Month: September 2011

Reach Out

I was reading an opinion piece by a small business owner the other day, and afterwards I girded my loins and read the comments. I usually go out of my way to avoid reading comments, because life is too short to seek out haters, but I was feeling kinda feisty.  I found one comment in…
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September 30, 2011 0

What do you want?

I know I sometimes sound like someone’s memaw or, alternatively, an especially cranky Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, with my insistence on being true to yourself in order to live your most exhilarating and successful life…but just humor me one more time. I’m in the midst of creating a new business project, and to do so, I need investors.…
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September 29, 2011 0

On the sunny side of the street

I did a quick session this am with an old friend/client–so old that she can call me bossy, and I just sort of chuckle. So old that I remember hanging out with her when we were in 3rd grade, giggling and reading back issues of People magazine and being stupid…–and the best part of helping…
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September 28, 2011 0

College

“Carlota,” you say,”shouldn’t you be preparing for your workshop next Wednesday, October 5th, at the New York Public Library, on why artists are natural entrepreneurs? Should you really be blogging?”Simma down, it’ll be fine! Something happened to me in law school–how ominous does that sound?–and now I truly do my best work at the last possible…
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September 27, 2011 0

Bad Jokes

Weekend Edition‘s delightful host Scott Simon interviewed a CIA vet about his book of declassified top-secret jokes this morning, and I’m posting a link. http://www.npr.org/2011/09/24/140766780/book-of-cia-humor-declassifies-top-secret-jokes?ft=1&f=7 Yes, the jokes are very, very bad. They’re painfully corny. You won’t be tempted to steal one for your next open mic night. However. Ed Mickolus, the CIA vet and writer,…
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September 24, 2011 0

Why I Love Stephane Hessel

I heard the story this morning about 94 year old Stephane Hessel, a member of the French Resistance, who just wrote a book, Time for Outrage, about the need for young people to stand up for what they believe in…and I might be in love. (And it’s not just that at 94, I don’t seriously…
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September 22, 2011 0

These Interesting Times

There’s an ominous Afghan proverb which goes, “May you live in interesting times.” I woke up thinking about this proverb this morning, after spending yesterday brainstorming with various clients, helping them create buzz-worthy marketing strategies for their various endeavors: a new energy drink and an up-and-coming singer/songwriter, among others. The musician and I were discussing…
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September 20, 2011 0

You know those motivational posters, which show, for example, a scowling eagle and have the words “Leadership,” and then some cringe-inducing quote about leadership being like storming the beaches at Normandy? I found myself thinking of those cheesy yet fantastic posters, since I recently have begun reaping the rewards of having dramatically changed my attitude about…
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September 16, 2011 0

Bad writing and why it’s good

I am a creativity yenta. I’m obsessed with getting pretty much everyone[1] on the planet to achieve their full potential. I had to remind myself of this when I was reading the most recent edition of The New York Review of Books, which, like every other magazine in the world, is desperately, piteously broke. So…
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September 13, 2011 0

I heart mistakes

I just got a new client because his previous coach wasn’t returning emails or phone calls, and was generally making him feel unloved. Yay me for swooping down on said client like a hawk sighting a baby mouse: yummy. Don’t give me that look: the cats refuse to work, and my charm, albeit staggering, does not…
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September 10, 2011 0