If You Must Complain, Blame Drew’s Cancer

July 30, 2009

On May 20, 2009, Drew Olanoff was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkins lymphoma. 28 years old and embarking on a new job with the mobile startup GOGII, Olanoff thought that his dreams were ending—at least, that’s what he thought for a minute or two. And then he did something first-rate: he decided to let cancer be [...]

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Stop Complaining, Start Living

July 24, 2009

In 2006, Will Bowen had a famous idea: stop complaining, gossiping, or criticizing, and encourage others to follow suit. His goal was to make it 21 full days—the scientifically-recommended time needed to create a new behavior—complaint-free. Any uttered complaint, gossip or criticism would reset the count to day one; negative thoughts would carry no such [...]

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How Singer/Songwriter Jen Foster Wakes Up Famous

July 4, 2009

Jen Foster, who would have “given [her] left arm for a major record deal” at 21, became an independent artist/songwriter/publisher because she was “too stubborn to quit.” She chooses to wake up famous every day by doing whatever it takes to stay true to herself. As she says in her Musings: “I just learned as [...]

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Count Your Blessings Out Loud

June 24, 2009

Admit it. At some point, you’ve imagined what you’d say if you won an Academy Award. Or a Grammy, a Tony, an Obie or a Clio. Chances are, the speech begins with these four words: I’d like to thank. Sometimes, award winners gush so many thank yous that they are musically cued off the stage. [...]

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7 Tips for Waking Up Famous Every Day

June 16, 2009

1. Be Kind. Period. Be nice to the people you think might help you become successful. Be equally nice to those you think have nothing to contribute to you. If you aren’t inclined to behave this way for its own sake, then remember this: there is NO way to tell the difference between the two. [...]

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Buying a Fan Club Does Not Make You Famous

June 11, 2009

As a freelance writer, I spend a fair amount of time perusing Writing Gigs on craigslist.org and various other web sites, where there are always a lot of people trying to get something for nothing. Depending on my mood–and current workload–my response to these would-be slave drivers ranges from highly amused to moderately annoyed. The [...]

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No Shame in Shameless Self-Promotion

June 7, 2009

You have decided to wake up famous every day. You have a product or service that is valuable to others in some capacity, and you are committed to excellence. It is time to come to terms with the phrase “shameless self-promotion” and what it means to you because: (a) you should be doing it, and [...]

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Games You Play Against You

May 28, 2009

While you are busy being the best possible version of yourself, remember that you, too, are human. Unless you’re a Virgo (or perhaps especially if you are a Virgo), your ups will be counterbalanced by some downs. Dr. Seuss warned about them in Oh, the Places You’ll Go!: Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can [...]

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Be Who You Are, Not Who You Think Others Want You to Be

May 27, 2009

To wake up famous is to be the best possible version of yourself without worrying what others think of you. You will not please everyone, all the time. In fact, this is a good gauge of your authenticity: if everybody else is thrilled with you, you are acting outside your highest integrity. Chances are, YOU [...]

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She Wasn’t Famous Long Enough

May 20, 2009

Last night, I read something on Twitter that made me laugh enough to visit the poster’s profile. Once there, I decided to click through to his web site, where I read the following, dated May 11: “I regret to write that Jamie Leigh Dyer Dordek, known to many of us as yellowsuitcase and @jamield, passed [...]

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