Wizard of Ads Monday Morning Memo

Do you have favorite books and movies?Are there songs you love and stories that captivate you?Is there art that speaks to your heart?Paintings and plays, movies and music, stories and sculptures: art is valuable to the degree that it triggers emotion. But it isn’t always the art, itself, that triggers the emotion. Sometimes the art is merely a point-of-contact with an idea – or an ideal – with which we identify.We’re attracted to art when itstands for something we believe in,shows us a reflection of our own values,gives us a glimpse of our own inner face.An icon symbolizes a thought or a feeling for which we do not have sufficient words.But when the symbolism of an icon becomes too obvious, we call it a cliché.We are attracted to mysterious icons.We are repelled by predictable clichés.“Mr. LeSage, sir, I’ve got a tender new script about a sensitive young subway guard that just stinks of courage and integrity. And I know, sir, that next to scripts that are Tender and Poignant, you love scripts that have Courage and Integrity. This one, sir, as I say, stinks of both. It’s full of melting-pot types. It’s sentimental. It’s violent in the right places. And just when the sensitive young subway guard’s problems are getting the best of him, destroying his faith in Mankind and the Little People, his nine-year-old niece comes home from school and gives him some nice, pat chauvinistic philosophy handed down to us through posterity and P.S. 564 all the way from Andrew Jackson’s backwoods wife. It can’t miss, sir! It’s down-to-earth, it’s simple, it’s untrue, and it’s familiar enough and trivial enough to be understood and loved by our greedy, nervous, illiterate sponsors.”– J. D. Salinger, from “Zooey,” published in The New Yorker in 1957According to W. H. Auden, “Great art is clear thinking about mixed feelings.”And according to Rob Kapilow, sappy clichés are “clear thinking about clear feelings.”I share this with you today in the hope that you will be able to use the richness of archetypes and icons in your advertising without falling into the molasses of sappy cliché.When a person spends money, they tell you everything about themselves that matters.Our purchases remind us – and announce to the world around us – who we are. Our favorite brands communicate what we stand for, what we believe in. We direct our dollars in ways that reflect our values and offer a glimpse of our souls.Great ads create a lasting bond with customers through the artful use of archetype and icon.What? You’re convinced people just want the facts? The unadorned truth?It’s 1991. We see workers in a car factory as we hear the voice of Brian Keith,“A car is a car. It won’t make you handsome or prettier or younger. And if it improves your standing with the neighbors, then you live among snobs. A car is steel, electronics, rubber, plastic and glass. A machine. And in the end, may the best machine win… Subaru. What to drive.”In 1992, we see the next ad in that series:“Making a sports car, it seems mandatory to mention how fast it can go. Instead, why not mention the things you shouldn’t mention about a sports car: a strong weld, over 24 safety features, all-wheel drive, engineering that endures. Still, if it’s speed you want, we promise, with the Subaru SVX you’ll easily be able to go as fast as the law allows… Subaru. What to drive.”And then the campaign evolved into open mockery of people who identify with the cars they drive.Shot from a low angle, we look upward at a man who looks down on us. He says,MAN 1: A luxury car says a lot about its owner.WOMAN 1: Mine says I’m witty beyond belief.MAN 2: Mine says I’m more Europeanish.MAN 3: Mine says I’m the product of superior genes.WOMAN 2: I’m so successful I can go into debt.MAN 4: I’m much more handsomeMAN 5: cosmopolitanWOMAN 3: another pathetic sheep following the herdMAN 6: I’m irresistibleWOMAN 4: powerfulMAN 7: stylishMAN 8: sexyWOMAN 3: dynamic.NARRATOR: The Subaru SVX. All it says it that you bought a great car and you can still pay your mortgage.Although those “outside-the-box” ads won numerous awards, the financial result was disastrous.The ad agency was fired and the Subaru executives who approved those ads lost their jobs.In summary:1. We buy things with which we identify.2. Predictability is the essence of cliché.3. Cold logic fails to warm the heart.4. Win the heart with the skillful use of icons, and5. your customer will create their own logic to justify what their heart has already decided.Win the heart.Roy H. Williams

You walk out the door. A person raises a forefinger and says, “Quick question.”And then they tie you up for the next 30 minutes.Have you ever been ambushed this way?Quick questions don’t always have quick answers and you can’t give 30 minutes to every person who raises a forefinger, so the next time you’re ambushed, smile as you continue walking and say, “Walk with me.” The questioner will invariably fall into step beside you.If you stop walking, you’ve officially been “captured.”A walking person is obviously headed somewhere, so “Walk with me” indicates that your time to speak with them will be over when you get to where you’re headed. When you get there, shake their hand and say, “I’m glad we got to talk.” And then disappear.“Walk with me” is how to make sure that quick questions remain quick.But sometimes you need to give your full attention to what a person is saying.Tom Peters became the king of business authors in 1982 when he wrote In Search of Excellence, a book that sold 3 million copies in its first 4 years.Today, at 75 years old, Tom Peters says listening is “the bedrock of leadership excellence,” but characterizes himself as a bad listener and “a serial interrupter.” So to help him stay focused on the other person, he writes the word “LISTEN” on the palm of his hand before walking into meetings. He says, “The focus must be on what the other person is saying, not on formulating your response. That kind of listening shows respect for the other person, and they notice it.” 1According to Roger Dooley at Forbes.com, “Peters cites research that on average, doctors listen to a patient describing symptoms for just eighteen seconds before interrupting… Professionals who are smart and who know what they are talking about are often the worst listeners.”I’ve noticed that people who are smart and know what they are talking about are also the worst explainers.This is due to a disease called “the curse of knowledge” that afflicts every expert.When speaking about a subject we know intimately, we assume our audience has a higher level of familiarity with our subject matter than they actually possess. Consequently, we believe they are “connecting the dots” when in fact they are barely following what we are saying.To become a more effective teacher, all you have to do is add the words “which means…” to every statement of fact you make. You can do this out loud or in your mind. Either way, you will be prompted to connect the dots for your audience, and they will love you for it.Gen Z was born between 1995 and 2015.[which means they are between 3 and 23 years old.which means the youngest “millennial” is currently 24 and growing older every day.which means the future will be firmly in the hands of Gen Z in about 25 years.]77% of Gen Z prefer reading printed books and 59% don’t trust Facebook. 2[which means our current obsession with the internet may turn out to be a fad.]34% of Gen Z said they were permanently leaving social media, and 64% are taking a break because “the platforms make them feel anxious or depressed.” 2[which means social media may continue to loosen its grip on our attention.which means there is still hope for the return of face-to-face social interaction.which means Gen Z is reflecting the values of their grandparents who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s.which means the pendulum of society is swinging precisely as it has for the past 3,000 years.]Now read those 3 statements of fact without the subsequent, “which means.”Gen Z was born between 1995 and 2015.77% of Gen Z prefer reading printed books and 59% don’t trust Facebook.34% of Gen Z said they were permanently leaving social media, and 64% are taking a break because “the platforms make them feel anxious or depressed.”Did you notice how those statements of fact seem distant and flat when no interpretation is offered?Connect the dots for your audience.Watch them sit up and pay attention.Roy H. Williams1 “What’s The One Word Business Guru Tom Peters Writes On His Hand Before Meetings?” by Tom Dooley2 “Survey shows digital-native Gen Z prefers in-person interaction with brands”

“He knew how to lead by listening and teaching.”– Erwin C. Hargrove, a professor of political science at Vanderbilt University, writing in 1998 about a leader he much admired.I, too, have known brilliant leaders like that; men and women who lead by listening and teaching.Brian Scudamore, Lori Barr, Richard Kessler, Cathy Thorpe, Erik Church, Sarah Casebier, David Rehr, Michele Miller, Brian Alter, Richard D. Grant and David St. James to name just a few. I mentioned one such leader, Dewey Jenkins, in last week’s Monday Morning Memo. Another of them, Ken Sim, is currently running for mayor of Vancouver.According to Professor Hargrove, the key to leadership is to hearken to “the better angels of our nature,” a phrase he borrowed from Abraham Lincoln, who used it in his first inaugural address on March 4, 1861.But we didn’t listen to Lincoln. We chose civil war just 6 weeks later.The leader that Professor Hargrove admired who “knew how to lead by listening and teaching,” was another American president who encouraged us during a different time of social upheaval – the Great Depression.“In February 1933, a man shot at [Franklin Delano] Roosevelt, who was riding in an open car in Miami, but succeeded in killing Anton Cermak, the mayor of Chicago, who was with the president-elect. FDR was calm and deci­sive, ordering the driver to go immediately to the hospital, paying no attention to his own security, and talking to the wounded man. His calm courage impressed all who saw him.”– Erwin C. Hargrove,The President As A Leader: Appealing to the Better Angels of Our Nature, p. 79 (1998)The Stanford Library review of Professor Hargrove’s book ends with this statement: “In harking back to Lincoln’s evocation of the better angels of our nature, Hargrove reminds us that we may, even as leaders, be better versions of ourselves.”And the key to becoming that “better version of ourselves” is to become focused listeners and patient teachers.The reason history repeats itself is because we don’t pay attention the first time.Anti-intellectualism in American Life was written in 1964 by Richard Hofstadter, a professor of American History at Columbia University.It won him the Pulitzer Prize. It was his second. He won his first Pulitzer for his 1955 book, The Age of Reform.Reading these books has caused me to develop a theory.Can I share my observations with you?Our obsession with the internet has led us to believe that we are smarter and wiser than any previous generation.We quietly assume that anyone over 40 is a dinosaur, and that every famous historical figure was innocently naive. “But they couldn’t help it,” we sympathize, “because they didn’t know everything like we do now.”We ignore the centuries of experience of previous generations.We are teaching. But we are not listening.And those who teach – without listening – share their own preferences as though those preferences were wisdom.But what do I know? I’m over 40.Roy H. Williams

Dewey Jenkins says, “If your employees don’t look forward to company meetings, then you’re not doing it right.”Dewey has grown his company to nearly 100 times the size it was when he bought it, so I tend to listen to what he says.Dewey taught me to celebrate, not just the touchdowns, but the first downs.Dewey smiles and says, “Celebrate, Celebrate, Celebrate!”So I’m going to do that today.Vice-Chancellor Whittington posted a “Tower Update” video last week promoting Bonding as a Branding Strategy, a new class debuting at Wizard Academy on August 29 and 30. (Wednesday and Thursday of next week. I think there are still a couple of rooms available on campus.)What I’m celebrating is that he explains “customer bonding” in his video better than I do! And I’m the one who taught it to him! Heck, I’m the guy who invented the term!I’m celebrating because he proved he understood it by building a Wizard Academy YouTube channel with my oldest son, Rex, that currently has more than 112,000 subscribers and is adding hundreds more daily.I’m celebrating because they built that highly successful YouTube channel without spending a single cent on advertising or promotion.I’m celebrating because 500 of those YouTube viewers – that’s right, 500 prospective new students – will be flying to Austin from all over North America this Saturday to tour the Wizard Academy campus and hear about all the other courses we teach.I’m celebrating because the Whiskey Sommelier storytelling program created by vice-chancellor Whittington has already delivered a large number of new students to Wizard Academy.I’m celebrating because the principles taught in that Whiskey Sommelier program aren’t a departure from our established curricula. The sommeliers are taught how to “romance” the whiskey they’re about to pour through delightful, artful descriptions of it. We’re teaching them how to craft and deliver messages that create strong bonds and dramatically increase sales.I’m celebrating because many of these newly-graduated Whiskey Sommeliers have already signed up to take additional courses that aren’t whiskey-related.Best of all, most of these new students have never heard of Roy H. Williams.After spending 20 years and millions of dollars to build a 501c3 educational organization, I now know for certain that Wizard Academy will continue to thrive long after Princess Pennie and I are gone.And that’s definitely a thing worth celebrating.Roy H. WilliamsPS – Don’t get the wrong idea. Pennie and I aren’t, to my knowledge, going away anytime soon. It’s just good to know that the school is no longer dependent on us.

Reading that Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a Christian anarchist, I had an unexpected thought, so I asked Google, “What is the difference between an anarchist and a libertarian?”Six-tenths of a second later, The Goog told me – in a highly visible block at the top of the Search Engine Results Page:“An anarchist is an extreme libertarian, like a socialist is an extreme democrat, and a fascist is an extreme republican. It’s like the difference between a lover and a rapist. They’re both in the same place but one uses violence to get there. Libertarians believe in free markets, private property, and capitalism.”And included in that featured snippet was a hyperlink to ChaosPark.com, the low-budget website of a better-than-average writer named Harry Reid.Harry paid nothing for Google’s recommendation of him and his website. He earned it by crafting the most concise, cogent answer to an often-asked question.Google is rewarding writers of concise content, wordsmiths who get to the point.When Google’s featured snippet is your answer to a commonly asked question in your business category, Google is telling the world that YOU are the expert of experts. It seems, to me, this should be the goal of every Search Engine Optimizer.But this would require them:to be experts in your business category, andto be better-than-average writers.But since they are neither of these, they will tell you the secret to becoming a featured snippet is in the microdata, and then fly into a blur of activity with a flurry of sparks and elbows.Take a quick look at Harry Reid’s ChaosPark.com and I think you’ll see that Harry doesn’t give a rat’s ass about microdata, metadata, or SEO. He’s just a guy writing about things that interest him, and he knows how to summarize big ideas in few words.Does your business interest you? Can you summarize big ideas in few words?Before you can take a person to where you want them to go, you must meet them where they are. You must answer their questions –as asked– and speak to them within the frame of their own experience.Leo Tolstoy knew this, and he used his novels as instruments for the examination of social issues. War and Peace (1869,) Anna Karenina (1887,) and The Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886,) were not meant to be entertainments, but persuasive lessons about life and living. Tolstoy met his readers where they were, so that he could take them where he wanted them to go.John knew this, too, so he framed his Good News to be easily understood by the people of the region in which he made his home. One of the 4 “first followers” of Jesus, John wrote to the people of Ephesus within the frame of their own experience.But that’s another story.What does your customer already care about?What does your customer already understand?If you will be persuasive, you need to begin your story exactly there.Before you can take a person to where you want them to go, you must meet them where they are.Roy H. Williams

The pivotal moments in our lives are rarely announced with trumpets and fanfare.But wouldn’t it be great if they were?“Hello, this is God speaking. You’re at an inflection point in your life and although you don’t suspect it, the wisdom you’re about to receive from that old man over there is going to empower you to achieve things you never imagined. So pay attention, okay? This is a really big moment. Don’t let it slip past you.”No, that doesn’t happen. Not the voice, anyway.But the moment definitely happens.We just don’t realize it until years later.You are Frodo Baggins. You are on a journey. The old man you meet in the woods is Gandalf. He will equip you with what you need.You are Luke Skywalker. You are on a journey. The old man you meet in the woods is Obi Wan Kenobi. He will equip you with what you need. For now.Later, you face challenges for which Obi Wan did not equip you. You are lost in the woods again. You meet another old man. His name is Yoda. He is funny and small but pay attention to him. He will equip you with what you need.Now you are you.You are about to meet an old man in the woods. His name is Warren Buffett.I’m going to pretend to be God, okay?Don’t laugh. I’m doing this for you.“You’re at an inflection point in your life and the wisdom you’re about to receive is going to empower you to achieve things you never imagined. So pay attention, okay? This is a really big moment. Don’t let it slip past you.”“I was genetically blessed with a certain wiring that’s very useful in a highly developed market system where there’s lots of chips on the table, and I happen to be good at that game. Ted Williams wrote a book called The Science of Hitting and in it he had a picture of himself at bat and the strike zone broken into, I think, 77 squares. And he said if he waited for the pitch that was really in his sweet spot he would bat .400 and if he had to swing at something on the lower corner he would probably bat .235. And in investing I’m in a ‘no called strike’ business which is the best business you can be in. I can look at a thousand different companies and I don’t have to be right on every one of them, or even fifty of them. So I can pick the ball I want to hit. And the trick in investing is just to sit there and watch pitch after pitch go by and wait for the one right in your sweet spot. And if people are yelling, ‘Swing, you bum,’ ignore ’em. There’s a temptation for people to act far too frequently in stocks simply because they’re so liquid. Over the years you develop a lot of filters. But I do know what I call my ‘circle of competence’ so I stay within that circle and I don’t worry about things that are outside that circle. Defining what your game is – where you’re going to have an edge – is enormously important.”– Warren Buffett, in the 2017 documentary, Becoming Warren BuffettYou become self-aware when you realize what is – and what is not – in your circle of competence.Most people are not self-aware.Warren Buffett is acutely self-aware.“But I do know what I call my ‘circle of competence’ so I stay within that circle and I don’t worry about things that are outside that circle.”Warren, do you have any last words of wisdom for my friend?“Defining what your game is – where you’re going to have an edge – is enormously important.”That was a big moment.Don’t let it slip past you.Roy H. WilliamsPS – ‘The old man you meet in the woods’ is, as often as not, a woman.PPS – “Intuition becomes increasingly valuable in the new information society precisely because there is so much data.” – John Naisbitt

The Random Quotes database at MondayMorningMemo.com currently contains 4,376 quotes.About a third of these are quotes you can easily find online.Nearly half are delightful passages I’ve transcribed from books, movies, or TV shows, and archived for future reference.Five percent are witty and wonderful statements made by friends during lunch or in casually written emails.And exactly 455 of those 4,376 quotes are words of my own.Quoting oneself might appear to be insufferably egotistical, but in truth, my only objective is to capture thoughts I might want to think upon in the future. Hence my latest addition to the database, made only moments ago, “Boxwine and Soupline are barstool buddies of Spraytan and Parlay. The girl is Parlay’s sister, Parfait.”Innocent readers who stumble upon that quote in the future will doubtless scratch their heads and say, “What the hell?” never suspecting it’s only a note I scribbled to myself about characters in a short story yet to be written.But today, because you are special, I will explain the backstory of those 5 characters.A dozen years ago I hired Devin Wright and trained him to be a media buyer, a professional negotiator. At least once a day I would pop into his office and ask him a wildly unexpected question. Devin would always laugh, and that would be that.But one day about 7 years ago I popped in, pointed at him and asked, “Devin, is that a spray tan?”Devin sputtered and coughed and denied that he would ever do such a thing, so of course being from Oklahoma, I was required to forever thereafter introduce him as Spraytan Wright.Wine snob Boxwine Harrison has the office next to Spraytan.I decided that Boxwine’s little brother would be Soupline.“But whence,” you ask, “come Parlay and Parfait?”Be patient. I’m getting to that.A week ago, Spraytan put $200 on an online gambling site so that he could place bets on sporting events. He quickly turned his $200 into $600, then got bored and lost the whole $600 playing blackjack.His pirate friend Dave Neubert asked, “Did you check your bonus money?”“My what?”“When you put money into an account, they often give you a few bonus dollars just to keep you gambling.”Spraytan checked, and sure enough, he had 4 dollars and 41 cents in bonus money. So he chose 12 fights that would happen later that day, picked his 12 fighters, and parlayed his $4.41 across the entire dozen, which means he had to pick 12 winners in advance or his bet would be forfeited. If even one of his fighters lost, Spraytan would get nothing.Big deal, right? It’s four dollars and 41 cents. And not even his money.So he went to get a haircut.When he got up from the barber chair, Spraytan checked on his bet. Ten of the 12 fights were over, and his fighters had won all 10 fights! He drove home quickly, to say the least.They tell me the gravel from his tires is still flying above that parking lot.Sliding sideways into his driveway, Spraytan ran into his house, turned on the TV and began shouting instructions to fighter number 11. But that guy lost. Then, when Spraytan checked his bet, it turns out that he had bet on the other guy, the winner!When his 12th fighter won the 12th fight, Spraytan looked at his cell phone screen to see that his four dollars and 41 cents was now three thousand, seven hundred and twelve dollars and two cents.When he told me what happened, I said, “Spraytan, I believe you’ve earned a new nickname. After today, I’m going to start calling you Parlay.”He smiled.“But of course Parlay isn’t a word I’m really familiar with. The truth is I never heard that word until you told me your story just now, so I’m sure you’ll understand if I occasionally call you Parfait.”The smile disappeared and Devin said, “I think we should just stick with Spraytan.”Walking across the parking lot, I began thinking about a series of adventures involving Boxwine and Spraytan and Parlay and Parfait and Boxwine’s little brother, Soupline.And then I wrote myself a note and posted it where I’d be sure not to lose it.Self-quotation doesn’t necessarily mean you’re egotistical.Sometimes it just means you’re nuts.Roy H. Williams

When you have nothing to say, be careful that you don’t pay money to say it.“What do you mean?”Have you ever paid a premium to target the right audience and then made an offer that failed to move them?“Everyone has paid for ads that didn’t work.”Did you realize that your message was at fault, or did you assume that you had mis-targeted?“Well, even when it doesn’t work, at least I get some name recognition.”[sigh] What am I going to do with you? Name recognition is enough only if your competitors are invisible or incompetent.“What do you mean?”Invisible means they don’t have the courage to advertise.Incompetent means their ads are even worse than yours.“But my ads are way better than average. They look and feel professional.”Most ads – even professional ads – aren’t written to persuade. They are written not to offend. This is why most ads speak in worn-out clichés. Why not just add a stock photo and get it over with?“Are you saying that most ads are ineffective?”Even the weakest ads have an effect, but what you’re looking for is long-lasting, cumulative impact.“Can you speak more plainly, please?”Bad advertising is about your product. Good advertising is about your customer and their life. And your customer values nothing so much as they value that circle of people who are close to them. Your customer relates to those people. Your customer identifies with those people. Your customer forgives those people when they screw up.“I thought we were talking about advertising here. You make it sound like I should spend my ad budget trying to make friends.”That’s right! I’m talking to you about trying to make friends! When your customer appreciates you and your comments, they consider you to be a friend, even though they have never met you.“So if I don’t talk about my product, what do I talk about?”Talk about what your customer already cares about. Don’t try to convince them to care about what you wish they cared about.“So what does my customer already care about?”They care about that circle of people I mentioned. They care about the people who care about them. You have the power – if you dare – to take your place in that circle.“But how?”By causing your customer to identify with you.“But why will they identify with me?”They will do it partly because of what you say and how you say it. But they will do it mostly because of what you don’t say.“Okay, so tell me what not to say.”Don’t talk constantly about your company and your product. This just makes your ads sound like ads.“As much as I hate to say it, you’re beginning to make a little bit of sense. But can you give me an example of what you’re talking about?”I’ll ask Indy Beagle to put some recent examples on the first few pages of the rabbit hole.“The rabbit hole? What’s that?”It’s a weekly e-zine for self-selected insiders.“Where?”Just click the image of Indy Beagle at the top of any Monday Morning Memo and you’re in. Indy is reading over my shoulder right now and wagging his tail. I think he has something in mind. I’m curious to see what it is.Roy H. Williams

They told you it was called, “reading between the lines.”But what they didn’t tell you was that the writer put it there – between the lines – for you to figure out on your own.Speak the truth and people will doubt you. But if you can tempt those people to follow you to where they can discover that truth on their own, you will have convinced them to the core of their soul.You’ve got to let them find the treasure on their own.But it’s okay to leave a trail of breadcrumbs.Just don’t be too obvious about it.When the crumbs are too big or too close together, people feel manipulated.You’ll know you’ve done the job perfectly when the person whose eyes you’ve opened wants to tell you about “this wonderful new thing” they have discovered.Mothers go through this every day.How old were you when you finally figured out that most of what you were “discovering” and sharing with your mom was just stuff she had placed in your path for you to find?Wives are good at this, too. Princess Pennie does it with such subtlety and grace that it’s often days or weeks before I realize what she has done.But I am neither a mother nor a wife, so my only option is to clumsily remind you of things you already know. You will then be free to say, “Yes, I already knew that, but thanks for the reminder.”These are the things I would not have you forget:(Or should it be, “These are the things I would have you not forget:”? I’ll let you decide. And I’m reasonably certain that my colon–quotation mark–question mark sequence two sentences ago is improper punctuation, but I can’t figure out how to phrase the question for Google, so with your permission I’ll just move on, okay?)Never claim to be honest. Just say things that only an honest person would say. Having followed the breadcrumbs, the listener will then conclude, “Wow. This person is really honest.”Never claim to be generous. Just freely give what only a generous person would give. The recipient will then conclude, “Wow. This person is really generous.”Never claim to be intelligent. Just listen intently and nod your head as though you understand. The speaker will then conclude, “Wow. This person really gets it.”Now that I think about it, never claim anything at all. Just demonstrate the quality you want to be known for.In other words, shut up and do the thing.Don’t claim things.Demonstrate them.I’m talking about advertising, of course.But I think the same advice also goes for pretty much every other situation in life.Did you notice the anomaly in point 3, the one about intelligence? Did you notice what was missing? Did you hear what I did not say?I did not tell you to, “Just say something that only an intelligent person would say.”Because that NEVER works. Trying to sound intelligent just makes you look like a pompous ass.But you already knew that.You’re such a great listener.Thanks.Roy H. Williams

Listen, my young apprentice, and I will release you from your chains.Every door of opportunity begins as a window in the mind.Look through that window of imagination and glimpse a world that could be, should be, ought to be someday. Keep looking… and watch it grow into a door of Opportunity through which you can pass into an entirely different future.Opportunity never knocks. It hangs thick in the air all around you. You breathe it unthinking, and dissipate it with your sighs.Opportunity never knocks. It appears, flickering, like faulty neon at a nondescript fork in the road.Opportunity never knocks. It whispers, a tickle in your distracted mind.1Yes, opportunity begins as a window in the mind through which we glimpse possible futures.And then one day we leap through that window.“What is sure, predictable, inevitable – the one certain thing you know concerning your future, and mine?”“That we shall die.”“Yes, there’s really only one question that can be answered, and we already know the answer… The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next.” 2There is a space between yesterday and tomorrow. Do you know the place I mean?It’s called Life.And you’ve got to make a living if you’re going to have a life.How do you want to be paid?Do you want to be paid for your time,or do you want you be paid for your knowledge?Listen, my young apprentice, to what an old man knows.There is no future in being paid by the hour.You must escape from that financial prison.Become good at something.Become astoundingly good.Do you see a person who is skilled in their work?That person will stand before kings. 3Do you wait tables?Become the server whose tables spend twice as much money as the other tables. Restaurants around the world will hire you to teach their servers how to do the same. But don’t let those restaurant owners pay you for your time. Insist that you be paid for the difference you made.Do you stack bricks?Stack them in a way that no one has ever seen bricks stacked before. You have sizes, shapes, and colors. Stack them so they can’t be ignored! But don’t let your customers pay you for your time. Be paid for the difference you made.Listen, my young apprentice, to what an old man knows.Craftsmen are paid for the quality of their work.But craftsmen are paid by the hour.An artist is paid for the impact of their art.Artists are paid for the difference they made.The only thing that separates a craft from an artis how you agree to be paid.Roy H. Williams1 The Monday Morning Memo, July 18, 20052 Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, chapter 53 Proverbs 22:29 (NASB)Do you see a man skilled in his work?He will stand before kings;He will not stand before obscure men.