Happy Quote (on being unbeatable)

Long ago we abandoned the idea of having a life’s work, a calling; those that still do their work from that sense of calling or vocation, will be unbeatable.

- David duChemin, world & humanitarian photographer, best-selling author

Happy Quote – the starting point

April 19, 2009 in Happy Quotes

“...now it's when the client says she's happy that I really start to work hard. That's the starting point.” (more)

- Chase Jarvis, profession (inspiring!) photographer

Happy Quote

March 9, 2009 in Happy Quotes

“My life has been a series of well-orchestrated accidents; I’ve always suffered from hallucinogenic optimism. I was broke for more than 10 years. I remember staying up all night one night at my first company and looking in couch cushions the next morning for some change to buy coffee.”

—Evan Williams, CEO of Twitter

Happy Quote

January 14, 2009 in Happy Quotes

“Work smart not hard. If all you do is work hard making incremental improvements you are just like a hamster running in a wheel and never really getting anywhere… Far too many people think entrepreneurship is like an attendance award, where you can win just by showing up.”

—Markus Frind

(Sorry for the Markus Frind overload, moving future Frindisms to my twitter).

Happy Links (Chicken Little Edition!)

January 9, 2009 in Happy Links, Happy Quotes

• The Startup Depression. The opening salvo here from Jason Calacanis (who has retired from blogging, so don’t mistake this, or his dozens of other recent blog posts for, um, blog posts). 

  When the market is in the middle of correcting, as I believe it is currently doing, people tend to underestimate everything including:
  a) how bad it will be
  b) how quickly it will get worse
  c) how long it will take to recover

  It’s not short, but it is reasoned and interesting (including some personal details), and ends with 10 things you can do. He then follows up that post with this further commentary: Good News for People Who Hate Bad News.
    
• Employees, Freelancers and Entrepreneurs - How to recession-proof yourself includes a list of rather drastic steps Ryan Carson has taken with his company (cutting some employees, and his Audi), and some panicky tips for weathering it. 

  As hard as it may be, it’s time to lay off staff who aren’t directly generating revenue. If you avoid doing this now, you might go out of business later which means you have to lay off everyone, which will be much, much worse.

• Recession Tips for Web Designers provides counsel (and a bit less panic) applicable to more than just web designers, from the sage and entertaining Jeffery Zelman.

  There are four keys to surviving bad economic times: do good work, charge a fair price, lower your overhead, and be sure you are communicating with your client.

Ok, now that we have done our due diligence and ingested, contemplated and processed these downers, it’s time to do what good and successful entrepreneurs do – put on the hat of ridiculous and unfounded optimism, and make sure we’re the exception. You are the exception right? If you’re reading this, you’re the exception, trust me. And as the exception, we recognize that a down time means competition is lighter, opportunities greater, and that those who work hard, and smart enough to survive will be in control when the cycle recovers. Now let’s do it.

“You have to be an optimist – almost delusionally optimistic – otherwise you’ll never ever think about creating something new, like a business.” – Guy Kawasaki

The Secret to Success In [whatever]

January 2, 2009 in Happy Links, Happy Quotes, Killer Advice

Chase Jarvis, if you haven't heard of him, is a very successful (by most any measure) commercial photographer. He's also a true mensch -- and as such -- the object of great admiration by many serious photographers.

He is frequently asked the secret to success in photography. I think his answer applies 100% to whatever you're trying to find success in. His answer?

1. Be undeniably good (quoting Steve Martin).
2. Dedicate at least 10,000 hours (quoting Malcom Gladwell from his new book Outliers: The Story of Success.)

[Full post by Chase]

Happy Quote

June 25, 2008 in Happy Quotes

"There is nothing that drives a team forward like the fear of public failure, debt, and starvation. Leap off the cliff and start building the airplane on the way down and you might be surprised with what you can pull off.

—Tony Wright, founder and CEO of RescueTime (review eminent)

Happy Quote

January 9, 2008 in Happy Quotes

"I view my life in a way … I'll explain it to you, OK? The greatest thing about tomorrow is, I will be better than I am today. And that's how I look at my life. I will be better as a golfer, I will be better as a person, I will be better as a father, I will be a better husband, I will be better as a friend. That's the beauty of tomorrow. There is no such thing as a setback. The lessons I learn today I will apply tomorrow, and I will be better."

—Tiger Woods

Happy Quote

November 12, 2007 in Happy Quotes

"Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats."

— Howard Aiken, computing pioneer and innovator

Happy Quote

November 9, 2007 in Happy Quotes

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
— Mark Twain