2021-06-21

Free Blinkist book summaries:

Seth Godin: “A new decision based on new information“

How do we change our minds? And how do we change someone else’s mind? 

We usually change our mind only if something has changed. Something that makes us see things differently. 

It could be that we have changed, our perception has changed, the story we tell ourselves has changed, our situation has changed, what we are being offered (the offer) has changed.

We don’t change our mind just because someone persists in telling us to change our mind. That’s not enough, because that would mean admitting we were wrong in the first place, and no one likes to admit they were wrong.

So, in order to change our mind or make someone else change their mind, we need to be given or to give new information. New information that helps us change our mind.

Poisoning the well

What does it mean to “poison the well”? 

Poisoning the well is a tactic used by some people that want to discredit and ridicule you. So, what they do is they provide negative information (be it true or false) about you to an audience, before you even have a chance to speak. 

In this way they hope that whatever you say will be considered false by the audience.

2021-06-20

Free Blinkist book summaries:

Seth Godin: “Busy (and reliable)“

When you serve other people (e.g. as a service provider), initially you’ll take on any work, because you need it. Soon, if you’re reliable (i.e. good, honest, clear), you’ll be receiving way more requests than you can handle (while providing the best service) and you might end up damaging the very reputation you built by being reliable. 

What’s the solution? It’s twofold. 

Saying no to some of the projects and being upfront about why. 

How can you do these two things? 

By taking on less projects and charging more for them, while making it clear that the customers will get more than they paid for anyway. And secondly, by being honest about why you cannot take on all the projects that come your way – which is that doing so would lower the quality of your work (and therefore your reputation).

Advice To Writers: “Blocks are temporary“, Jhumpa Lahiri

Writer’s block is natural and to be expected. You need all the right conditions to be in place in order to be prolific, but sometimes they are not. The solution is sticking to a regular writing  schedule, that will make sure that eventually those conditions will be there again. What we call writer’s block might also just be the natural period of time that our head needs to process the ideas and come up with “solutions”. When you feel stuck or uninspired it is often useful to take a break from writing and do something you enjoy, because it will probably bring back the “inspiration” you were missing.

2021-06-19

Free Blinkist book summaries:

Seth Godin: “What do other people deserve?“

“Perhaps it’s related to what you think you deserve.”

Advice To Writers: “Adverbs are like dandelions“, Stephen King

Adverbs are like dandelions meaning that you should try to use as few of them as possible. One dandelion in your garden is fine, but if you let many more of them appear, you will find out that your lawn is all of a sudden full of…weeds.

2021-06-18

Free Blinkist book summaries:

Seth Godin: “In control“

There is no point in focusing on things outside of your control (like for example honking in traffic). Better to just focus on what you can control. 

Advice To Writers: “There is no  right way or wrong way“, Judy Blume

There is no one single way of approaching creative writing. You can outline everything in advance, know exactly what you are going to say and then write, or you can just have an initial idea and take  it from there, letting your creativity take you somewhere that you don’t yet know. 

2021-06-17

Free Blinkist book summaries:

Seth Godin: “Non-machinable surcharge“

Doing things with care, love and permission vs one-size-fit-all. It takes more time on your part, but it will be appreciated way more by the recipient. Time is our most precious resource, so whenever you ask someone to pay attention to “you”, you should be mindful of their time and offer something great and in return. It should also be done with sincerity, in a genuine way, with sprezzatura.

Advice To Writers: “Writer’s dread“, Geoff Dyer

Writer’s block. Can a writer really feel “blocked” and not be able to write? According to Geoff Dyer, when you feel “blocked” it actually means that you either have nothing to say or that you dread the idea of writing.