Want to make a name for yourself? Here’s how

If you don’t make a name for yourself, someone will make one for you.  And it might not be the one you want. Who’s making a name for YOU? Consider these twenty-two little known ways to do so:

1. Grow the trust. Oprah is the most trusted person in America. She’s also a billionaire. This is not a coincidence. So remember: The amount of money you make is directly proportionate to the number of people who trust you. Are you trustable?
2. Nurture the nuts. Inside of you. Inside of your organization. Insanity is the lifeblood of innovation. Crazy is the new sane. Are you willing to strap on the straitjacket and start changing the world?
3. Ask the unaskable. Whatever question people assume “can’t be asked” is exactly the questions that should be asked first. And since nobody else is going to pony up the stones to do it, it may as well be you. Are you willing to overcome the diffusion of participation?
4. Avoid the always. In your current situation, figure out which move everybody always makes. The action most people always take. Then do the complete opposite. You will win. That’s the cool part: You don’t even have to be that good. Just unexpected. What norm are you wiling to violate?
5. Court the irrational. Never overlook the strategy of remaining completely irrational, unreasonable, illogical and insane. Sanity is overrated anyway. How absurd are you willing to be?
6. Determine the destination. Don’t worry about how you’re going to get there. Begin with the end in mind and a road will eventually appear. Your problem will have no choice but to be solved. When was the last time you updated your vision board?
7. Eliminate the losers. Hang out with people who make money. Not people who want to learn how YOU make money. Do you need richer friends?
8. Embody the values. Don’t “have” commitment – BE commitment. Be the walking translation of your values. People will follow you just to see where you go next. How followable are you?
9. End the dependency. For once, try depending on YOU. At least you can trust that person. Right? Right?
10. Enter the pain. Stop resisting and it will stop persisting. Learn to love it. Relax into your tension. Breathe instead of reacting. You’ll discover that what you feel isn’t actually pain – just discomfort. And it’s a beautiful part of the life experience, teaching you something about yourself that’s very important. What is your body trying to communicate to you?
11. Harvest the learning. Become the world’s expert at learning from your experiences. Nobody will be able to stop you. What did you learn today?
12. Incorporate the mistake. The minute you write it down is the moment it starts being a mentor. The minute you learn from it is the moment it starts being a lesson. And the minute you give thanks for it is the moment it starts begetting an opportunity. How could you turn screw-ups into tune-ups?
13. Leave the familiar. If you want to get ahead, get uncomfortable. Are you ready to purposely make yourself feel insecure?
14. List the reasons. More Reasons = More Motivation. How many do you have?
15. Loosen the mind. Thinking isn’t as important as people think. When was the last time your meditated?
16. Magnify the positive. All that hokey, cheesy, corny crap about attitude actually works. Try it. How many affirmations have you recited today?
17. Meet the world. Actually, let me rephrase that: Let the world meet you. How will the meeting go?
18. Orchestrate the circumstances. “Well, it is what it is,” people resign. Bullshit. It isn’t what it is – it is what you ALLOW it to be. It isn’t what it is – it is what you RESPOND to it as. And it isn’t what it is – it is what you CHOOSE to change it into. Are you a make-things-happen guy, a watch-things-happen guy, or a what-the-hell-just-happened guy?
19. Probe the known. The only thing you should fear is the KNOWN. That’s the dangerous part. When you refuse to ask HOW you know what you know. Do you believe what you believe because you actually believe or because someone told you to believe?
20. Reconsider the experts. Those guys are morons. Especially the ones who use statistics and facts to support their bullshit theories. Here’s an idea: Instead of paying twenty dollars for the next business book pumped full of recycled wisdom and unoriginal drivel; go ask someone who’s actually DONE something. Go ask a thinker. Go ask someone who doesn’t call herself an “expert.” You’re better off. Is this person an expert or someone who just got lucky once?
21. Strengthen the alignment. Not balance. Balance is for ballerinas. You need to be aligned. Consistent. Strong. Straight. That’s what counts. That’s what people notice. How aligned are you?
22. Unlearn the past. Most people have a learning style. Or a learning plan. What about an UN-learning style? What’s your UN-learning plan?

REMEMBER: If you want to make a name for yourself, start becoming the living brochure of your own awesomeness.

Stick yourself out there today.

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Who’s making a name for you?

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For the list called, “65 Things I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me When I Started My Company,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

Scott Ginsberg, aka “The Nametag Guy,” is the author of eight books, an international professional speaker, an award-winning blogger and the creator of NametagTV.com. He’s the only person in the world who wears a nametag 24-7 and teaches businesspeople worldwide how to turn approachability into PROFIT-ability.