decide you want to go to the airport, your GPS won’t do anything useful until you tell it exactly where you’re going. It will show you the map and you’ll see yourself moving along, but it will haphazardly follow all the bad decisions you make along the way. It won’t start offering advice or correcting your mistakes until it knows where you’re going.

Your goals have to be a lot like a GPS.

If you’re in Canada, you can’t punch Dubai into your GPS and expect a clear path. It’s kinda like saying, you want to build the next Facebook or create a billion dollar company. It’s a silly thing to say. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for big goals and big dreams – but realistic goals are the key. Your GPS will actually try its best to map out the trek to Dubai, but the path will be almost impossible to follow.

But if you’re goal is to build a business that earns you $75-100K a year, that’s achievable. That’s like setting a destination into your GPS that’s maybe a day’s drive away. It’s long and complicated, but the path can be mapped out and you can get there. If you make a wrong turn, you’ll know it right away (“GPS Re-calculating“), and you’ll be offered advice for getting back on track as soon as possible.

Your goals are a lot like a GPS. There needs to be an end-point in mind, and it needs to be specific, or you’ll just be driving in circles.

I’ve watched areas of Windsor become more run down, and more economically depressed over the years. When I first moved to this area, the misery of Windsor was nothing compared to the short border crossing over to Detroit. Now, those lines have blurred. It’s not so different anymore.

But what can we do? Pensions are being lost, the factories are closing and people are out of work, people are desperate. The system that was once extremely good to the hard-working blue-collar workers of Windsor has left them in the dust. Sayonara.  They were replaceable by people and machines elsewhere for less money, less headache, and less union kerfuffle.

I’m however interested in talking about someone else. I’m not interested in talking about the blue-collar worker who made great deal of money and has enjoyed the over indulgences of North American life, like the SUV, a home above their means; pleasure boating on the weekends; cheesy-stuffed crust pizza; way way wayyyyyyy too much to eat; never having to save for the day they were promised would never come…. (surprise – they lied).

The scope of help needed for this grim situation is beyond what I can do.

I’m interested in talking about a Palestinian family that recently immigrated to Canada. This family of seven is a Muslim family who’ve lived and experienced a life we’d consider a bad nightmare.

The family history is long and confusing. I’ll give you the summary notes.

A family of seven leaves Iraq when the US begins the “Shock & Awe” campaign. The teenage daughter, Dayna, has finally begun to sleep through the night as of about two months ago. She was traumatized when the bombs began to fall.

The family ends up with thousands of others in a tent-based refugee camp in Syria.

After the fighting calms down, the father returns to Baghdad to retrieve some belongings and sell his coffee business (which miraculously hasn’t been destroyed.) The father is met in Baghdad by thugs who hold a gun to his head and tell him never to return to his coffee shop and to leave Baghdad immediately.

He treks back to the Syrian border where he is denied entry and told to stay in Iraq. Years later he (somehow) makes it back to the refugee camp and is reunited with his family. It takes the youngest boy, Mottasum, a long time to understand this strange man is his father. He was only a baby when they had to quickly leave Iraq.

Like winning the lottery, a piece of paper with family names is posted on a wall. These are people who will be granted refugee status to various countries of the world. Many of their friends will go to places like Australia, Switzerland, Canada, and more aren’t so lucky.

This family finds out that a church has agreed to sponsor them and bring them to Leamington, Ontario.

After a long journey, the family arrives in Windsor in the midst of a cold Canadian winter. Culture shock anyone?

—————————————————————————————————————————-

Growing up in Ontario my exposure to people from this part of the world is one I’ve  experienced mainly through films.

What did I expect? Maybe a ruthless and abusive father? Maybe a 17-year old son who would tinker with alarm clocks, fertilizers and uranium in the basement? Perhaps 3 daughters that would be like slaves to the men of the house? Maybe a mother who only spoke when she was granted permission to do so?

After years of Hollywood movies, how could I expect anything but the obvious stereotype?

What did we find?

We found one of the most loving and grateful families I’ve ever seen. We met a father who would do anything for every one of his children. A father who says “Leamington, Ontario is  paradise.” He calls it “the nicest place on earth,” and says, “I will live, and die in Leamington.”

Ask someone who’s lived here for many years about the area and I bet you’ll get a slightly different response.

He marvels at the fact that people actually follow rules when driving.

A teenage boy who dreams of a driver’s license – never taking anything for granted.

A daughter who finds peace and solitude by spending her free time writing poetry.

A boy who could turn out to be a serious soccer star, seriously – he’s that good.

A daughter who can’t stop talking about the library.

A daughter whose perma-smile after a long day at her new school is infectious.

A mother with a great sense of humor that often has the  family in stitches.

The simple pleasures of life are outstanding. I feel shame in how we’ve taken these things for granted.

The real eye opener for me has been exactly that. They take nothing for granted. The simple pleasures in life, like opening a bank account, or the twinkle in the parents eyes seeing their children go off to school, or the time we took them to see Avatar – the very first trip to a movie theater for most of them. The fact that you can eat Pizza on a Tuesday night if you feel so inclined! It’s mind-boggling to them.

Of course within this newly found paradise we also find the pressing issues at hand. Church sponsorship represents about one-year of support for this family. During that time there is countless support for learning English and hopefully finding work, but after that I’m not sure what happens.

Coming to Canada is one thing, but coming to an area of Canada that is  quite possibly being hit the hardest by this economic mess is another issue entirely.

Along with my wife, and father-in-law, we spend Tuesday nights with the family working on English skills. We’ll also try, when the opportunity presents itself, to get them out of the house and  go for a walk at the park, build a snowman, or see a movie. The simple pleasures of life we’ve all grown accustomed to accepting as normal every-day life occurrences.

Meeting this family has been one of the greatest things to happen in life. They don’t realize that while we come over Tuesday nights to help them learn, they actually teach us much more than we could ever offer.

I realize this post could be touchy for some. After all, we’ve been brainwashed in North America to believe that our jobs are ours and outsiders shouldn’t get them. We make it difficult for people to enter our countries because of a belief they are taking jobs away from us. We cringe when we see another minority opening up a convenience shop. We make it hard for the brilliant technological minds of other countries to create start-ups in our countries.

We tend to believe outsiders mooch off the system and tie up resources and money that could be given to others.

But then I began to spend time with this family and realized a few things – those in Windsor who’ve had the good life making $30-$40 bucks an hour pressing buttons on the line never ate out of garbage cans or have had to live in tents, they did. We still got to go to Applebees and eat processed Mozzarella sticks and boneless chicken wings, they didn’t.

Entitlement sucks. It sucks because the people who were duped by the system are now struggling, and struggling bad. It’s sad. But those struggling also believe they are entitled to the good life again. They believe it’s coming back. They believe the government has a responsibility to step up and make it come back. I wouldn’t bank on it.

This family doesn’t feel entitled to anything. They know the road is long and it’s going to be bumpy but they’re thrilled. They’re optimistic and thankful for the chance to experience the good life that awaits them in paradise.

The father expressed his excitement to me after he learned that another friend of his in Canada had landed his first paying job, as a dishwasher. He was thrilled for his friend and told me that he prayed one day he would be lucky enough to have a job, like that, in this great country.

I’m going to do my best to help them.

This weekend I finished Switch by Dan & Chip Heath. It was fantastic and I highly recommend it.

On Saturday night I started a second book which is blowing me out of the water. I find myself mesmerized by every word, sentence & paragraph. My typical fast read has turned into a slow and methodical journey that still has me hanging on to the edge of my seat.

The book I’m reading is The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz

I’ve only read about 60% of the book, but I have no doubts this will be one of my favorite reads of the year. I’m hooked.

Jacqueline’s story is the quintessential case-study of a linchpin in action. It’s no surprise that Seth has been pushing  us to read it.

What’s really struck a chord with me about Jacqueline’s journey is that not once did she ever have a map or a manual telling her what the next step was. Everything she experienced and learned was the result of taking steps into the dark unknown. Sometimes the road was extremely bumpy, sometime it was an utter failure, but she kept on moving.

Just like Joy, who we met yesterday,  nobody instructed Jacqueline on how to do it. She just did it.

I’ll review the book in-depth at a later date…But….

Being someone who’s sold information products in the past and has been  involved in the Internet Marketing niche or more specifically, the “how to make money” niche, it’s sad to see people constantly falling for the deception of the quick fix. I  feel apologetic  for any of my own contributions towards the search for a “manual.” I feel guilty for even slightly perpetuating that such a manual might exist, or that I’ve promoted products created by others that promised the manual.

People will spend thousands of dollars, even when the bank account is already overdrawn, on the promise of overnight riches and fast money.

The manual doesn’t exist, quit looking for it. The promise of a step-by-step manual in exchange for your money is a farce. Anyone who tells you it does actually exist, is lying to take your money. There’s no such thing as instant work-at-home riches, or wealth in your underwear with a few clicks of the mouse. It doesn’t exist.

As soon as you can accept this, you can do two things:

1) Put your wallet away, and stop stressing about missing out on the next super hyped-up thing (promising a map).

2) Start plotting your own course by taking steps into the unknown.

Read this book. It will change you.

Wait, maybe that’s the wrong wording. Joy didn’t just land a job, she landed her first paying client.

Instead of waiting for an opportunity to knock, Joy created her own.

Joy took the initiative and decided she would start a pet sitting (and dog walking) service.

Joy took the initiative even further by creating and printing her own business cards.

Joy took the initiative by creating a flyer and posting it around the town.

Joy took the initiative to deliver the business cards and speak to people about her service.

And so it goes. The song remains the same. Opportunities are created by taking action, not by waiting for them to magically appear. It’s really that simple.

Thanks Joy for sharing this very valuable message with me again today. It’s often easy to forget. I’m glad you’re learning at such an early age.

I debated for a long time whether I should call this post “the song remains the same,” or, “Joy to the World.”

I think it’s a little bit of both.

We’re lucky to have Joy. We need more like her….

Joy to the World.

One of the speakers at The Art Of Marketing conference, in Toronto, this past Tuesday, was Sally Hogshead. Her presentation was brilliant and amazingly executed. She’s one of those presenters who can keep the audience actively engaged, and she did it in one of the most unique ways I’ve ever seen – she offered shots of Jägermeister.

Photos by Sheila Goldgrab, www.leadership-gold.com

Sally was looking for “Jägermeister virgins.” Those are people who have never tasted the cult classic better known as “Jager”. Sally’s goal wasn’t to get the audience all ‘liquor’ed’ up in the hope that we might enjoy her presentation more, instead she was proving a point. Jägermeister is a brand that sells close to a 100 million bottles a year and most people don’t like it. In fact,  most people despise the taste of Jäger.

Since none of us like it, why the heck are we buying and drinking it at such an alarming rate? The reason we drink it is we’re fascinated by it –  hence the title of Sally’s new book “Fascinate.” (which I plan to read as soon as I can)

I can remember the rumors from back in High School, (all of which Sally mentioned) in ”It’s made of  Elk’s Blood,” “It’s got drugs in it,” etc. All of which are false by the way.

The real truth here is that this is the primary reason we continue to consume massive amounts of this stuff. Even though it tastes bad, we’re fascinated by it, and there is a trigger of fascination in play that’s influencing our decisions.

Sally says there are seven Triggers that are used to fascinate us and trigger a response or desired action from us, like buying something; Ta-da.

The seven triggers are:

• Mystique – Jägger is made of Elk’s blood and contains hallucinogens – McDonald’s Secret Sauce – The KFC Secret Recipe – That’s mystique.
• Power – We’re fascinated and influenced by people of power and control. Power is the ability to motivate but also create fear. To me, power is seen in the people and leaders who challenge the status quo. They rise up and say, “wait a minute, why do that when you could be doing this?” Everyone else is doing “that.” It’s the top film critic who motivates us to go see this movie over another. That is power.
• Lust – The seduction of pleasure! I want that now! The giant big mac on the billboard, as the perfect hamburger, is almost irresistible and we can taste it.  The dipping of strawberries into oozing milk chocolate. That’s lust.
• Alarm – “Only 20 copies left……Order now” “You’ve got to call in the next 90 minutes if you want all 743 knives for only three easy payments of $19.95.” That’s alarm.
• Trust – Sally gave the example of Toyota for trust. Trust is the hardest trigger to use properly. The entire brand of Toyota for over 100 years was built using trust. Trust of quality, trust of safety, trust they were doing things right. Now it’s broken. That “was” trust.
• Vice – Sally mentioned the story of Tiger and the temptation of the forbidden fruit. He  was obviously fascinated enough that he grabbed it, multiple times. We’re tempted by the vice trigger constantly, and that’s the reason we’re so fascinated by the Tiger saga. That’s  vice.
• Prestige -  Think of expensive watches or fine champagne like Dom Perignon. Of course, it’s not just expensive and luxury items to create prestige. It’s also present when Lance Armstrong wins another race , or  when Visa runs comeback story ads during the Olympics.  Success – the finish line – the accomplishment. That’s prestige.

Everyone of us naturally use these triggers within our personalities. Sally has provided a test you can take to see which triggers you naturally use to trigger fascination. Take the “F-Test” now.

Thanks Sally for a great presentation!

Yesterday, I finished The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. I promised myself, after reading Outliers and What The Dog Saw, that I would take a very long and extended Malcolm Gladwell break. Then this book came up and I had the opportunity to knock it out.

I’ve decided that my reviews should be short and to the point, since I’m already five years late to the Tipping Point party. So here’s a quick understanding of the Tipping Point.

I call this review “When Uncool Becomes Cool Then Uncool Again” Or maybe it should be – “When cool becomes uncool then cool and back to uncool” I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.

Malcom wants to give us the “WHY”  reason things became insanely popular, or why suddenly crime in New York City, that was increasing dramatically every year for over 20 years, suddenly just dropped.

The bad people in New York didn’t just wake up one day and decide to start behaving themselves.

Remember when Crocs were kinda cool, or maybe they weren’t really at all. I had a pair and still do. Then they hit the tipping point and suddenly everyone owned some.

Not cool anymore. When George starts wearing them, we’ve tipped.

Malcom says that ideas, products, marketing campaigns, etc. spread just like the flu. He calls it a social epidemic when something takes off and hits the tipping point.

I sneeze on you. You sneeze on twenty people. They sneeze on 100 people. Those 100 people sneeze on 5000. They sneeze on 50,000 and then we’re all sick, laying in bed and ticked off.

Malcolm states three rules of a social epidemics.

The Law of the Few - These are the people who spread the disease. There are certain types of people who can spread diseases but not everyone can. In fact, Gladwell says epidemics start because there are three certain types of people.

See if you can figure out who these people are within your group of friends…..

1. Connectors – Your overly social friend who knows everyone. Everyone has that one friend that seems to be able to bring everyone together on Friday night for a great time. He or she is the connector type of personality. If he started wearing Crocs, you started to consider it…But you wouldn’t have before.

He’s the friend who, somehow or another, also knows everyone at the bar. He’s your friend with 1200 friends on Facebook.

2. Mavens – This is your friend who knows everything. He has knowledge on every subject and is willing to share it whether you need it or not. Want the best price on a pizza? The best place to order shoes online or find the cheapest shipping, this is your maven.

The thing about Mavens is, even if you don’t ask for this information, he is going to share it.

3. Salesman – The friend who makes you jump. The persuader. The peer pressure friend….. He/She has the ability and personality to convince you to wear those giant rubber clogs and, therefore, you do.

The Stickiness Factor

Great marketers have figured out how to make messages stick.
It’s all about finding the sticky element. When Sesame Street was first starting, all the professionals told the creators that they had to separate fact from fiction. Big Bird couldn’t be seen having conversations with real humans because this would be too confusing for most children.

When they tested the format, it flopped. They decided to go against all the professionals and mix the elements that became Sesame Street.

I don’t think we’re too messed up because of it, do you?

The Power of Context

The Power of Context is really interesting. This law states that we’re heavily influenced by our environment.

Crime dropped dramatically in New York when they simply started cleaning stuff up.

OK…. I’ve had enough.

I’m cutting this post short because, quite frankly, I’m five years late and there are 10 billion reviews of this book online already. Read it if you want

Final Takeaways

It was a decent read. I’m not sure I totally agree with everything Malcom is saying, but it will certainly make me think about things just a bit differently.

When looking to spread your message, look for the three types of people I listed above. Don’t waste your time on anyone else. These are your disease infectors.

Change is possible. Your message just might not be sticky enough though. Look for subtle ways to make it stick. This might require meticulous testing and going against what the professionals say. Test, Test, Test.!

Surroundings Matter. Check out the Broken Window Theory.

Sometimes the things we think are very unexplainable are actually quite easily explained. We could just be assuming the wrong explanation.

And don’t forget, cool becomes uncool, but can always become cool again. It just needs to tip.

An example of something this is building momentum and moving toward the tipping point: Vibram Five Fingers!

Here’s the story:

I had just finished off my second Venti Bold Sumatra from Starbucks and was in desperate need of a washroom. I had to go bad.

I found another coffee shop, which I won’t name, but it rhymes with “Jim Morton’s”

I rushed to the washroom, only to find it locked. I looked up to see that all too familiar sign.

The sign read, “Washroom for Customers Only – Key Required”

As I approached the counter, eager to get the “required key” to gain entry into the Men’s washroom, the girl at the counter did her best to totally ignore me. Why -because I wasn’t buying anything? In her eyes I was not a customer and, therefore, wouldn’t be allowed to use the washroom.

The washroom was for customers only.

I used the washroom anyway.  While I was waiting for a few nanoseconds of attention from the girl at the counter, someone was exiting the washroom and I seized the opportunity. I was able to catch my foot in the door before it shut. No key required.

Here’s the problem…

I felt a lot better after relieving myself, but something really bothered me about the situation.

I’m a Jim Morton’s customer. I’ve given Jim thousands and thousands of dollars during my 29  years on this planet. I simply wasn’t a customer on that specific day.

I’m a Subway customer too, but on various occasions, I don’t need another $5 dollar footlong (meatball), I just need the washroom.

Does the lack of purchase at this specific moment disqualify me as a customer?

If so, why should I ever return? You expect my patronage and I expect you to be there for me when my bladder might explode.

But you weren’t there for me. The deal is broken or maybe it never existed to begin with.

My proposal – The Customer Loyalty Washroom Pass

Each time I’m a customer, I get a point, which gets automatically updated in an on-line database.

You give me a  little gadget, which I attach  to my keychain, and it allows me to access any washroom at any Jim Morton’s anywhere, at any time,  no questions asked. Provided of course, I have enough points. If not, tough luck for me, I need to buy something.

On any specific  day,  if I  buy a coffee, and  use the washroom during that visit, we’re even. If I come in and purchase a coffee, but don’t use the washroom, I get a point for a future visit to the washroom.

If I use the drive-thru, I’m owed one trip to the washroom without purchase.

I think this could work…

I truly enjoyed the conference and it exceeded all of my expectations.

But there was something about the conference that made the day just a little extra special for me. During the conference I was given a totally unexpected gift…

A gift that nearly took me out of my seat.

A gift that will stick with me forever.

A gift that told me I’m on the right track (or getting closer to it), while my lizard brain is trying to tell me otherwise.

A gift that reminded me that I have gifts to give as well.

A gift that reminded me just how powerful a small gesture or act of kindness can be.

I’m not talking about a gift where some form of reciprocation was expected. That isn’t  really a gift, that’s a transaction. Many people give gifts with the expectation of receiving something in return. That’s a business deal.

Real gifts expect nothing in return.

Seth Godin

I wanted to share a little quote about gifts from my favorite author, and world-renowned marketer, Seth Godin, who I was fortunate enough to hear speak at today’s conference.

“When done properly, gifts work like nothing else. A gift gladly accepted changes everything. The imbalance creates motion, motion that pushes us to a new equilibrium, motion that creates connection.

The key is that the gift must be freely and gladly accepted. Sending someone a gift over the transom isn’t a gift, it’s marketing. Gifts have to be truly given, not given in anticipation of a repayment. True gifts are part of being in a community (willingly paying taxes for a school you will never again send your grown kids to) and part of being an artist (because the giving motivates you to do ever better work).

Plus, giving a gift feels good.“

He wasn’t kidding. I gladly accepted the gift, but more importantly, the gift changes everything. The gift increased the motion that Seth mentioned above. The imbalance was already there, and the ball was slowly rolling, but now it’s got momentum.

Don’t ever forget how much impact a small gift can have.

Please take a minute and read Seth’s entire post on gifts.

Thanks Seth….