Life Filling The Void
Editor’s Note: This newsletter was originally published on Monday, August 15th, 2022.
First off, apologies for last week’s miss! As the title suggests, Life finds the best times to interject itself into what could otherwise be our unexciting lives. Normally, I try to lead a “boring” life, whether in behaviors, actions, or interests.
We should know by now that is when Murphy and his merry band of misfits arrive on the scene to add complexity and impede progress at some of the worst possible moments.
Much like Carrie Underwood, all we can really say in those moments is “Jesus, take the wheel!”
We had a confluence of these types of events recently.
As I found along that journey, we can control only so many things no matter how much we do or don’t want them. Sometimes, all you can do is give insights and recommendations after which you let them progress as they will.
In the end, acknowledging the lack of control is the only pathway to some peace.
Note: So far, I’m not there yet, but I’m farther along that path today than I was only a few days ago.
…and no, I definitely do not want to learn any more patience right now! LOL
Crazy to see pages that have dropped out of the index, including some of the strongest pages ranking for sites. I hope Google corrects the situation, and soon. https://t.co/PpExPXR2aG
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) August 9, 2022
This was an appropriate quote that is good advice for us to remember.
I watched a documentary looking back at Woodstock ’99 with my wife. With respect to the promoters who still seem disconnected from the events and aftermath, the riotous behavior, destruction, and injury to people and property were not caused by a “small number” of bad actors.
Civility degraded into anger and that anger targeted almost any target toward which they could aim it.
This was a drastic example, but it is something for us all to keep in mind to be sure we are sober, alert, and in control of our emotions/behavior.
The same escalation toward negative behavior can be seen in recent protests regardless of against whom or what the protestors direct their opposition.
It is only made worse when we make excuses for it or transfer the blame onto others.
As the quote notes, we should all know always what we are doing! If you find yourself losing your grip on motivations & intent, it is frankly time to leave. No good thing comes out of sticking around a situation getting out of hand!
Addendum:
For the multitude of young people heading to college campuses this Fall, be sure to be mindful of what you are doing and with whom you are spending time.
#Remember
- You are (or soon will be) who you hang around with!
- Nothing good happens after Midnight!
For those checking out the book reviews, I reviewed Twelve And A Half (Amazon affiliate link) by Gary Vaynerchuk. You can check out my notes at this link.
Keep a lookout as I have finished reading the following books and will be posting my notes for those very soon!
- E-Myth Revisited (Amazon affiliate link) by Michael Gerber [review notes link]
- One Million Followers (Amazon affiliate link) by Brendan Kane
- Content Inc. (Amazon affiliate link) by Joe Pulizzi
- Twelve And A Half (Amazon affiliate link) by Gary Vaynerchuk
The best products don’t have the best features.
— Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) August 7, 2022
They tell the best stories.
Here’s a lesson on storytelling to grow your business or startup:
Other Links
- Mistakes derailing your Content Marketing efforts
- The team at Content Marketing Institute [CMI] lists over 40 mistakes that you and I could be making that dull the effectiveness of our content strategy. It is likely that every plan makes at least one of them!
- Zapier’s SEO Strategy – Case Study
- Studying successful people and companies is always a good strategy. Check out this analysis of Zapier and its SEO strategy.
- For additional ideas related to scaling your SEO efforts, check out this article on SEO Project Management.
- Prevent Keyword Cannibalization with Ubersuggest
- Neil Patel & his team at NPDigital offer both digital marketing services as well as tools [like Ubersuggest] that we can use to improve our reach & conversions. Having a solid strategy and practice for your content helps prevent you from becoming your own worst competition for SERP rankings.
- “Great Resignation” turning to greater regret
- I’ve shared a number of links recently tracking the progression of what we know today as “The Great Resignation”. A number of employees left their jobs – whether to work somewhere else or start their own business or just not work. If newly-reported statistics are accurate that 1-in-4 of those who left their job regret the decision, we could be in for continued malaise & economic weakness.
- Productivity Tips for Freelancers
- If you are a business owner or freelancer, it is good to keep abreast of current tools and practices that help make you more effective. Here are a few from Nick Schaeferhoff.
40+ Mistakes Derailing Your Content Team (and How To Fix Them) - https://t.co/nnHpWUwX7X pic.twitter.com/MJdImBb1VA
— Content Marketing Institute (@CMIContent) August 4, 2022
Google has a big update coming, I got a chance to sit with their team & get a feel for what this means. Here are a few of my thoughts, with an example of the kind of non helpful content I've seen ranking and will be looking out for as this update rolls outhttps://t.co/hfzIsLhYr6
— Wil Reynolds (@wilreynolds) August 18, 2022
