I have a personal vendetta against the phrase “I couldn’t be happier.” This also goes for “I couldn’t be more excited.”

When I really don’t want to write my daily blog (or train for this marathon, or write my book, or create content) I’ve started telling myself something…

Smart brands aren’t looking for cheap. They’re loking for good.

As creative people, we see our client’s content and we imagine all the ways it could be better or more innovative. So we pitch these big ideas, full of possibility and risk, then wonder why these clients don’t hire us.

Zach and I discuss his experience taking on the Cretaive Consistency Challenge, and some untold origins of how it came to be. 

“Selling a diagnostic logically increases your odds of success” Enns says. “It’s easier for the client to commit to the briefer, less expensive diagnostic than it is to fully commit to the longer, more expensive project.”

The Creative Consistency Challenge is 85% successful at getting people to produce creative work on any given day.

Beloved golfer Rory McIlroy blew a 1-shot lead with three holes to go in the US Open by missing two putts under 3 feet. He absolutely choked. In his caption, Ben Rector wrote how it crushed him to see Rory so close but then crumble on national television. 

I’m encountering a new kind of resistance with this project. This week so far has felt a little lonely.

“You have to finish everything you said you're going to do. Following through is important.”

What if dreaming about getting rich is the very thing keeping you from getting rich?

Instead of waiting for your client to pay on a net-30 timeline, you can apply and get paid out in minutes. They’ll only take a 3% fee for doing so…

They force you to get your act together.

“If I can dissuade you from doing it, you wouldn’t have been successful anyway.”

Please remember there are levels to taking a stand. There’s a difference between sharing a slide of a carousel post on your Instagram story, which disappears in 24 hours, and sharing it to your main feed, where people can comment.

The thumbnail image for this post shows it—we choreographed the whole thing with paper dolls taped to pencils. 

Just ask God. He lost a lot to do it, but he had to do it, right?

It’s easy to be envious in this business. As creatives, our work is so visible, our clients are status symbols, and our lifestyles are showcased to prove we’re legit.

When you cook a meal, there’s a moment when you have to serve it. When you sing a song, there’s moment when you have to step on stage.

Maybe what I’m making today isn’t a masterpiece. But I’m still making it today. Maybe it won’t lead me to anything magnificent down the road. But maybe it will.