Michael Hyatt's Blog, page 181

The Gift of Today—Lessons from a Monk

The older I get, the more I believe that gratitude is the answer to almost every problem we face. It can transform anxiety, anger, and depression.

If you can’t see this video in your RSS reader or email, then click here.

It may not change our circumstances—though it often does—but it can change us. And isn’t that really the purpose of this journey we call “life”?

My daughter Marissa recently shared a video with me that I want to share with you. It is as beautiful as it is profound. It is well-worth your time to watch it.

I particularly loved this quote from Brother David Steindl-Rast, a benedictine monk, and the one speaking on the video:

You think this is just another day in your life. It’s not just another day. It’s the one day that is given to you today…. It’s the only gift that you have right now. And the only appropriate response is gratefulness.

Maybe we would get this if we saw today as the first day of our life—or our last.

Here are four ways you can transform today, taking it from ordinary to extraordinary:

Notice the gifts around you. Whether it is the natural beauty that surrounds you, the interesting people you encounter, or the simple beating of your heart, everything is a miracle—if you have eyes to see it.
Open your heart to receive them. It’s so easy to feel entitled and become cynical when we don’t get what we want or feel we deserve. But if we receive everything as a gift, designed for either our enjoyment, our transformation, or both, we open ourselves to new possibilities.
Express your gratitude for them. This is one of the things that makes humans unique and sets us apart from the animals. But we have to speak it to experience the power of it.
Bless someone else. Let your gratefulness overflow into the lives of those you encounter today. It doesn’t have to be fancy—just offer them a smile, a touch, or the simple gift of your presence. (You could also share this post with them!)

Today will never be repeated. It it is unique among all the days of your life. Gratitude can transform into something to be remembered.

Note: If you want to explore gratitude further, read Ann Voskamp’s excellent book, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are.

Question: What are you thankful for today? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

#034: Make Your E-mail Messages More Effective and Professional [Podcast]

In this episode, I’ll be talking about e-mail, particularly e-mail etiquette. If you’re at all like me, most of your communication—most of your work!—involves composing and reading e-mail.

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/frender}

And, if you’re also like me, there are probably things other people do in their e-mail messages that drive you crazy. Well—news flash—there might be things you are doing that drive others crazy too!

I usually get about two hundred emails a day. You might get even more than that. Dealing with email can take a lot of time that would be better spent pursuing the creative aspect of our work.

In this episode, I share eighteen guidelines that I believe will help you make e-mail a more civilized and effective form of communication.

Click to Listen

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Play in browser | Download

Just a quick reminder that tickets for the Platform Conference 2013 will go fast. We are already sold out of Master Level tickets, but we still have Signature and Connector tickets available. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to take your platform to the next level.

Suggestion 1: Understand the difference between the “To” and the “CC” fields.
Suggestion 2: Keep messages brief and to the point.
Suggestion 3: Don’t discuss multiple subjects in a single message.
Suggestion 4: Reply in a timely manner.
Suggestion 5: Be mindful of your tone.
Suggestion 6: Don’t use e-mail to criticize others.
Suggestion 7: Don’t reply in anger.
Suggestion 8: Don’t overuse “reply to all.”
Suggestion 9: Don’t forward chain letters.
Suggestion 10: Don’t “copy up” as a means of coercion.
Suggestion 11: Don’t overuse the “high priority” flag.
Suggestion 12: Don’t write in ALL CAPS.
Suggestion 13: Don’t send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist, or obscene remarks.
Suggestion 14: Remember that company e-mail isn’t private.
Suggestion 15: Use a signature with your contact information.
Suggestion 16: Provide “if-then” options.
Suggestion 17: Use your spell-checker.
Suggestion 18: Re-read your e-mail before you send it.

Listener Questions

Becky Caldwell asked, “Where is the line between projecting fun and still being professional?”
Bobby Zaki asked, “How can you reduce your e-mail processing time?”
Kieley Best asked, “Do I need to notify my clients when I have completed a task?”
Tehila Gonen asked, “What is the best way to emphasize a word in an e-mail? bold? all caps? underline?”
Tom Dickson asked, “Isn’t it sometimes more productive to forget e-mail and just go have a conversation?”

Special Announcements

I am speaking at the F&M Bank Mortgage Group in Tulsa, OK on Tuesday, December 4th. My topic will be “Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World,” and especially how building a platform can be helpful to loan originators and realtors.
On Wednesday, December 5th, I will be speaking for Strata Leadership at an event they call Stratagy [sic] Circle. My topic will be “Shift: Leading Well in Challenging Times.”
On Thursday, I’m attending a board meeting for ReThink Books in Dallas, Texas and then on Friday evening and Saturday, I’ll be hosting the year-end retreat for my Mentoring Group. We’ll be discussing finishing well.
My next podcast will be on the topic of “The Importance of the Leader’s Heart.” If you have a question on this subject, please leave me a voicemail message. This is a terrific way to cross-promote YOUR blog or website, because I will link to it, just like I did with the callers in this episode.

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

Book: The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
Book:  Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World
Conference: Platform Conference
Post: Breaking E-mail Addiction
Post: Yes, You Can Stay on Top of E-mail
Website: Snopes

Show Transcript

The transcript is not yet ready. As soon as it is available, I will post it here.

Subscription Links

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe:




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Your Feedback

If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an upcoming episode, e-mail me.

Also, if you enjoyed the show, please rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That would help tremendously in getting the word out! Thanks.

Question: What other e-mail suggestions would you like to offer? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Cyber Monday Special for Get Published

If you want to write a book—or if you’ve already written a book and want to become a bestselling author—this post is for you!

It’s Cyber Monday in the United States and many online retailers are making available special discounts on their products. I also want to extend a very special offer to you for my new Get Published course.

I released this audio program just a few months ago. I crammed my 30-plus years of industry experience into this practical 21-session course. I designed it to teach you everything that you need to know to get published and become a bestselling author.

For today only (November 26, 2012 until 11:59 p.m., CST) I’m offering Get Published for only $197.

That’s $200 off the regular price of $397. It’s a one-day-only special for Cyber Monday. You can ORDER NOW and get instant access online. You can get all the details by clicking here. At 11:59 p.m. today (November 26th), I will raise the price back to the usual level.

By the way, I’m so confident that Get Published is the best publishing program available any where, that I offer a no-questions-asked, 90-day money back guarantee.

If you don’t find this program helpful and worth every penny you pay, I will promptly refund your money. No problem. No questions asked. You have my word on it.

If you want to explore this course further, you can find a list of the benefits, along with a comprehensive outline here. See why more than 700 people have already purchased this program and are well on their way to publishing success.

Here’s what some of my customers are saying about Get Published:

This is the most comprehensive guide to publishing and launching a book I’ve ever seen. The quality is beyond that of anything else out there. Even as a published author, I’m taking notes and finding LOTS of nuggets to apply to my own platform and writing career. Thanks, Michael, for a resource! I’ll be referencing it for years to come!”
—Jeff Goins

Michael Hyatt’s Get Published is the most comprehensive, clear, and current material available to us ‘wanna-be authors.’ The workbook alone is invaluable. The step-by-step approach with room to write down our thoughts and action plans will certainly help us procrastinators. Thank you Michael for sharing with us and not holding anything back. Hope to join you on the bestsellers list in the near future!”
—Mark Randall

As a new author, navigating the publishing world was overwhelming … until I discovered Get Published, the step-by-step guide to getting published and creating a bestseller. I have a story to tell and Michael Hyatt has equipped me to do it.”
—John Tiller

These are just a few of the MANY endorsements I have received. (You can read numerous others here. Just look in the right-hand sidebar on that page.)

If you are serious about getting published, this is the program for you. This Cyber Monday special provides you with the opportunity to get it at an unbeatable price. Click here to learn more.

The F&M Bank & Trust Company [Event]

I am looking forward to speaking at F&M Bank Mortgage Group. I will be speaking to their Loan Originators and Realtors on the topic of Platform.









Date:
December 4, 2012


Time:
09:00-11:00 a.m.


Event:
The F&M Bank & Trust Company


Topic:
Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World


Sponsor:
The F&M Bank Mortgage Group


Venue:
Lexus of Tulsa Community Room


Location:
Tulsa, OK


Public:
Private


Registration:
Click here to register.

Comment Counts [Announcement]

Comment Counts

If you are a frequent visitor to my site, you may notice that comment counts are lower than you remembered them. That’s because they are!

Previously, my comment widget (in the sharebar) was counting Disqus “reactions,” which was any social interaction—comments, tweets, Facebook posts, etc. However, the widget is now just counting true comments.

The comment count still may be off slightly from time to time, as we are still pulling the number from Disqus. It can sometimes take several minutes for the counts to synchronize and catch up.

3 Great Blog Post Structures You Can Use Today

This is a guest post by Ali Luke. She is a writer and blogger from the UK, and author of Publishing E-Books for Dummies . In partnership with Joe Williams of SEO Training, she runs day-long training courses on blogging and social media in London. You can read their blog and follow them on Twitter.

When I started out in blogging, I didn’t know how to put a blog post together. I started by simply typing out my thoughts. But it quickly became clear that, if I wanted readers, I needed a better plan.

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/AK2

However great a writer you are, your posts will only get read if they’re well structured. That doesn’t just mean having a gripping introduction (though that’s an important part of it). It also means getting the main body of your post right.

If you’ve not already read Michael’s post Anatomy of an Effective Blog Post, or if you need a refresher, read that before continuing. He has great tips about key components of your post, like the introduction and post image. In this post, I’ll be focusing on the main body of your post.

These are the three simple post structures you can use:

The How-to Post. A how-to post aims to teach the reader something, by taking them through a step-by-step process. It’s usually structured with numbered, sequential steps. And, where appropriate, these steps might include a screenshot or photo to show the reader what to expect at each stage.

If you’re writing a how-to post, the easiest way to begin is with a careful plan. Work out the necessary steps. You may find you need to break complicated procedures into several parts, or merge simple ones together. Get them into the best possible order.

Once you’ve done that, your post will be straightforward to write—and straightforward for readers to follow.

Variations:

“How I ____ and How You Can Too”: Readers love to hear how you succeeded with something. This formula lets you explain your own steps and offer action points for them.
“Why ___ Matters and How To Do It”: If you suspect your readers need to know the why before the how, spend the first third or half of your post explaining the why, then move on to practical steps.


The List Post. A list post offers readers a selection of ideas, tips, suggestions, or resources. These are normally numbered. If you’ve been around the blogging world for long, you’ll have come across this type of post—probably many times.

The key difference between a list post and a how-to post is that readers don’t need to follow the list from start to end: they can dip in and use those points that seem most applicable to their own situation.

As with a how-to post, pre-planning is essential. Aim to come up with a couple more items than you need, and cut the weakest. Think about the order of your items, too: easiest to hardest works well, or you could alternate “do” and “don’t” tips.

Variations:

“The A–Z of ___”: You may well have seen this format used in magazines. An A–Z list post usually aims to produce a comprehensive overview of a particular topic, in bite-size chunks.
“Roundup: ___”: This form of post gathers together resources (generally blog posts) on a particular topic, meaning each list item includes a link. You could also use this to list, say, the top 20 tweeters in your niche.


The Review Post. Review posts offer an informed opinion about a particular product or service. These are a great way to serve your readers, who might be debating whether or not to purchase a particular item. They also help establish your own knowledge and expertise in your field.

It’s up to you what exactly you include in your reviews, but one simple structure you can use is this:

Overview—what’s included, how much it costs, and so on
The good—mention the two or three aspects that were most enjoyable or useful to you
The bad—write about what didn’t work so well – this adds credibility, especially if you’re an affiliate for the product / service
Verdict—should your readers buy the product / service?

Variations:

“Product X vs Product Y”: Often, readers will be struggling to choose between two similar products or companies. A comparative review helps them make up their mind.
“Top Ten Books On ___”: Similar to a roundup list post, but with added opinion, a “top ten” of books or other products in your niche offers readers bite-size reviews—and a resource to return to.

Of course, these aren’t the only structures you can use. But they do give you a great basis to build on. And they help ensure that your reader gets real value from your writing.

If you’ve had success with one of the above post structures, or if you’ve got a favorite structure of your own, let us know in the comments.

Question: How have you used these blog structures—or others—successfully? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

On Creating Wow [Quote]

Now that I’ve made a Pixar film, a lot of people have asked, “What is the secret formula, as if there’s some magical calculation. May I say, it’s really pretty simple. Everyone here loves films, and they just want to make something that they themselves want to see.””













Brad Bird

The Pixar Story (A Documentary)

A Black Friday Special Weekend Offer for Get Published

If you want to write a book—or if you’ve already written a book and want to become a bestselling author—this post is for you!

It’s the Black Friday weekend in the United States and, like most Americans, I’m eager to take advantage of all the special offers retailers are making. I also want to extend a very special offer to you for my new Get Published course.

I released this audio program just a few months ago. I crammed my 30-plus years of industry experience into this practical 21-session course. I designed it to teach you everything that you need to know to get published and become a bestselling author.

For this weekend only (through Cyber Monday on November 26, 2012 until 11:59 p.m., CST) I’m offering Get Published for only $197.

That’s $200 off the regular price of $397. It’s a weekend-only special for the Black Friday weekend. You can ORDER NOW and get instant access online. You can get all the details by clicking here. At 11:59 p.m. on the 26th, I will raise the price back to the usual level.

By the way, I’m so confident that Get Published is the best publishing program available any where, that I offer a no-questions-asked, 90-day money back guarantee.

If you don’t find this program helpful and worth every penny you pay, I will promptly refund your money. No problem. No questions asked. You have my word on it.

If you want to explore this course further, you can find a list of the benefits, along with a comprehensive outline here. See why more than 700 people have already purchased this program and are well on their way to publishing success.

Here’s what some of my customers are saying about Get Published:

This is the most comprehensive guide to publishing and launching a book I’ve ever seen. The quality is beyond that of anything else out there. Even as a published author, I’m taking notes and finding LOTS of nuggets to apply to my own platform and writing career. Thanks, Michael, for a resource! I’ll be referencing it for years to come!”
—Jeff Goins

Michael Hyatt’s Get Published is the most comprehensive, clear, and current material available to us ‘wanna-be authors.’ The workbook alone is invaluable. The step-by-step approach with room to write down our thoughts and action plans will certainly help us procrastinators. Thank you Michael for sharing with us and not holding anything back. Hope to join you on the bestsellers list in the near future!”
—Mark Randall

As a new author, navigating the publishing world was overwhelming … until I discovered Get Published, the step-by-step guide to getting published and creating a bestseller. I have a story to tell and Michael Hyatt has equipped me to do it.”
—John Tiller

These are just a few of the MANY endorsements I have received. (You can read numerous others here. Just look in the right-hand sidebar on that page.)

If you are serious about getting published, this is the program for you. This Black Friday special provides you with the opportunity to get it at an unbeatable price. Click here to learn more.

A Black Friday Special Offer for Get Published

If you want to write a book—or if you’ve already written a book and want to become a bestselling author—this post is for you!

It’s Black Friday in the United States and, like most Americans, I’m eager to take advantage of all the special offers retailers are making. I also want to extend a very special offer to you for my new Get Published course.

I released this audio program just a few months ago. I crammed my 30-plus years of industry experience into this practical 21-session course. I designed it to teach you everything that you need to know to get published and become a bestselling author.

For today only (November 23, 2012 until 11:59 p.m., CST) I’m offering Get Published for only $147.

That’s $250 off the regular price of $397. It’s a one-day only special for Black Friday. You can ORDER NOW and get instant access online. You can get all the details by clicking here.

If you get this late or can’t make a commitment today, I’ll extend a reduced rate of $197 from Saturday, November 24th, through Monday, November 26th. At 11:59 p.m. on the 26th, I will raise the price back to the usual level.

By the way, I’m so confident that Get Published is the best publishing program available any where, that I offer a no-questions-asked, 90-day money back guarantee.

If you don’t find this program helpful and worth every penny you pay, I will promptly refund your money. No problem. No questions asked. You have my word on it.

If you want to explore this course further, you can find a list of the benefits, along with a comprehensive outline here. See why more than 600 people have already purchased this program and are well on their way to publishing success.

Here’s what some of my customers are saying about Get Published:

This is the most comprehensive guide to publishing and launching a book I’ve ever seen. The quality is beyond that of anything else out there. Even as a published author, I’m taking notes and finding LOTS of nuggets to apply to my own platform and writing career. Thanks, Michael, for a resource! I’ll be referencing it for years to come!”
—Jeff Goins

Michael Hyatt’s Get Published is the most comprehensive, clear, and current material available to us ‘wanna-be authors.’ The workbook alone is invaluable. The step-by-step approach with room to write down our thoughts and action plans will certainly help us procrastinators. Thank you Michael for sharing with us and not holding anything back. Hope to join you on the bestsellers list in the near future!”
—Mark Randall

As a new author, navigating the publishing world was overwhelming … until I discovered Get Published, the step-by-step guide to getting published and creating a bestseller. I have a story to tell and Michael Hyatt has equipped me to do it.”
—John Tiller

These are just a few of the MANY endorsements I have received. (You can read numerous others here. Just look in the right-hand sidebar on that page.)

If you are serious about getting published, this is the program for you. This Black Friday special provides you with the opportunity to get it at an unbeatable price. Click here to learn more.

#033: My Answers to Listener Questions [Podcast]

I get lots of voice mail questions every week. Many of them don’t neatly fit into a single topic, so I thought I’d deal with them in this episode. I have grouped them around my standard categories: platform, personal development, publishing, and leadership.

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/[Photographer]

I start this episode with a very exciting announcement: Beginning today, we are taking registrations for the Platform Conference which will be held in Nashville February 11–13, 2013. We only have 135 seats available. They will go quickly.

Click to Listen

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Play in browser | Download

If you are a public speaker, blogger, recording artist, business owner, entrepreneur, sales person, mortgage broker, pastor, or corporate brand manager, this conference is for you!

We have a terrific line up of speakers, including Ken Davis, Pat Flynn, Jeff Goins, Stu McLaren, Cliff Ravenscraft, John Saddington, Carrie Wilkerson, Andrew Buckman, and Michele Cushatt. (See the bios here.)

The venue for the conference will be the the famous Sound Kitchen music studio in Nashville, regarded by many to be the best recording studio in Nashville. It will provide an incredible atmosphere of professionalism and intimacy.

Again, these tickets will go fast. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to take your platform to the next level. You can find the details on the Platform Conference website.

Listener Questions

As I mentioned I have grouped these questions around my major topics.

Alex Ferrero asked, “What are some of the hobbies you enjoy?”
Aaron Meyers asked, “How important is networking with other bloggers for growing a blog platform?
Brad Blackman asked, “What were the deciding factors in changing from one subject matter focus to another?”
David Specht asked, “How did you stay motivated to keep blogging in the early days?”
Emily Ryan asked, “Is it better to blog with others and reach as many people as possible, build a brand with your own name, or pursue a third option?”
Jason Gardner asked, “How do I get people to my site?
Scott Moore asked, “What advice do you have for people who want to build a platform but are stuck in the corporate world?”
Chelsea asked, “Where should my boyfriend fit into my life plan priorities?”
Jen McDonough asked, “Who do you let speak into your life? Who are some of your favorite podcasters, authors, etc.?”
Keven Quinley asked, “Would I consider doing an end-of-day ritual podcast?”
Otis Henderson asked, “What recommendation do you have for a self-leadership plan for someone who is not a new leader?”
Robbie Kleinburg asked, “What kind of advice do you have for people living in different decades of their life?”
Mark S. R. Peterson asked, “Does your book, Platform, apply to fiction writers as well as non-fiction writers?”
Mike Hansen asked, “Did I have to go through the book proposal process with your book, Platform, or any of your other books?”
Matt McWilliams asked, “What were your biggest fears and doubts when you became the CEO of Thomas Nelson? How did you overcome them?”

Special Announcements

Last week I passed a major milestone: my podcast episodes have now been downloaded more than one million times. I couldn’t have done this without you, so thank you so much for your support.
Just a quick update on the GetNoticed! WordPress Theme. We are making steady progress, but it has turned out to be a lot more work than we anticipated (shocking, I know). But this is going to be a killer theme. We really are giving this our best effort.

I are hoping to ship the beta before December 1. I will announce next week how you can be part of that, so stay tuned. We have not finalized the final shipping date. That is really going to depend on how the beta test goes.
My next podcast will be on the topic of “E-mail Etiquette.” If you have a question on any topic, please leave me a voicemail message. This is a terrific way to cross-promote YOUR blog or website, because I will link to it, just like I did with the callers in this episode.

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

Book: Samson and the Pirate Monks by Nate Larkin
Book: Creating Your Personal Life Plan (FREE)
Book: Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World
Book: Radical by David Platt
Book: The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John C. Maxwell
Book: The Way of the Wild Heart by John Eldredge
Book: Thou Shall Prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin
Conference: Platform Conference
Course: Get Published
Podcast: Andy Stanley
Podcast: Cliff Ravenscraft
Podcast: Dan Miller
Podcast: Erik Fischer
Podcast: Pat Flynn
Podcast: Ray Edwards
Post: 8 Leadership Lessons from a Symphony Conductor
Post: The 3 Components of Job Satisfaction

Show Transcript

You can download a complete, word-for-word transcript of this episode here, courtesy of Ginger Schell, a professional transcriptionist, who handles all my transcription needs.

Subscription Links

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe:




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Your Feedback

If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an upcoming episode, e-mail me.

Also, if you enjoyed the show, please rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That would help tremendously in getting the word out! Thanks.

Questions: What questions do you have that I didn’t answer? You can leave a comment by clicking here.