Digital Marketing, Media, PR Analysis And Insight – The Future Buzz

Failure is always an option, a phrase popularized by Adam Savage from MythBusters, is a powerful ideology all of us should embrace. It runs counter to the old saying by buttoned-down military commanders, managers, football coaches and other commonly associated power figures that failure is not an option.

To those who love their jobs: purpose and passion trump profit as a motivator to produce great work. This is something I’ve been conscious of long before I started working for others. I noted this while in university – grades never motivated me nearly as much as if I viewed the subject matter as purposeful and the professor as passionate.

Many reading this may not know it, but in my free time I am an electronic music artist. A lot of people I meet have trouble believing I keep a blog, write music and work for one of the top marketing firms globally, but I do all of those things. No, I don’t have time for TV. I frequently sacrifice my social life. I’m usually working on one of my projects in free time. But I wouldn’t give any of it up and I’m irrationally committed to all my interests.

Eric Friedman (analyst at Union Square Ventures) and I have been having a great dialog offline the past few weeks. We’ve been discussing the idea that throughout life, you need to be on an accelerated learning curve. I’ve been thinking about this and realized why it’s such a great idea: it’s the opposite of how most people live.

While working on a new track for my next album (you can download my previous works free) I had one of those meta-cognitive moments that struck me. Enough that I stopped working on the song, saved my work and fired up WordPress to write it down.

Nearly all problems are overcome by taking a fearless approach. If you consider what’s stopping you from achieving your goals with marketing, business, art, even your personal life, the largest inhibitor to success is most likely fear.

Previously, I shared my perspective on the idea of overthinking and how it is the enemy of creatives – it’s an almost instant destroyer of quality work. Something synonymous with overthinking is the idea of trying too hard.

Guest Post By Dayne Shuda of Hunting Business Marketing (follow him on Twitter)

“Innovation without imitation is a complete waste of time.” Mike Rowe – Dirty Jobs

In December 2008, Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs took the stage at TED to talk about his outlook on the state of work in the United States. He discussed his experiences working in over 200 jobs that most people find gross, despicable and downright inhumane. It’s an entertaining and enlightening lecture, but the point I want to focus on is where Mike states that “Innovation without imitation is a complete waste of time.”

Today’s post is a bit personal. If you’re only interested in reading my marketing content, feel free to skip this one. I want to try and answer a question I’m asked repeatedly: many people I talk with wonder how I am able to do so much. The answer is simple: I’ve learned to balance multiple interests. It’s not really that difficult and there is nothing stopping you from doing the same.

2009 was a big year for me personally and professionally. Just a few highlights include:

• Moving from South Florida to Minneapolis to work at TopRank Online Marketing.
• Speaking at PubCon 2009, liveblogging SES San Jose, liveblogging MIMA 2009, and participating in various other marketing industry events.
• Contributing content to A-list blogs such as Online Marketing Blog and LouisGray.com.
• Releasing a new album of original music as a free download (and being featured for it on the Creative Commons blog). Also releasing a social media mixtape.
• Lots of great conversations generated around the web.
• 2 awards won for previous campaigns.