Hey all,
Hope you've had a great week! Here's a few things I've reading and pondering lately. Enjoy and if you're feeling inspired, pass it on.
1. Why your desire for power might be rooted in the pursuit of happiness
Absolute power corrupts absolutely...or maybe it helps us discover who we really are.
Scientists from Tel Aviv University hypothesized that power may actually lead its possessors to "navigate their lives in congruence with their internal desires and inclinations." In other words, the feeling of power prompts people to take action on the things they otherwise would not have.
The results revealed that being in a position of power causes people to feel more authentic and “true to themselves” — that is, it allows their actions to more closely reflect their beliefs and desires. Feelings of authenticity, in turn, enhance subjective feelings of well-being and happiness.
2. 6 Unconventional Ways to Come Up with Blog Post Ideas
This is a post I wrote for Inbound.org detailing some ways to come up with new and interesting things to write about. A few selections:
- Use the [Persona] + [Use Case] Formula
- Use Clearbit to find the people you're writing for
- Ghostwrite for yourself
There's more information and a few examples in the post.
3. Advice for Writers: Graduate from Analogies
Analogies help us (the writer) understand and visualize ideas. It's fine to write a draft full of analogies as long as you've budgeted time and energy to clean them up later.
If you find yourself leaning on analogies, work towards parallels. This means introducing a single analogy early in a piece, then tying points back to that analogy. Parallels need to be subtle, otherwise they feel cheap. Done well, a reader will follow an article to its conclusion without ever realizing why it was so easy to read.
(This is my second in a series of visual aids for writers.)
4. Quote of the Week
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” — C.G. Jung
5. Random Links
- There's a funded company for 1 in every 1,000 in the Bay Area.
- This magical piano app is highly entertaining
- Here’s How the NFL Can Evolve Into a Content Platform
- How to Make Sound Decisions About Your Product Design's Future
- If You Run Fast Enough You Can Shut Your Mind Up for a While
- What’s Your Hook? How to Consistently Get Your Campaigns Opened, Read, and Clicked (thanks for mentioning Swipe File!)