NHT Blog

Variety is the spice of life, they say.  But it’s true, isn’t it?  It’s easy to get stuck in a rut when you’re a creator and have been at something for a long time and get to a point where you feel almost as though you’re on an assembly line, meaning, just doing the same thing over and over again.

This even extends to writing a weekly blog and so this week I’m doing a song review instead of the content you’re typically used to seeing here.

Over the weekend I attended a ticketed performance by an up-and-coming trio that performs live with a bass player and drummer also joining them on stage.  I must say that they more than exceeded my expectations going into it.  To be honest, I really went into it unemotionally, but sure came out having been moved, although first to a disappointed mood and then to a very impressed demeanor.

Last Thursday night I was broadcasting a men’s college lacrosse game.  Had the home team – dare I say, the favorite – won that night, they would’ve advanced to the conference championship game.  Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the case, as they lost by two goals.

It has been refreshing lately to see a few folks posting on social media about someone other than themselves or their own business.  And in this context, I’m not referring to people who are posting from a personal standpoint, meaning, sharing on, say, Instagram, a picture of an immediate family member.  (Although, to be sure, not that that doesn’t count for anything.)

Today I’m flying back home to Tampa from having been out in Anaheim since last Wednesday, with the NAMM Show having been the impetus for this latest trip out west.  My luggage weighs the same as it did going out there, but I’m sure carrying back lots of new insights gained while in California.

In last week’s blog I made a reference to “Who do they know,” as I suggested that you keep in mind how making the right first impression on someone could lead to a referral, even if the person you’re talking to doesn’t end up doing anything with you.  This week’s post takes a look at that from a different, cautionary, perspective.

I was meeting with one of my clients recently and she talked about an opportunity I’d gotten for her and how she looked at that and took gratitude all the way back to the people responsible for the two of us ever having met in the first place.

Connections, moments, meetings, introductions can really be powerful.  Talking to someone for the first time can be a true make or break moment.

I’m emptying out my notebook today with a lot that I’ve been accumulating.

In no particular order:

Please be enthusiastic when you speak.  Whether you’re being interviewed or if it’s a situation where you’re actually doing a speaking gig or even a performer who is on stage and talking in between songs, have some good, positive emotion.  I saw a speaker get asked a question recently and their answer started off with, “Ummm, eh.  I don’t know.”  Coupled with the disinterested monotone that this person had, I immediately discredited them.

Last week I was in San Diego attending Social Media Marketing World.  The week before I had been in Las Vegas for Podcast Movement Evolutions.  The two events came just over a month after I was in Orlando for Podfest Multimedia Expo.

It should come as no surprise that at all three of those events the topic of YouTube came up over and over (and over) again.

While in Las Vegas on Friday I met with someone who was filled with positivity and happiness.  One element of discussion was the topic of expectations, which, when managed, can help avoid disappointment.  You can see, then, that it keeps you on the path to a healthy mindset.