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Shake That Brain!® Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 4 |
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IN THIS ISSUE: 1. GRAB THAT IDEA! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ GRAB THAT IDEA! Years ago, while working as a writer, someone at a party asked me, "Why can't I write?" This was not an easy question, and I soon found myself going on and on about not much at all. Finally, after fifteen minutes or so of blathering like an idiot, I heard myself say, "Look, if you can talk, you can write." Knowing a good phrase when I hear one, I immediately grabbed a cocktail napkin and wrote it down. Had I not put those words to paper, not only would I have forgotten them by morning, I never would have written my first book ever, If You Can Talk, You Can Write. Got an idea? Write it down before it gets away! Everyone gets great ideas. EVERYONE. Something just POPS into your head, or you're having a conversation when a really COOL IDEA falls from your mouth (or from someone else's mouth). John Kilcullen was in a bookstore when he heard a customer ask for an easy-to-understand computer book. "You know," she said, "something for dummies." You guessed it! That little incident was the genesis for Kilcullen's launch of the wildly successful "...for Dummies" series of books. Got an idea? Write it down before it gets away! Yet few of us make it a habit of jotting down our thoughts, making it a habit, instead, to tell ourselves: "I'll remember that," or "I'll write it down when I get a chance." Ever had a great idea in the shower, then stepped out a few minutes later only to curse yourself for not jotting it down the MOMENT it came to you? I'll bet you have. Einstein claimed he got his best ideas while shaving. Yet, I suspect, he was smart enough to JOT THEM DOWN before they vanished down the drain. Got an idea while taking a shower? Be prepared: Get a plexiglass notepad with suction cups. Or brave the cold, step outside, and jot it down on that pen and pad you so wisely left out on the vanity. Scrawl it on the mirror if you have to -- anything to make sure you grab it while you can! Got an idea while driving down the road? Pull off to the shoulder before you write it down. Or dial your voicemail and leave yourself a message explaining it all. Do NOT, I repeat, try to write down your thoughts while piloting your SUV. It's not safe for you, or for the other guy. As James Dean famously ad-libbed in a TV announcement: "The life you save may be mine." Got an idea just as you're drifting off to sleep, or just at the moment you start to wake? Quick. Write it down on your bedside pad -- before you take that shower, make the coffee, or just plain let it fade in the rush to get on with your day. Later, you'll find the time to review that "great idea" you so wisely put to paper. You'll discover that it's great, pretty good, so-so, or just plain lousy. Though from time to time you may just conclude: "This idea is worth a million bucks! All I have to do now... is get to work on it." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This newsletter has been brought to you by Joel Saltzman. Joel is a speaker, facilitator, consultant, and creator of the "Shake That Brain!®" system for Business Solutions: for building better teams, increasing sales, and improving the health and vitality of your business and personal life. To learn how Joel can help your organization, click on: http://shakethatbrain.com/wow TO SUBSCRIBE: If this newsletter has been forwarded to you and you'd
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to: join-stblist@mh.databack.com This list (and your participation in it) will never be sold, rented, or used for any purpose other than to entertain and inform you with our FREE Shake That Brain!® newsletter. TO UNSCUBSCRIBE: If you'd like to unsubscribe to our newsletter, send
the words TO BE HEARD: Send all comments, criticisms or suggestions to: comments@shakethatbrain.com Shake That Brain!® is a Registered Trademark. JOEL SALTZMAN
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