20 Minute Motivation

Here’s the text from the eBook, written in 20 Minutes.

No magic here, just hopes that this will inspire you, too, to get something done.

20 Minute Motivation eBook

© 2009 Dave Van de Walle

All rights reserved.

I’m going to write this eBook in 20 minutes.  Seriously.

My goal is to write an eBook at 1:05 p.m., and stop writing at 1:25 p.m.  Exactly.  Whatever I’ve penned will then be the eBook.

Why am I doing this?

Because I want you to get off your duff and actually make something happen.

So this is the official

20 Minute Motivation eBook.

What’s the goal here?

Simple. {+}

ACTION.

While I might think of myself as a pretty good writer, it really doesn’t matter if I’m a great writer or an average one or a sucky one.

Or if I mix its and it’s.  Your and you’re.  And yours.  Or you’res.  Which isn’t even a word.

The proof is in the pudding and, in this case, pudding is the written word, put to paper.  Electronic paper maybe, or just whatever kind of paper you like or don’t like or whatever.

IT DOESN’T MATTER.

BLUE TRUCK

I want to tell you a story.  It’s about Dad and his Blue Truck.

Dad died this year – June 1, to be exact, after a couple strokes.  He was on the road to recovery, or so I and everyone else thought.  But the biggie came – a cerebral hemorrhage – and he left us.

Dad was 65 and, while that might seem awfully young, well, he did manage to jam-pack a whole bunch of living into those 65 years.

And he was synonymous in some circles with the Blue Truck.

(On Twitter, BTW, I like to talk about #BlueTruck.)

Dad was a real estate guy.  Residential, not commercial.  Probably because commercial real estate to him seemed boring, and residential real estate was about people.

(It’s now 1:11.)

Anyway, Dad drove around the same town for the past 14 years with the Blue Truck.  It had his picture on the back – real estate agents need to make personal connections, and you couldn’t miss Dad’s picture.

Blue Truck and he went to the K of C.  The golf course.  Church.  Wherever.  Dad shook hands and talked to people and drove around the neighborhood and showed houses and went to listings and showings and appointments.

But the funny thing is that the Blue Truck started to represent his brand, and it became an extension of him.  Want to borrow the Blue Truck to pick something up?  Great.  I’ll come with you, too.  Want to grab a beer?  Awesome, Blue Truck and I will meet you there.

Dad was a nice guy, had no enemies, was eager to talk to just about anyone.  Thus, Blue Truck out front meaning Dad was there – Dad ready to talk to you or share a joke.

The theme?  Well, you may not realize that the company you keep extends your brand.  And your brand is you when you aren’t around: what people think about you, what they notice about you, what they say about you.

How they remember you when you’re not around.

#BlueTruck.  Keep that in mind – are you living the kind of life, being the kind of person – so that, when you’re not around, people see things that remind them of you – and they smile?

One of the last things I said to Dad: “you did good.”  And now, since Blue Truck is out in front of my house, I can’t help but smile.

It’s About You, But It Isn’t

I have 8 minutes left.  8 minutes to convince you of the power of the personal brand.  8 minutes to tell you everything you need to know about personal branding.

Now it’s seven minutes.  Sorry.

So keep these things in mind as you build your personal brand:

It’s about you – but it isn’t.  Ever have one of those opportunities that happened out of the blue, but was really 3 years in the making?  (I had one last week.  Phenomenal.  So much fun.)

One reason it came up out of the blue was because I had endeavored to build a personal brand.  Some of the things I surrounded myself with – social technology, or communications tools, or learning new things – got attached to me and my personal brand.

So I was top of mind when one guy I met 3 years ago and kept in touch with needed some very specific expertise.  And needed it immediately.

How did this happen?

Well, for one, I’m not afraid to have a point of view.  I guess that’s another thing to keep in mind – HAVE A POINT OF VIEW.  You could be wrong – you could be WAY WRONG.  But if you don’t stand for something, you’ll stand for anything.

Ever have a job where there’s a coworker who would come into your office to let you know about a problem, but not a solution? Don’t be that guy.  Or gal.

Fix things, then let us know they were broken for 30 seconds.

Call people, and let them know that you’re wondering what they’re up to.

Ask questions, and be ready to have a few answers of your own.

Be inquisitive.  Ask someone how they got where they are, even if they’re still on the way up.  Ask someone how you can help them out.

Make it about them, not about you.  They’re happy, you’re the solution person, and then, when it’s time for it to be about you, you’re who they look for.

Action Time

Is this making any sense at all?

Well, it should, I hope.  It’s common sense, and I’m not ramming anything down your throat in this 20-minute Motivational eBook.

In fact, I’m just about done.  The clock is ticking.

What did I prove?

I don’t know anything more than you, but I do know this.

I JUST WROTE A 7-PAGE EBOOK IN EXACTLY 20 MINUTES.

Go do something.  Now.

You’re welcome.
20 Minute Motivation eBook