Author Archives: ljgale

Of their tiny

Everyone wants to connect. Most want to connect mostly privately.
Landlines. AOL. Facebook.
Feed the need, reduce privacy, stop the bleed.
Snapchat is successful now why? And they expect to be any different their predecessors how? The founders must have turned down the $3B buyout offer from Facebook to maintain the privacy.

Directing effort

So often, there’s a negative correlation between aiming to please and pleasing.

  • Try to go viral and you won’t.
  • Try to get “likes” and you won’t.
  • Try to be funny and you won’t.

Being truthful, though? That’s always a hit.

Rap Genius and fear of getting caught

I used to fear the police. When I was underage, I had reason to. I didn’t follow the rules (drinking, curfew, etc.)

I can’t imagine, anymore, living in fear of getting caught. Knowingly doing the wrong thing, fearing getting caught, is no way to live.

The Rap Genius guys don’t have to fear getting caught anymore. They just got caught by Google. Now they’re screwed.

I can’t wait for the spammy clowns manipulating Vitamix Promotion Code search results to get caught. (Echem, Matt Cutts, did you get my linkspam report?)

If you’re living in fear of getting caught, you have two choices:

  1. Stop breaking the rules
  2. Be stopped breaking the rules

Both eliminate the fear of getting caught. Choice one gets it done a lot faster.

Merry Christmas, my friend

For some, it’s about religion. For some, it’s about family. For some, it’s another day of work.
For me, it’s the day to say Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas, my friend. I appreciate you.

Much love,
Your Jewish Uncle Leo

Yesterday

I asked you to introduce yourself to me and the rest of my readers. Even if you’re one of my good friends, I’d love if you left a note. (All I want for X-mas…)

Also yesterday, I said I was taking a break. But I’m struggling. I can’t step away.

So who benefits when you don’t take a break?

  • Not you. Perhaps there’s immediate, short-term satisfaction in never taking a break. But, long-term results will suffer. Brett Favre, for example.
  • Not your customers, clients, fans. Yes, they all want you all the time. But they also want you at your best. Motivated, energized, inspired.

Moral of the story? Take a break.

The 2014 Blog Plan and Who Are You?

First of all, my web designer and blogger friend, Heather Sanders, inspired this post. Props her inspiring 2014 blog plan post and, more notably, the beautifully designed new lifeisnoyoke.com.

The 2014 Uncle Leo’s Blog plan

In bullets, of course:

  • Daily posts. Had been doing this for a while, but it continues. Monday through Friday, 8am CST. A little something to illicit anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness or surprise.
  • Just words, still. I’ve dabbled in adding images to posts. It’s also tempting to showcase some of my own. Yet, I continue to believe images dilute my words. So, these posts will still be all words. But I will also try…
  • Sunday photo posts. Cause I have several that are share-worthy on space larger than provided by Instagram.
  • Lighten up on loved ones. I rip on buddies for still doing traveling consulting. I criticize the marketing strategy of my mother’s franchise. I deliver commentary on being uncluttered despite my gf having a penchant for stuff. So I will light up on them. Actually, I take that back. I’m going to rip on loved ones harder and more publicly than ever before. Much more interesting.
  • Time off. I think there’s something cool about a daily blog. But I also believe in the power of rest. Blogging, like eating right or creating the world, requires taking breaks. No breaks is for marathon runners — emaciated and tired. Breaks are for sprinters — strong and energized. My first break from this blog starts tomorrow and goes through the New Year. During that time, I’ll focus on playing tennis, getting tan and responding to your comments.
  • Get to know my readers. That’s always been the best part of writing, for me. On this blog, I know many of you from growing up. Some readers are from the blogosphere. Either way, I’d like to engage you all more in discussion. It’s more fun (and beneficial) than just speaking in front of the lecture hall.

So with that, who are you?

I can see stats of how many people visit. And can make a decent guess who reads my stuff. But how about we make it official?

  1. What’s your story?
  2. What’s our story?
  3. What do you want to see more of?

Perhaps you discover another blogger you’re interested in. Or maybe they find you. Even better, you’re not a blogger but can feel like one for five minutes.

CTA: Leave me a short (or long!) note in the comments below.

Happy Holidays and good things,

Lenny

More room to breathe

If the problem is “too much stuff, not enough space,” what do you do? Get more space?

More space fixes the problem for a moment. But that eventually leads to more stuff. And again, not enough space.

That sounds like a vicious cycle.

Getting rid of stuff accomplishes the same goal, right?

Looking back and looking forward

Two choices, two outcomes for each.

Looking back:

  1. Be happy
  2. Be depressed

Looking forward:

  1. Be excited
  2. Be anxious

With both “looking back” and “looking forward,” you have choices.

When you’re in the present, however, there’s no choice. You’re just there.

Do what you want with my questions

I ask a lot of questions. Many of them are rhetorical. But I sometimes I really want some answers. So here are a few questions I’ve been stuck on:

  • Why do hockey players look smaller on TV compared to their size when you see a game in-person?
  • Where does all the poop go?
  • Have you ever purchased an e-book? If yes, how’d it go?
  • Have you ever seen Jerry Seinfeld perform stand-up live? What’d you think?
  • What do I do about my fear of being an insignificant speck in a vast universe?
  • What’s a good set of wireless headphones?
  • Why do I crave attention but hate being the center of it?

If you’re bored with the song you’ve been singing, aren’t your fans bored, too?