"We may affirm absolutely that nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion."

- Hegel

More often than not, the selfish person is insecure, fearful and filled with doubt. The selfishness springs from his belief that this is his only good idea, his last dollar, his one and only chance to avoid failure. "I need this, not you," he says, because he truly believes he's got nothing else going on, no other chance, no hope.

The irony, of course, is that selflessness (not selfishness, its opposite) is precisely the posture that leads to more success. The person with the confidence to support others and to share is repaid by getting more in return than his selfish counterpart.

The connection economy multiplies the value of what is contributed to it. It's based on abundance, not scarcity, and those that opt out, fall behind.

Sharing your money, your ideas, your insights, your confidence... all of these things return to you. Perhaps not in the way you expected, and certainly not with a guarantee, but again and again the miser falls behind.

source: seth godin

This is what I'm doing tomorrow for Valentine's Day: #generosityday.

Learn the origin.. Read more about it. Commit to it.

"We're hoping to succeed; we're okay with failure. We just don't want to land in between."

--David Chang

He's serious. Lots of people say this, but few are willing to put themselves at risk, which destroys the likelihood of success and dramatically increases the chance of in between.

source: seth godin

This might be the simplest possible explanation of customer satisfaction.

Dissatisfaction occurs when salespeople and marketers tend to try to amplify the first part (what you're promised) while neglecting the second.

The ability to delight and surprise is at the core of every beloved brand (product, politician, teenager...). Overhype and shady promises will undercut that before it even has a chance to get started. Yes, of course you have to make promises to earn attention and trial. The mistake is when you put more effort into the promises and less into what you deliver. Promise a lot but deliver even more.

[One really important amplification: Research shows us that what people remember is far more important than what they experience. What's remembered:

--the peak of the experience (bad or good) and,

--the last part of the experience.

The easiest way to amplify customer satisfaction, then, is to underpromise, then increase the positive peak and make sure it happens near the end of the experience you provide. Easy to say, but rarely done.]

source: seth

Source: NY Times

*Thanks to Wiline for the forward.

As a fan of Hip Hop, the longevity, authenticity, and sustainability of the genre is important to me. When this thing first started in the 1970s, no one knew and thought that it would be around for the next 40 years. Many considered it a "fad". Yet, 40 years later it's still here. So the question becomes "How do we ensure it's around for the next 100 years?"

I recently saw an Oprah's Master Class show that featured Jay-Z and it brushed on this question. The episode was awesome, but this blog post isn't about that. It's about a small piece in the interview that stuck with me and had my analytical mind going. I followed Jay's logic.

It's believed that in order for Hip Hop to continuously grow, the genre needs to "expand". To put this in content--when I say expand--look at Rock music. You have Classic Rock, Punk Rock, Indie Rock, Heavy Metal, Gothic, and over 57 other variations that can be found in most distribution centers by name. In the grand scheme of things, Hip Hop is a baby. We have one label/genre on iTunes. It's inevitable that this must change.

"Luxury Rap, the Hermes of verses..."

My friends know I haven't cared too much for The Watch The Throne compilation. I have not been a harsh critic, but I have not given it much praise either. After reflection I concluded that I didn't want to think of Hip Hop outside of my box and comfort level. What I can say now however, is that Jay-Z and Kanye continues to expand the Hip Hop genre. They are creating a new lane in this genre. Not sure what it'll be called, but in the meantime its taking shape as "Luxury Rap/Hip Hop". There's a reason why they can play Watch The Throne in the lobby of a Cabo, Mexico resort or a retail store in Paris, France. All the while, 1000s of miles away it's playing at the red light of your local MLK Avenue. Luxury Hip Hop is the common thread... believe me, that commonality is not just hip hop. If that was the case, they'd play Jay's Reasonable Doubt "Politics as Usual" or "Sunshine" on Life and Times Volume 1. That'll happen right?!... Those albums fit into the genre at the time, which was really the only thing selling, street hip hop.

But not anymore. Now we have street hip hop (formerly Gangsta Rap), punk hip hop (lil wayne), high life/smokers hip hop (wiz khalifa), etc. When we stand back and look at all-- Its not for everyone. and its not meant for everyone. All of those fans are not the same. We may have common threads here and there, but those lifestyles are different. Those people come from different schools, different backgrounds, different experiences, etc. Just like Marilyn Manson and Maroon 5; or Elvis Presley and Green Day. All of rock and roll is not the same.

I believe what Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalfia, and most recently the heavily criticized Drake, are doing, consciously or subconsciously, is expanding the Hip Hop genre. Drake's Take Care is helping to shape a new lane. Call it Contemporary Hip Hop. I'm not the biggest fan of the album. I don't have to like the music, but as a true fan of hip hop-- I can acknowledge what it signifies, appreciate it, and respect it.

-Mitch

This is pretty cool.

source: mashable