[To become so centered that anyone coming to you with an opinion simply forgets. You can kill Jesus or Buddha but not push them.]
[Creativity comes easily to those who are loose and natural. Doing anything becomes a creative phenomenon. Touching something turns it into art, saying something into poetry. Even walking is creating a rhythm. Not because of obsession: simply being filled with energy makes you create.]
[A giver knows they have given and would like you to recognize it by giving them a receipt saying “Yes, you have given me”, thanking them, feeling grateful to them. This is not a gift but a bargain, where something is expected in return. They give to get.]
He is soft-spoken, even shy. As a boy, he once wrote, “I was timid and extravagant.” He can seem suspiciously modest for a world-famous musician. Many of his contemporaries are technically superior, he’ll say. “But there is this more mysterious aspect” to his talent, he told me: “The atmosphere that comes with my voice.” He described it as “my presence, my personality,” which echoed an old song of his, called “Minha Voz, Minha Vida,” or “My Voice, My Life.” His liquid tenor, melodic and trance-like, is one of the most distinctive voices in music. Away from the microphone, he listens intently, and goes into languorous digressions full of references to books and films.
[Make goals that are quantifiable, and achievable: big enough to matter and small enough to win. You want to overshoot your goal every single time. Set it up so that you win every single time.]
[In pre-advertising: announce what you’re going to do and how people can get involved.]
[Naming your benefactors might create a burden of association when you are perceived as divisive. Maybe don’t tell them or mention them until its done.]
[Remind people of the cause but don’t focus on the negative aspect so that people walk away feeling positive. If they feel bad, they won’t return.]
[Don’t guess what they need: ask them.]
[Delivering on the goal means not failing: if you’re short, cover out of pocket.]
[Document the delivery so that the people involved can see it after and feel good about making it happen.]
Making people feel they’re participation made the difference isn’t just for humility, it’s to help them feel their impact.
[When Michelin started, the car market was small, so they published guides as a way to encourage more driving. Ogilvy had under twenty clients before writing Confessions of an Advertising Man. Content is king.]