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There’s a part of me that can’t believe I’ve been writing this blog for over three years and have only mentioned this book once. My relationship with Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life began way before that. Yes, it’s categorized as a book on writing and there is a lot of solid information on the process (and perils) of the writing life.

HOWEVER (in ALL CAPS!), there is a lot here that is applicable to other artistic pursuits, to business, and to life, most importantly the lesson contained in the title. Chapters such as “Shitty First Drafts,” ”False Starts,” and “Radio KFKD” are also easily applied to the non-writing life and will give great comfort whenever you embark on, slog through, and try to wrap up any project.

Also of note is Anne Lamott’s dry wit, which makes all of the wisdom go down easily and since she displays the basest, least attractive qualities and impulses a person can have, she makes you feel better about your lesser self.

All this in 240 pages. Order your copy today!

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Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality is a nuts and bolts book on completing projects by Scott Belsky, the founder of Behance and the related The 99% think tank and annual conference.

The name, The 99%, is based on Thomas Edison’s quote, “Genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration” and this book takes that idea and runs with it, with sections on Organization and Execution, The Forces of Community, and Leadership Capability.

In “Organization and Execution,” he provides his own project management system, The Action Method, and gives countless tips and techniques for “Always Moving the Ball Forward,” as the Execution chapter subhead indicates. “The Forces of Community” is about what types of people are best to surround yourself with in order to get the right things done the right way, depending upon your personality and execution abilities. It also covers such related topics as when to share ideas (all the time!), networking, and co-working. “Leadership Capability” covers assembling and motivating a creative team and self-leadership.

Real-life stories from the business trenches are scattered liberally throughout the book and, between that and Belsky’s inspired and vivid writing style, what could otherwise be dry material comes alive to instruct, involve, and, yes, inspire us. I felt energized and motivated every time I read part of “Making Ideas Happen” and I anticipate returning to this one often as I do with similar resources on my bookshelf. I think it’s a worthy read for anyone who has great ideas and wants help getting more of them to the real world.

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Let me start out by saying The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield is not just for artists. It’s for anyone who is struggling to accomplish a big (or not-so-big) goal. The back of the book describes it as being for anyone who dreams of writing the Great American Novel, regrets not finishing their paintings, poems, or screenplays, wants to start a business or charity, or start dieting and exercising today, or hopes to run a marathon some day. I don’t think that’s just marketing hyperbole. It can be applied that broadly to your circumstances.

The book is broken down into three sections, “Resistance: Defining the Enemy,” “Combating Resistance: Turning Pro,” and “Beyond Resistance: Higher Realm.” These sections are comprised of short (sometimes just a paragraph) explorations of topics such as “Resistance Is Most Powerful at the Finish Line” and “A Professional Doesn’t Hesitate to Ask for Help.”

“The War of Art” is a bit redundant, which I think is somewhat deliberate. Author Steven Pressfield is trying to combat an element which has firmly engrained itself in most of us from a young age. It shows itself in many ways (perfectionism, cynicism, procrastination, etc.) but it is probably there in you, too. If you doubt it, think about any of the goals you have had for a long time but never seem to have gotten moving on achieving, or projects which have stalled midway through – or even just when you are about to complete them. If this rings a loud bell for you, get thee to a bookstore, online or otherwise, and grab a copy. This book could literally change your life.

I admit that I have overcome a lot of resistance on an ongoing basis in order to get things done. (My writing to-do list is always long. The business tasks pile up, too.) But I am always seeking more ways to cut through my personal resistance techniques (web surfing, anyone?) in order to get more accomplished in a shorter period of time. And though this book doesn’t say anything particularly new about the topic of resistance, I found it inspiring enough and got enough tips out of it to be glad to have read it and to put it on the shelf next to my other favorites, like “Do One Thing Different,” for the next time I am struggling and need help.

Have you read it? If so, did it help you? Please share in the comments.

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There are a few books I have returned to several times throughout my life, when needed, because they offered a quick “out” from whatever rut I find myself in. Do One Thing Different: Ten Simple Ways to Change Your Life by Bill O’Hanlon is one of those books.

The book is based on the author’s belief that instead of helping you figure out WHY you have a problem, to provide an explanation for it, as traditional therapy does, you are better off being helped out of a problem. His discovery of this alternative came during his youth, when he decided life was too difficult and he wanted to kill himself. He found a reason to live (admittedly a somewhat arbitrary one) and then went about making simple changes in his life to create more happiness. This solutions-oriented strategy eventually freed him from his depression and provided the basis for his own therapeutic practice.

In spite of the seemingly dire genesis, the book is lighthearted, conversational, and often humorous, in tone. Each chapter details one of the “Ten Simple Ways to Change Your Life” of the title, using examples from his practice and from his own life. It’s both an easy read and an easy-to-apply strategy for breaking out of whatever ails you.

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I’ve been thinking a lot about collaboration recently; about how modern technology allows us to work together remotely to create together or work together to achieve goals we couldn’t have dreamed of accomplishing collectively a few years ago.

A friend of mine from high school who I haven’t seen since (but who I remember fondly enough to have become friends with online), posted this video on his Facebook wall a few weeks ago. I was enticed to watch it and you should now watch, too, if you haven’t seen it already. A music producer has traveled the globe and created ad hoc bands made up of street musicians from all over the world playing their part of each song which is then mixed in with the others. The project is called “Playing For Change” and more than anything else, I think it reflects the world we live in, where it is possible, with the right orchestration (in this case, both literally and in a technological sense), to create great things.

Speaking of great things, there is the story the Kenya Spare a Camera. The organization was created by Norm Golightly, a film producer and executive I sat next to years ago at a luncheon for a Southern California mentoring organization we were both volunteering for. We have many in-person friends and Facebook friends in common, one of whom commented on something Norm posted a while back which I was, again, enticed by and checked out. It might’ve been a blog post, it might’ve been a photo, but it hinted that he had taken the in-person mentoring experience we’d both had to a new level.

Sure enough, Norm has “adopted” an orphanage in Kenya, and is using social media to spread the word about these wonderful kids and get people to donate still and video cameras so the kids can document their personal stories (or anything else they want to document). He has also gotten them sponsorship (currently “sold out,” as of the writing of this post, but check anyway), again using the power of social media and awesome videos like this one of his recent arrival at the orphanage and this one of a flash mob dance he allegedly choreographed for them. Talk about collaboration. He has taken his creativity and passion and heart and given everyone he can reach the opportunity to make a difference and be touched by these kids they will most likely never meet.

Another example of collaboration for altruistic purposes is my favorite animal rescue, The Rescue Train, which was co-founded by two entertainment professionals, Delilah Loud (top of page) and Lisa Deane Young (at left), and is now, like so many other rescues, using the power of social media and email outreach to find homes for pets that would likely have died on the streets or been euthanized at local shelters before this technology came along to streamline communication about these dogs and cats. Social media and technology are by no means solving the problem, but they are connecting so many loving animals with people who need them and vice versa. Here is a link to their success stories page. This is a drop in the bucket of all the matches they have made.

For my own personal technology/social media-enabled collaboration, there are the people I’ve never met who find me on LinkedIn (or hear about me online or in the “real world”) and check out my websites (here, and www.momentumadvantage.com, and www.yourindustryinsider.com) to get career guidance and sometimes subsequently reach out to me for one-on-one career help. Together, we work on creating a next best move for them (up, lateral, to something else in the same field, or a complete reboot) and/or we create resumes and cover letters to land better jobs. I have worked with people all over the country, in Canada, and occasionally in the UK. These people find me on Linked In, and through Facebook or one of my websites and the success stories of these former strangers give me so much personal and professional satisfaction, I am often in awe of the time we live in where connecting comes so easily.

And truly, when musicians from different countries can be mixed together to create beautiful music without leaving their homes and children in remote Africa can get cameras and money for necessities of life and previously-forgotten animals can be placed in loving homes, what limit is there to what we can do with these modern tools?

Any thoughts on these examples of technology-enabled collaboration? What are you favorite examples of collaboration using social media and technology? Share in the comments, please.

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