Race Cars and Rock Stars

When I was a kid, I could entertain myself for hours; sometimes entire days, with my books, music, and toys. I had a good childhood. Then I met my first love which was hockey. I was hooked for the next decade and a half reading books about it, playing whenever and wherever I could. And despite my mother's disappointment, I was never going to be the starting goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

We were middle middle-class. My folks probably lived paycheck to paycheck most of the time. But they always found a way to put food on the table, pay the bills, and get my sister and I cool gifts at Christmas. Nothing about my life is a story for the ages.

Fender Telecaster and a set of Pilot Sport Cup 2s

There is something strange that humans possess which no other beings experience and that is a yearning for more. Our cat doesn't spend her days wishing she was a panther. She is a content companion who thinks we are awesome because we give her food a few times a day and a comfy place to nap all afternoon.

Sometimes I watch super car channels on YouTube and imagine owning a Bugatti Chiron, but I don't then spend the next two hours being depressed I will never have one. I don't listen to music wishing I was the rock star either. If we're unhappy, money in the bank, adoring fans, and a $3 million hyper car in the garage won't help.

The reason for our unhappiness is often because we can't define what will make us happy instead of looking at what is good in our lives that already brings happiness.

But I will take the Chiron in navy blue, thanks.

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Interruption | Integration | Improvement

"Your mind has a lot to talk about and it knows you can't pretend you're not at home."
Linda Solegato

In 1957, a woman is seen leaving her house, driving to work and though shocking did not speak on a phone during her entire trip.


Some 231 years earlier, witnesses claim a tall dark haired man traveled from his place of residence to the grocery store where he worked and got there without the use of motorized transportation.

"What great thing would you attempt
if you knew you could not fail?"
Robert H. Schuller

Less than 20 years ago, people all over the world were quickly discovering the ability to send electronic messages to each other over great distances on their computer.

And just this week, there were more stories written about the Apple iPad than the food shortage in Africa.

"Great minds have purpose, others have wishes."
Washington Irving

According to rumor, there was a time when the U.S. Patent Office was going to close. The claim at the time was all inventions needed were already invented. That claim seems rather preposterous now.

Every invention that has ever seen the light of day was something we had to integrate into our lives.

Got an idea?

Will it be an interruption, an integration or an improvement?

@knealemann
strategy. marketing. social media. communications.

image credit: i.zdnet

Freedom of Choice | What Is Yours?

The waiter asks you what we want from the menu.

You call the service line and if you’re lucky enough to get a human within half an hour they will ask you how they can help.

You stand slack jawed in the cereal aisle trying to decide whether it will be flakes or loops.



Consumerism is built on the appearance of choice.
What happens when we have too much?

Imagine for a moment that I put pictures of 83 different cars in front of you. Each car is available in 17 different trim packages and 163 colors. How quickly would you choose the car you wanted? At one time I did have a car that was black currant with grey leather interior. But I digress.

If your real estate agent showed you 481 different houses, how closer would you be to calling the moving van? Crown moulding is not that compelling but the Catskill green granite counter top in the bathroom is fantastic.

What About Your Career?

On the surface, a free society fights to have career path choice.

It’s obvious, right?

You want to choose what do for a living – don’t you? You don’t want to feel stuck, you want a wide open menu filled with hundreds of delicious items.

Depending on the study however, most say that close to 80% are unhappy with their career path - why is that?



We can site family obligations, financial concerns, educational limitations but are those just excuses? Most of us have them; they are nice comfy memes to keep us from stepping too far out on the ledge.

Why don’t we make more choices?

It’s common to feel stuck, have self-doubt or limited with your ability to move. Imagine how that looks across an organization with hundreds of people feeling the same way. It may not appear to be related to your personal or business strategic objectives but it has everything to do with them.

In the free world during tight economic times you can try the - ’cause I said so - approach for a little while but it is a highly damaging long term plan.

Your most talented stakeholders will simply leave.

Some say that there are three reasons we do anything: to make money, to make a name for ourselves or to make a difference.

What is differentiates high achievers from the rest?

It begins with their ability to answer one simply question:

What Do I Want?

@knealemann
Helping you create your best business,
marketing and social media strategy.

You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice.
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
Rush - Freewill

image credits: gallup.com | corbisimages.com

How Does It Make You Feel?

We are inundated by information, pitches, news, content, blogs, offers, podcasts, emails, phone calls and the question remains: are we getting any further?

The blogosphere is fraught with economic news and predictions while we all try and stay focused. The 800lb gorilla is stomping on our collective skulls while we attempt to stay positive.

Help Wanted

We are looking at each other for guidance and answers but in the process forgetting that others are doing the same to us.

Some estimates say that we sift through thousands of images and pieces of content every day. We have become masters at weeding out what we don’t need and getting to what we do need.

Research Isn't Always The Answer

When I was buying my current car, I did my homework. I test drove 12 different vehicles, performed in depth price comparisons, examined options, pros and cons, and ended up buying the car that I wanted from the start. I had over thought it.

It wasn’t my homework that sold me; it was what my best friend said as we stood in the dealership parking lot one summer evening. He turned to me as we looked at three different models of the same car and said; “Dude, get the one that will make you smile”.

No Hoops | No Games

The best radio promotion I have ever been a part of was entitled “24 Hours In Vegas”. Unlike most radio contests, we did not ask listeners to wait for the sound of the clown horn or be placed on a waiting list or answer a skill testing question, we just gave away seats on our chartered plane all the time. I had 180 seats to fill and it was a blast. We kept our focus on how it feels to be told without notice that you are going to Las Vegas.

Winners received two plane tickets, that’s it. No hotel, no spending money, no rental car, no taxi chits, a plane ticket. We took off at 10am on Wednesday and left Vegas at 10am on Thursday. Listeners were left to fend for themselves and live large.

People Are People

There were grown men crying, women screaming in disbelief, and the morning we took off we had a plane full of excited people. It wasn’t about ratings, or the radio station, it was about connection.

There were no complaints or whining about extras. The plane ride home was full of tired but excited people sharing stories of their adventure. New friendships were formed, some stayed up all night, some grabbed a hotel, two couples renewed their vows, and not one person missed Thursday’s flight.

It was a team of people sharing an experience.

It's Not About The Bottom Line

In a time when companies are making cuts and trying to find the message that will cut through, perhaps it's time to find out how your message or product or service will make them feel.

With radio promotions, it was important to stay within four main prize categories: money, trips, cars and things people don't have access to experience on their own. No one would turn away the first three, but it is the last one that will last a lifetime.

The iPod isn’t about high quality audio, it’s about freedom. TED2009 on right now is not just about smart people talking, it's about showing others they can dream and think big. Social media is not about collecting friends, it’s about sharing with others.

How do you make others feel?

km