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  • Impeccability

    Impeccability

    Article 2/365 of Jacques’s Writing Quest

    I read Don Miguel Ruiz’s, The Four Agreements. A Practical Guide For Personal Freedom a while ago.

    The book explores the four agreements: “Be impeccable with your word”, “Do not take anything personally”, “Do not make assumptions”, and “Always do your best”.

    I want to explore, “Be impeccable with your word.”

    According to the latest research in a Joe Dispenza interview, 50% of what we talk about regarding our past isn’t even true. And, that’s a discussion for another day.

    I don’t know about you, but I have been known to stretch the truth and sometimes downright lie. As a writer, I often need to add fiction to make the story more exciting. But that’s just a way of justifying things to make me feel better. Maybe I’m not just a writer but a bad human. 

    The fact is that we all lie to ourselves every day. Just think about some of the stories you believe, even now, that aren’t true. Stories that your parents, teachers and friends sold you. “You’ll never amount to much.” “Children must be seen and not heard.” “You’re going to hell if you don’t believe.”

    These stories are patently untrue because you are a masterpiece created to craft a master-work. Thus, you cannot be diminished. Unless you believe you can be. 

    For me there are three strong reasons for being impeccable with your word.

    1. We diminish ourselves

    By not being impeccable with our word, we diminish our worth. Not keeping commitments, even small ones like washing the dishes after we promised to do them, reduces our self-worth and erodes our standing in the consciousness of ourselves and others. I know that when I break a commitment, tell a ‘white lie’ or worse, a whopper, I loathe myself. By the way, just by having read the word ‘loathe’ you have been diminished ever so slightly. This is the power of words, use them carefully.

    2. Words create our reality

    Our words shape our reality. Words have real power. So, every time we use a negative word, we sabotage ourselves. The other day it occurred to me that if I spoke to my friends like I speak to myself, I’d have no friends. We’re extremely hard on ourselves. We have to change that and become gentle on ourselves. It is difficult not to be negative, especially in the dark times we live in. But, if we want to realise our potential, we need to start couching our words in the positive. The more we do that, the easier things become.

    3. We are bullshit detectors

    Our connection to all living beings allows us to easily sense when something feels off. When we lie to someone we know it, and they know it. The other person may not say it out loud or may choose to believe a false statement, but deep down, at a subconscious level, they know the truth.

    And, because we are all connected, when we hurt the other, we also hurt ourselves. 

    Practice speaking carefully to improve ourselves, create the reality we desire, and connect genuinely with others, including those we influence worldwide. 

  • What’s the big deal about non-attachment?

    What’s the big deal about non-attachment?

    Article 1/365 of Jacques’s Writing Quest

    I never considered non-attachment until someone I loved left me to start a new life overseas.

    I’d heard that attachment leads to pain and suffering. And, in my case, and in this instance, it was spot on. I was devastated. It must have taken me a year for me to recover from the ‘loss’ of this soul mate. 

    I was in a happy place with her and my desire to stay in this place of happiness caused me to attach. I wanted this happiness to stay forever.

    Time has moved on, and I’ve healed. I’ve also had time to explore the concept of non-attachment. I’ve realised that everything is ephemeral. You may argue that a 40-year relationship or a 90-year-old life is a long time, but in the grand scheme of the universe it is but a blink of an eye. 

    We are all going to lose something or someone on the way to navigating our way to our final loss; our own demise.

    Two tricks I’ve been practising which have served me in good stead recently are to not get attached to an outcome, and that I possess nothing.

    Detach from Outcomes

    Fortunately, I learned not to get attached to an outcome a long time ago. It has served me well. I’ve tried and failed so many times that if I had to take my failures personally, I don’t think I’d be able to function. I’ve asked countless women out, and perhaps a handful have said yes. And, that was good enough for me. I’ve made thousands of sales calls in my lifetime, and a small percentage of those bought what I had to sell. That’s good enough for me. I’ve played thousands of games of chess, and lost most of them. That’s good enough for me. I’ve been lucky because I see life like a game. And, for me, it’s about the joy of the game. I just want to play the game well, win or lose. 

    I Possess Nothing

    This is a more difficult concept and another story altogether. I’m so used to saying ‘my’ and ‘mine’ that it is coded into my DNA. That’s a harder habit to kick. It occurred to me that I possess nothing. Yet, I think I do. 

    That’s ‘my phone’. ‘My house’. ‘My car’. ‘My cat’. ‘My employee’. ‘My wife’. ‘My child’. It’s a better idea to look at ‘my car’ as a car. ‘My phone’ as a phone. Of course, it’s harder to say a girlfriend than my girlfriend. She probably won’t take kindly to me introducing her as a girlfriend, and I’ll be banished to my couch. It’s harder to say a child than my child. 

    Since when has any soul in my orbit become a possession of mine? At best, I’m a custodian of a soul for a brief time. Just because I’m practising non-attachment to another human being, it doesn’t mean that I’m uncaring or disassociated. On the contrary, I’m privileged to have custody of this soul’s well-being for a short time. This is a great responsibility, and one that I tackle with love, kindness and compassion. 

    I Was Given An Opportunity To Practise Non-Attachment

    This practice of non-attachment came in handy recently after ‘my’ a car that I’m driving at the moment, was trashed by hail outside a restaurant I was visiting. The damage was devastating. Typically, after such an incident, I would have felt regret, remorse and recrimination. “Why did I go out tonight?” “Why can’t I have one night without something going wrong?” “Can’t I catch a break?” “Why does this always happen to me?” This, of course, would lead me down the path of where I think something is being done to me, which is a hop, skip and a jump away from victimhood. 

    I have to be honest, when I saw the car, I did have a moment of angst. But because I’ve practised not being attached to ‘my’ a car, I recovered quickly. Also, I was distracted by a car guard who was soaking wet and looked really sorry that he couldn’t protect the car. This beautiful human was way more valuable than my a car. It was more appropriate to give him attention and not the car. I thanked him for looking out for the car and gave him a generous tip.

    This was a small victory, but I’m convinced the more I practise non-attachment, the more I’ll keep my equanimity in any situation where I perceive a ‘loss’. 

    Thinking of possession as custodianship and accepting that everything and everyone eventually comes to an end, including myself, brings me peace and comfort. That can’t be a bad thing, can it? It’s getting late, and I need to shut down ‘my’ computer and go to ‘my’ bed. Night, night.

  • I’ll Slip Away … The Sixto Rodriquez story

    I’ll Slip Away … The Sixto Rodriquez story

    ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀᴛᴇ ꜱɪxᴛᴏ ʀᴏᴅʀɪɢᴜᴇᴢ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ɢᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴄᴏɢɴɪᴛɪᴏɴ ʜᴇ ᴅᴇꜱᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴇʀʜᴀᴘꜱ ɴᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡɪʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ.

    When I was a soldier in the 80s humping my kit from ambush to ambush, from patrol to patrol, through interminable heat, sand, boredom and futility, Sixto Rodriguez (July 10, 1942, Detroit — August 8, 2023, Detroit) was our guy. Sugarman/Cold Fact/I Wonder were the anthems that carried us through our 17 months (1982 – 1984) in South West Africa (now Namibia).

    Rodriguez should have been a massive superstar; his lyrics are sublime, haunting and deep. He wasn’t because ‘papa don’t allow no new ideas here’.

    He is beautifully broken, authentic and raw. He works in construction and ekes out a living. He is a simple, humble man. He’s a poet. He’s an artist. He’s beautiful.

    Image is AI generated.

    There are many Rodriguezes reading this piece of text. Hell, you’re probably one of them. You who are rotten with talent, you should have be a superstar in your field, but like Rodriguez, you may never crack the nod.

    I see your self-pity showing as the tears roll down your cheeks.

    Rodriquez

    Don’t feel pity for yourself. If you’re still in the game and still swinging for the bleachers and leaving it all on the field of failure, you’re amazing. You’re an artist. You’re beautiful.

    Keep on going. The world needs you. Don’t play small. Show up every day. Keep humping your kit. Keep swinging for the bleachers. You’re an artist. You’re beautiful.

    I’ll slip away …

    Rodriquez

    And, it doesn’t matter if no one recognises your worth. It doesn’t matter that your plans aren’t working out. What matters is that you play your best and that you take this masterpiece that is you, and create a master-work. Even if no one notices your worth, there is one that does. And, that one is happy with you. That one has always been happy with you because that one made you perfect just as you are.

  • Don’t write a newsletter if you want validation. Get a dog.

    Don’t write a newsletter if you want validation. Get a dog.

    I’ve been writing email newsletters for 10 years or so and sending them to a small database of loyal fans.

    I have a love/hate relationship with my newsletter. Producing a newsletter can be hugely satisfying and famously frustrating. 

    What’s the point of a newsletter?

    • To add value to your subscribers and give them useful information on your subject speciality.
    • To build credibility and trust as an expert in your field.
    • To sell them your offering.

    What does it take to produce a newsletter?

    Hard work and time. You have to write the cornerstone essay. Find the right photo to portray the key message. Craft your secondary message with care. In my case, I look for two to four eccentric and interesting videos from YouTube to add in (you have to write a small explanation to ‘sell’ the video). And, then, because you need to pay the bills, you put your offer in, normally at the end of the newsletter. This is the place where sales go to die because based on my stats, my readers lose steam halfway through the newsletter, and never get to my offer. That’s what I tell myself, anyway. I wouldn’t want to believe that my marketing messages are as awkward as a teenager struggling to undo a bra strap: inefficient, painful, and embarrassing, resulting in disappointment and dissatisfaction for both parties.

    What’s the reality?

    The reality is that producing a newsletter is time-consuming (if you do it properly and with a modicum of pride) and it can be soul-sucking. Why? Because 3/4 of your database doesn’t open your newsletter. Hardly anyone bothers to respond. Sometimes, the only way I know that the newsletter went out is that I get a couple of ‘out of office’ responses. Every now and again, I get a one-liner, saying, “That was a good article, I needed that today.” And, because I have a sanguine temperament, and I need oodles of validation, I jump on that email like a drowning sailor on a life raft and profusely thank the person for sending me the compliment. It’s sad and an illness, I know.

    You can imagine how I overdosed on dopamine when professional speaker, Billy Selekane said, “Jacques is the Charles Dickens of our age.” That kept me going for a while. But, when Deborah du Plooy said, “Your scribing is orgasmic kla. Errrr buddy, please work on my obituary,” I lost all my marbles as the dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, oxytocin combined into the perfect-storm of validation.

    Besides validation, the actual point of the newsletter is to build trust and credibility with your audience so that every so often, they’ll buy something. I can only live on compliments for so long before I have to eat.

    And, let’s just put it out there. If you’re a business owner the only reason you write newsletters, build those excruciating and infuriating websites and hang out on the vacuous and vapid social media is to make sales, isn’t it? We’re all playing that game, aren’t we? If it were up to me, I’d rather be a trust fund baby, catching bass, drinking whiskey, playing chess and getting up to mischief in Italy. Is that just me, or would you also be doing something else if you had more money than you knew what to do with?

    So, regarding ROT (Return on Time, and making money), is writing a newsletter worth it?

    I’d have to say no, if that’s your primary motivation.

    If I took the four hours a week spent producing a newsletter and posting and sharing it over a year, that’s 200+ hours. I promise you, if I spent 200 hours on the phone prospecting for business, I’d make a ton more money. But, because I like validation and not rejection, I take the chicken way out and write newsletters.

    What’s Happening Here?

    I contacted my friend Tobias at TouchBasePro, the system I use to send my newsletters. I showed him the statistics for my latest newsletter.

    Horrifying I thought.

    He said, not really. Most newsletters email stats are worse. Yay, misery loves company.

    He sent me this.

    If your email newsletter statistics are similar, you’re in good company.

    Should You Quit Sending Out Newsletters?

    Definitely not. Just change your focus.

    Blog a book. Every cornerstone article I write is intentionally written with a book in mind. I’ve been sending out newsletters sporadically since my last book in 2019. 

    Let’s do the maths.

    • My average article is 300 words long. 2019 to 2023 is a span of four years.
    • I generally put out one newsletter a week, which equals 52 weeks.
    • 300 x 52 x 4 = 62 400 words. Well, that’s enough for a book (my last one hit the 62 000 word mark).
    • Let’s take out 25% for exaggeration (because I need so much praise and validation), it’s still a handy 46 000 or so word book. If I’m lazy, I can live with that and produce a book. And, some people call themselves authors with 5000 words from their pen, so I’m sure I can get away with it. 

    Your newsletter is your gym where you can test out your work.

    Sometimes I get more than one compliment from an article I wrote. Then I know that article landed in the mind and heart of my reader.

    I of course also send all my work out to LinkedIn and Facebook, and the articles that work get great response (likes and comments). When I publish my book, I front load it with all the ‘winners’ and the ones that haven’t made the grade go in the latter half of the book. Although, weirdly, the articles I think are winners, and the ones I’ve really loved writing, often don’t get a vote. 

    Not everything I say is true

    I actually do make money out of my newsletter in a roundabout way. Sometimes my writing is passable, and some people hire me because of it. I mostly write about philosophy, spirituality and sometimes mindset and marketing, but I sell writing services. This is a bit of a disconnect (as my good friend, branding authority, Dawn Klatzko says, “Brand confusion”). I remember when I tried to make my cat Gloria part of my brand, I called her. I can just imagine her rolling her eyes and shaking her head, saying “Oy vey.” 

    Thankfully I scrapped that idea.

    Ultimately, I’m not negative about producing newsletters. They keep me out of mischief. As you know, nature abhors a vacuum, and I’d probably be wasting the four hours a week on something else, like hanging about coffee shops with my mates. That’s a sure-fire way not to make money.

    Goodbye. Before I go, I leave you with this:

    • Having a substantial subscriber base of 5000+ can make you money through newsletters. My piddly 600 is not going to cut it. Most of them are friends too, so that’s not a great money-making strategy.
    • Transform your newsletters into an incredibly effective tool for blogging your book. This is the smartest sentence in this entire article.
    • I’m going to go all Don Miguel Ruiz (The Four Agreements) on you, “Don’t take anything personally.” When it comes to newsletters and most things in life, you and I are a nanosecond of attention in most people’s lives. They have better things to do than worry about your and my newsletters, that’s for sure. 
    • But if you can add up the nanoseconds over time, maybe your words do make a difference. You may not always (or never) see it in your pay cheque, but know that you have touched someone’s heart, albeit for a short while, and that my friend, makes all the difference. 
  • How to stay positive when life throws you curveballs

    How to stay positive when life throws you curveballs

    Have you ever been happily going about your business, when something unexpectedly brings you down? Where life throws you a curveball and ruins your day?

     In the Hero’s Journey, it’s called an inciting incident. Movies often have an inciting incident, which is typically a dramatic event such as a child being kidnapped, a bomb exploding, a spy being caught, a murder, or a robbery.

    For us, it could be something small like a burst geyser, a staff member not showing up, an argument with our spouse, or many other trivial things. There are a lot worse things out there that can trip us up.

    I’ve found a way to keep one’s equanimity when things are conspiring against you: Respond. Reframe. Reset.

    On Monday, November 13th, I was having dinner with a friend at a restaurant in Kyalami when a huge hailstorm suddenly occurred.

    I knew this one was going to be devastating, and I knew my little car in the parking lot wouldn’t survive it.

    I said to my friend that we should continue eating and having a good time. We’d have plenty of time after the meal to assess the damage.

    Eina! My car had really taken a beating. The car had a broken wind shield, damaged headlights and tail lights, and numerous dents from hail.

    Eina

    I think my pulse went up two beats when I saw the car and I started spiralling towards a pity party. It was touch and go for about 30 seconds. I took a deep breath and found my centre. 

    Respond, Reframe and Reset

    Respond

    The breath that I took helped me calm down. I have long since realised that getting angry doesn’t solve the problem; it’s better to remain calm. All anger does is get my cortisol levels up and make me feel sick. I’m convinced the cumulative affect of anger can take years off one’s life.
    Normally, I would shake my fists at the heavens and shout, “Why me?” “F*ck.” “Why did I come out tonight? I wish I had stayed home. Typically, I’d be spiralling down into regret, remorse, blame and shame.

    I always ask, “What is being offered here?” What is the gift in this chaos? In this instance, I was afforded the opportunity to test to see if my positive attitude could stand the pressure. Would I crack and lose my temper as is my nature? I managed to stay calm. I even had the decency to tip the car guard who was looking so forlorn. It was hardly his fault now, was it? I went home, and had a great night’s sleep. I would deal with this in the morning.

    Reframe

    Reframing is about finding the positive in the situation. Have a look at the ultimate reframe below:-)

    At the battle of Thermopylae, a Spartan warrior, Dienekes was told that the Persian archers would blank out the sun with their arrows. He said: “Good then we shall have our battle in the shade.”

    It took a week and a bit for the windscreen repair company to come replace the windscreen. I won’t lie, it was frustrating not to have a car for a week.

    However, over the last month I haven’t been productive with my writing at all. I had to write because I couldn’t go anywhere. And this week I’ve got so much done. There was a positive aspect to this.

    Reset

    If you fall off a horse, they say you should get back on the saddle quickly in case you lose your confidence. I reset almost immediately. After contacting the insurance company on Tuesday, I continued with my work as usual, trusting them to handle it properly. Life goes on, after all.

    And, there’s bound to be another curveball soon. If I became debilitated every time I made a mistake or stumbled, I wouldn’t be able to achieve much.

    When curveballs are thrown at me, I don’t always get it right and I lose the plot. But I do it less and less these days. And, I’m better off for it. So, try to respond, reframe and reset and see how it works for you.

  • 9 November PechaKucha Johannesburg Feedback

    9 November PechaKucha Johannesburg Feedback

    I copied and pasted some of the comments and articles about the last PechaKucha Johannesburg we had on November 9.

    We had around 160 people attend the event, our biggest in Johannesburg, by far.

    All 10 speakers were top-notch, on point, enlightening and entertaining.

    1. Ian Bratt – You’ll Never Know
    2. Marlette de Jager – The 6 Shits To Give
    3. Martin Pelders – From Victim to Victor: One Man’s Fight Against Gender Based Violence
    4. Jean Archary – Make Your Money Matter
    5. Mookho Mhlayivana – Mind Your Business
    6. Tivania Moodley – Living In Truth Will Set You Free
    7. Trevor Carty – Colombia To Cortado – The Journey Of Your Coffee From Bean To Cup
    8. Ursula Botha – Lessons and Luck On Luxury Yachts
    9. Gill Lindsell – Bulletproof – A Story Of Resilence
    10. Gary Tintinger – Sh*T My Brain Does
    10 world class speakers presented at PechaKucha Johannesburg on 9 November 2023.

    From Left to Right: Gill, Martin Mookho, Ursula, Tivania, Jean, Marlette (Molly), Ian, Trevor, Gary.
    I’m kneeling in the front.

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    What Is PechaKucha?
    PechaKucha is a global storytelling platform that celebrates people, passion, and creative thought.
    Our speakers share ideas and connect with others visually, concisely and memorably. We are redefining authentic human connectivity through inclusive social engagement and technology.Join us for an evening of brilliant presentations, networking, fine dining, building friendships and having fun.

    How Does It Work?

    The PechaKucha 20×20 presentation format is a slide show of 20 images, each auto-advancing after 20 seconds. It’s non-stop and you’ve got 400 seconds (6m40s) to tell your story, with visuals guiding the way.

    PechaKucha was created in Japan in 2003 by renowned architects, Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham. The word “PechaKucha” is Japanese for “chit chat.”

    Check out presentations from our last event here.

    The presentation format is based on a simple idea: 20 images displayed for 20 seconds each whilst the presenter talks you through it.

    It is a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things interesting.

    It forces people to reduce, to clear their minds and think about what is relevant.

    It is amazing how much you can put across in 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

    The casual atmosphere of the event makes it easy to socialise naturally.

    You can speak to any presenter during the beer break and say: “That was fantastic, I love what you do!” – and start a conversation from there.

    PechaKucha drags you into a live situation with atmosphere, energy and real human interaction.

    The speakers will inspire you as they share their passions, their creativity, their achievements, just about anything really…

    PechaKucha Nights have already expanded to more than 1299 cities worldwide. It has gathered over 200,000 presentations on its website.

    Yoke Van Dam

    One of our past PechaKucha speakers and a true PechaKucha fan. Check out her presentation, All Hikes Are Not Created Equal.

    Yoke van Dam is a past speaker at PechaKucha Johannesburg.

    Great speakers aren’t born, they rehearse.

    Last night I was treated by the incredible calibre of speakers at PechaKucha Johannesburg.

    When you speak for 7 min, and have 20 slides rotating every 20 seconds, you need to do effort with your script, your pacing, and still make contact with the audience not making it sound like a staccato dance (stop and start).

    I chatted to some of the speakers who said they prefer speaking without slides but this new medium forced them out of their comfort zone to try something new.

    When last did you do something different in a presentation?

    Enhance your presentation by utilising effective tools such as mind maps or cue cards. To enhance the visual aspect of your presentation, you might want to experiment with using props or creating visually captivating slides that can be displayed as a backdrop during a Zoom call.

    How can you mix things up for yourself and not just do what you’ve always done.

    Well done to Ian Bratt District 74 Champion (Southern Africa for Toastmasters International), who spoke on stage, even though he won this speech in a virtual set-up. I enjoyed seeing how the audience reacted to the different voices you used. It really strengthened your message.

    Well done to Ursula Botha for transporting us to the French Riviera where you got lucky seeing the sunset and sunrise from the ocean feeling like Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia!

    Congrats to Mookho Mhlayivana for demonstrating why our neighbour’s garden is greener – because he takes care of it!

    And Gary Tintinger for showing the wonders of the brain!

    I was moved by Marlette De Jager’s stories of climbing mountains, losing friends and knowing what to care about.

    Well done Jacques De Villiers for an epic event!!!

    What is your core message?

    How can you shake it up?

    Can you do something different next time?

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    Jean Archary

    Jean Archary presented at PechaKucha Johannesburg on 9 November 2023.

    So many things I want to say about last nite…so I’m going to post separately…don’t hate me…

    Public speaking is hard enough as it is…sharing a message using the Pechakucha format (20 slides, 20 seconds per slide) where your slides move automatically is by far the toughest talk I’ve done in my life.

    Sharing a vulnerable message in front of family and friends is even tougher. Last night my biggest teacher and critic got to witness me on my stage for the first time…so even more pressure ????

    Nolan Pillay aka the instigator, if it weren’t for you this would never have happened. So thank you for recommending us as speakers and pushing us out of our comfort zones.

    The business world can be really competitive, and it’s not often that people will support you or freely recommend others for opportunities.

    A huge thank you to you!

    What an amazing platform to share our messages.

    Martin Pelders

    I’ve got to tell you that these events are amazing. If you’re in Jhb and you have a free evening, get to a PechaKucha event at The Tryst.

    Dinner and drinks and 10 amazing speakers, Marlette De Jager Ursula Botha Tivania Moodley Gary Tintinger to mention a few of the incredibly talented individuals.

    Gosh, this was an adrenaline rush.

    I’m proud to say I shared a stage with some amazingly talented speakers, 2 of them Toastmasters champions.

    Honoured, all of you

    Thanks for the opportunity Jacques De Villiers and team

    Gill Lindsell

    I was one of 10 speakers at the PechaKucha event last night… just wow! I am amazed by these incredible individuals and their ability to overcome challenges, sharing their inspiring messages openly and bravely.

    I salute every one of you, and thank you for having shared a stage with you.

    Gill Lindsell gave a riveting performance on resilience at 9 November Johannesburg PechaKucha.

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  • Small Miracle

    Small Miracle

    The other day something strange happened to me. I manifested money out of what seemed to be thin air. It was a small miracle. It was surreal. Hence, the Salvador Dalí theme.

    A client of mine owed me 10k. I saw that he was on holiday in the UK. Mmm. For a brief second I felt like the victim … “He’s having fun with my money”. Then I got over myself.

    I then remembered that he had a benefactor that probably paid for his stay. So, I cut him some slack. And, of course, he’s also a great guy.

    I thought I’d give it a shot and ask him for the money he owed (10k). So I sent him a WhatsApp note.

    >>> Hello you. Just checking in to see if you got the invoice? And, have you got an idea when you’ll be paying? ????????

    In my head, I was being a bit of a bitch and thought, “Get your benefactor to pay, why don’t you?”

    >>> Client: Do you have a link where I can pay with a card? I have a friend that will pay for me this month, but he can only pay with his card.

    Then I thought, let’s push the envelope. In my head I said, “Why don’t you get him to pay 20k?”

    Two minutes later I got this. >>> Can you make it R20 000?

    I don’t know what’s going on here? All this manifested in five minutes. Perhaps there’s something to this positive thinking, law of attraction and manifestation stuff?

    So, now I’m scratching around YouTube and watching Joe Dispenza, Delores Canon, Sadhguru, and a bunch of others to get to the bottom of this manifestation thing.

    Maybe there’s something to it all.

    I’ve started with affirmations. Every morning, I affirm: “What if life, business, money, wealth, prosperity, and abundance come easily, joyfully, and gloriously to me?”

    I’ll let you know how it pans out.

    *AI prompt: Miracles depicted in the unmistakable style of Salvador Dalí, surrealism, melting clocks, dreamlike atmosphere, vibrant colours, meticulous attention to detail, oil on canvas, large format, museum-worthy artwork.

  • The World Needs You

    The World Needs You

    There are two types of people that drive the world: ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴏʀꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʀᴏᴍᴏᴛᴇʀꜱ.

    These people are the star actors, and the rest are the supporting cast. All other roles are subordinate to them. They’re the trees that supply us with oxygen.

    There’s a pecking order between these two stars, however. There’s a notion that being a creator is sexy. Being a promoter, not so much.

    Creators are ‘artists’ that don’t want to sell out by resorting to marketing and sales.

    They’re kinda like Ray Kinsella in Field of Dreams: “Build it, and he will come.”

    For mere mortals like us, if we don’t embrace promotion, “He’s not coming.”

    If you’re a creator, and you actively market and sell, be proud because this is noble work.

    There are people that need what you have, but don’t know how to get it (you). Who are you to deny them that privilege?

    If you feel uncomfortable about promotion, consider this. There’s not one dominant religion, philosophy, product or service that hasn’t thrived because of marketing and sales.

    Imagine if Nikola Tesla had great promoters, we’d have more than a car, wouldn’t we? We’d have a dominant ecosystem that would have been good for us and the planet.

    Thomas Edison had better promotion and fewer scruples, and now we sit with that mess.

    If you work for a company, pop into your marketing and sales departments, and shake their hands. They feed you and me. After all, nothing happens without a sale.

    If you work for yourself and haven’t embraced marketing and sales, think again.

    You are valuable, and there are people that need what you are selling. Don’t deny them.

    The world needs you. Don’t deny it YOU.

  • Your Scribble Matters

    Your Scribble Matters

    The work you and I do is art. This work allows us to navigate this canvas called life, where we make a small mark until the inkwell runs dry.

    But sometimes it’s hard, isn’t it? There are days, days when I ask myself, “Why bother” or “What’s the point” or “Who cares”?

    Maybe you have those days too?

    There are days when I look at photos of me on stage or past scribbles I’ve made and think, “What right do I have to do the work that makes my heart sing?” “And, who wants to listen to your song anyway?”

    Then there’s the doubt. Most days I think I’m an empty vessel making a loud noise that just irritates everyone. I feel embarrassed and ashamed that my creators went to such an effort for me, and I’ve fallen way short of the mark. I rail against myself for this. 

    But I keep doing this work because I’m compelled to. I wonder if it’s selfishness, self-involvement and ego that keeps me at it. Because, seriously, who cares about the clumsy scribble I make on this page called my life? Does it all matter?

    But there are days when I feel what I do does matter.

    I published an obscure piece of text in 2019 that sold less than 100 copies. But, even now I get notes from people telling me that my brief scribble meant something. 

    “Thank you for calming my soul.”

    “Some pages felt like a homecoming and others made me uncomfortable as they tore and ripped at the fabric of my heart, breaking me open for the light of consciousness to enter.”

    “Your extraordinary book invites multiple readings.”

    You see, you can’t know the effect of your work, who will read it or who will care. Maybe no one. Maybe one person. 

    If you and I, at this moment, touch just one person, then that scribble of ours is a bridge of meaning that makes all the difference. It’s a conversation that can lead to courage. And, who knows where courage can take us?

    Keep on doing your art, whatever it may be, because it matters. You matter.

    Jacques

  • True or False: Your subject line is the #1 reason subscribers open your email.

    I created a poll (above) on LinkedIn, and the response was overwhelmingly in favour of the subject line. 

    I would have thought so too, until I saw this (below) from a MailChimp expert.

    Whilst the subject line is important, the sender’s name is more important. If you opened this mail, it’s probably because I’ve built a relationship with you over time via email.

    Assuming that I generally send good valuable content, and you trust me to, when you see my name appear in your inbox, you’re more likely to open the email.

    I go bananas for statistics, and I monitor every email campaign I send out. The case study below validates the ‘sender name’ hypothesis. 

    Case Study – PechaKucha Campaign

    Recently I sent out an invitation to PechaKucha event on 9 November to my email database that has been getting my messages for a year.

    I sent out one email with a mundane headline, and got this (below) response.

    For those of you who know about email marketing, take into account my database is just under 500, so the result below is phenomenal.

    By the way, each of the 10 speakers at PechaKucha, have a unique link like the one above. They’re averaging 14 visitors each to my 109. This means that they don’t have email databases of any consequence, and are relying on social media.

    I’m convinced that this could be problematic for them in their own businesses in the long run not to consider an email strategy. 

    I’m A Fan Of Relationship Marketing

    It plays a crucial role in the success of any business. But, it’s a long game.

    In my experience, email is the best way to nurture relationships (at a larger scale).

    I’ve been running relationship nurturing campaigns for some of my clients, and they are yielding good results.

    >>> If you want to learn how to create a sustainable system for building relationships with your prospects and clients, contact me here. <<<

    I’ll run you through the process so that you can make an informed decision if it’s the right route for you to go.