Biznik Confession Booth

Designing a corporate ID for a client that we sold to them as signifying their diversity of expertise, but into which we'd built a few features, that if you looked close enough, indicated they were a bunch of pompous nutters. To see it plastered all over their corporate vehicles, buildings and TV commercials always made us giggle.

LoL Leif, I did that too. That funny part is that when I did it, I actually had conversations with myself.

It is going to take more confession time than I have here...

Dealing with search marketing, I routinely test the waters in things defined as "black hat" to understand the basics of how information is utilized by different sources.

I used the term "Social Media Bomb" once in an article which had the headline "Bomb sent from USAToday injures thousands" which shot to the top of Digg because people thought I was talking about an explosive device.

In my college days, I once won a debate class by making sure the other team had no running water or electricity the night before. When they got to the debate they were all pretty cranky.

Leif, While not condoning it, you have to be impressed with the creativity. An extra invite and cross referrals.

Tax Accountant & four CPAs on a mission to reduce small business tax

250,000 corporate christmas cards sent to all the staff, depicting Santa having sex with Rudolf. Wish it had been intended but it was the result of a complex design involving 6 folds. The idea was Santa was seen with one reindeer, but that with unfolding, the "TEAM" came into play, along with some text that extolled the virtue of teamwork. Unfortunately one fold placed Rudolf's tail in Santa's groin area and it looked bad, especially when folded open, close, open close, open.

It was not mitigated by the fact that Rudolf is a female deer...true...all male deer would have shed their antlers well before Dec 25th, therefore Rudolf is female along with her pals.

1/4 of a million rude Christmas cards...ooops.

I think some of my biggest mistakes have been burning bridges and getting my emotions involved in my dealings with people.

One of my biggest mistakes as far as logistics go was hiring the bookkeeper that I did. The whole reason I hired a bookkeeper was to end the stress I have around the whole "books" issue. The situation pretty much sucker punched me up you-know-what and I have been dealing with stress times 3000 million-cogillion all in a matter of a few months. (still waiting for the situation to resolve, in fact)

But any conversation about mistakes always leads me immediately into "lesson's learned."

I really see the universe responds, directly, to how we think it will - along with the beliefs we hold.

Upon writing this - in examination of the mistakes I have made - I have, naturally, seen the way to make a wiser choice in the future, stay away from such-n-such type of deal, contract or whatever... easy, right?

not only that - I have also seen that the WAY I believe is also manifested thru the type of results I get.

My above mentioned expample, for example, leads me to consider

WHY I chose to hire A bookkeeper at all.

I was afraid of stress... I didn't want to "deal" with it.

Since I BELIEVE that the "Why" behind any choice will effect the results of my choice - I also see the lesson of:

"don't make choices based on fear, laziness or qualities I feel in my body and in my gut are childish, immature and passive or submissive (in the not-good-clean-fun way) aka - not taking responsibility for things that are important to my business/life"

Choices I make in business that have the underlying WHY of these sort of qualities - will inevitably kick me in the you-know-what.

So I learn. The deeper I look for something GOOD to learn - the deeper I see me self in relation to Attracting the bad, crappy and mistake-like results that I get in my life.

Are these mistakes? or are they the things that I attract into my life by my thoughts and choices?

The trick, I think, is to remember about the situation:

what it *felt like,

*WHY I made the choices, as well as the choices themselves

And make sure I don't hit the repeat button. That I make choices that even FEEL different.

Mistakes are all about injury and healing. So dealing with a mistake is like an opportunity to look into the breaker box of my soul, unscrew some stuff and rework the wiring entirely. I usually receive counseling with Rachel Whalley or Teri Chiacci, journal, get a massage, vent to a friend and write down goals for the future.

I'm really taking up tons of space here but how often to I post, huh?

I think mistakes are the spice to life. The Babe was called the homerun king but he was also the strikeout king because he made lots of mistakes. Apparently he swung at everything... which is a great philosophy of life to consider.

Great wisdom of the day: do not hit the repeat button - and - if at all possible - remove the repeat button entirely. Use therapy and of course... get a massage (shameless plug inserted there).

Yes, Sierra, you took so much space, I have no room left to squeeze in a word here! :))

Well, I have been too honest and trusting with some people and in time I found out that I should have been a little less generous with my generosity! :) Lesson well learned but I know myself.. I know that I will think that someone is so amazing and how nice she is and how friendly he is etc... and give way too much (love, respect, credit etc)... Half time it’ll be so worth it and I’ll have amazing connections with some.

Over the last 6 months I finally GOT the fact that it really takes time to get to know people. I don’t know why I am in such a rush to like people or dislike them but I seem to be! 

The biggest lesson I learned is about myself (which is what matters most to me because most people usually are transient in our lives). I can accept the fact that I am naive sometimes and I want to love people and have meaningful relationship so much that I end up risking more than I can afford. If I know this about myself and can LOVINGLY ACCEPT this as a part of me, I hurt less.

We are all BEAUTIFULLY IMPERFECT!

We are like snowflakes... each one so different... there is room in the universe for someone like me. :)

Great topic Leif!

Remind me not to compete against you Barry! :)

Or

I'll make sure I'll bring my food and water with me.

Corporate videos where I scripted character names as ancient anglo saxon words of dubiousness. Mr Merkin springs to mind.

I don't repent however, so absolution isn't required.

I can't think of any funny evil I may have caused. Maybe I need to think of causing some. LOL!

Actually, I have daydreamed about it...showing up with my proposed design for a bachelor with something that is totally off from what I would really design for him. Something that would make his eyes roll. I crack up when I image what the expression on his face might be. :)

I was running a modeling/self-improvement school at the time. We placed a little advertisement on a promo piece that a local radio station then distributed through high schools to their students (our ideal market!).

Our ad copy included the headline, "Play with yourself this summer" underscoring our focus on changing internal and external images (and with all innuendo intended).

Ahh. Because of our headline, several schools forbid the distribution of the piece. Of course, that was back in the 80's, before sex-ed promoted abstinence as the savior ...

I felt a little badly about all the other advertisers who lost out on having their ads distributed.