No frozen yogurt has watermelon seeds in it. All watermelon frozen yogurt is seedless, but actually saying it on the sign changes the flavor.

It’s a little more exotic, a little more playful, a little more “wow, I’ve got to try that.”

Don’t miss the little words you could add to the things you do. They could make a big difference.

My ego.

I have a hard time admitting when I need help.

I’d rather be self succient, have it all figured out, be all strength, no weakness.

But the truth is, the idea I had was something I did not have the ability to execute. Try as I might, the skills needed to pull it off where not in my wheelhouse or toolbox or other metaphor people end sentences like this with.

And so I learned two really important words you need to say a lot when you chase a big dream. They’re not that fancy. They probably won’t brighten your teeth when you read them. You might not retweet them. Here they are:

“I can’t.”

We’re so afraid to say those two words that we’ll sit on dreams or ideas for years. We don’t want people to see we’ve reached the edge of our ability, so we pretend we don’t have one. We fake and front and refuse to say those two words, but in doing so something horrible happens. Unless we say, “I can’t,” we don’t get to say the next two words:

“Who can?”

The amount of power and potential hidden in those two words is unbelievable. Those two words open up your dream to an entire world of help. Those two words take you down wildly fun paths to find other people who have skills different than yours.

But unless you say, “I can’t,” you’ll never say, “Who can?”

What happened when I admitted “I can’t” and said “who can?” with this idea I’ve been sitting on for 4 years?

I found somebody who can.

Next week I’ll be spending an entire day with a group called “Proof.” They’re helping me figure out the idea and launch it. In the planning sessions we’ve already had, they’ve already multiplied the potential awesomeness of it by about a million.

Not only that, but they’re going to come to the Quitter Conference and do a special session about launching ideas from 7:00AM – 7:45AM. (This is a conference for people who hustle, you can sleep in the week after. We’ve got too many fun things to do!)

If you’re coming to the Quitter Conference, don’t miss Proof.

If you’re stuck on an idea or have reached the end of your ability in a certain area, don’t be afraid to say “I can’t.”

Unexpectedly awesome things can happen when you say, “Who can?”

Question:
When is the last time you said, “I can’t?”

Imagine

That idea is shared in the first 60 seconds of this video. It’s a beautiful trailer and just a hint at what’s inside the book. Check it out:

Question:
Where do you feel the most creative? Is it at home, your office, the park?

This book, more than any other on writing, shaped the way I come up with ideas. Originally presented to students in 1939 and published in 1965, this book does in 47 pages what other books fail to do in 400.

It’s short, powerful and only costs $6.95 on Amazon. This is a tremendous resource for anyone who wants to create great ideas that turn into great actions. (And that describes everyone working on their FinishYear goals.)

Pick up a copy today.

Regardless of the name, I learned recently how important it can be in the midst of FinishYear for us to share resources.

In preparation for the Quitter Conference, which you should attend in February, we started having a “Quitter Breakfast.” The invite was open to anyone, and we basically got together to talk about the projects we’re working on over coffee. The best thing we did at the breakfasts was share resources. We went around the table and each said one resource that’s helped us work on the things we’re passionate about.

It can be a book, a website, an app, a piece of luggage that makes traveling easier, anything is fair game.

So, on Thursdays during January, I’ll share a resource that’s really helped me along the way. And then you can share one you love in the comments.

Cool? All right. Let’s talk about the first Thursday Resource.

Though I clearly want you to buy a wheelbarrow full of my Stuff Christians Like Daily Calendars, I can’t deny my love for the Seize the Year calendar. I bought one recently and am a huge fan.

Why?

1. It’s huge (27″ x 39″) and shows the whole year at once.
2. It’s printed on both sides so you can hang it vertically or horizontally.
3. It flows. Unlike other calendars there are no gaps between months. They focus on showing you 52 weeks versus 12 months.
4. I know Jesse Phillips, who created it. He’s hustling on a dream right now, and I always try to support other hustlers.
5. It’s beautifully designed. Here’s a photo of it hanging in my office.

Ultimately, whether you get the Seize the Year calendar or a different one doesn’t change my day. But just make sure you get one! It’s the only way you’ll be able to really eliminate fake surprises that try to sneak up on you in the year ahead.

Your turn.

What’s a resource that’s been helpful to you?

Free
Book
Seth Godin

Today you can get the new book from the Seth Godin Domino project for FREE on Amazon for your Kindle or Kindle app. It’s called The Flinch and it’s written by a guy named Julien Smith. Here’s the description from Amazon:

Julien Smith has delivered a surprise, a confrontation, a book that will push you, scare you and possibly stick with you for years to come. The idea is simple: your flinch mechanism can save your life. It shortcircuits the conscious mind and allows you to pull back and avoid danger faster than you can even imagine it’s there. But what if danger is exactly what you need? What if facing the flinch is the one best way to get what you want? Here’s a chance to read the book everyone will be talking about, before they do. What are you afraid of? Here’s how to find out.

I haven’t read The Flinch yet, so this isn’t me telling you it’s wicked awesome, but I do know that wicked awesome is really the only thing Seth Godin puts his name to. And it’s FREE. (I’m not sure for how long, but it is today!)

Click here to get a copy. I got one today and can’t wait to read it. (I don’t have a Kindle by downloaded the free Kindle app on my iPhone.)

Why?

Because every dream needs a soundtrack.

Every dream needs some musical encouragement along the way. We all need a theme song that, like Rocky, keeps us secretly believing we do indeed have the eye of the tiger.

Especially on Monday mornings. That’s when the soundtrack needs to be turned up the loudest. It’s the start of a new week. You’ve got something you’d love to be doing full time. You’ve got an idea that maybe this day job you’re about to go into isn’t your final destination. You’ve got a passion you’d love to be doing with every hour of the day.

But, for now, you’ve got to commute to a day job that’s not the dream job. You want to be a Quitter, but you’ve to go put in 8 hours or 10 hours doing something that isn’t “the thing” you feel called to do. That’s OK. Dreams take time. Patience is a tremendous gift to give your dream. Along the way, though, as you work on closing the gap between your day job and your dream job, make sure you keep the music going.

Make a soundtrack on your iPhone. Burn a CD you keep for difficult commutes. Find a theme song that becomes your anthem.

It will sound silly, but it’s not. I did it for years, and I still do it when I’ve got to travel and face a particularly daunting task.

Over the next few months, on some Monday mornings, I’ll share a few songs from my personal soundtrack. I hope they motivate you, inspire you, and maybe even make you pop and/or lock a little as you get ready to do your absolute best at your day job while you prepare for your dream job.

First up?

“Triumphant” from Royskopp.

I love the way this song builds slowly. It’s great “walk through the lobby of your day job” music. Check out the video below.

Question:
What songs are on your dream soundtrack?

I’d watch the show “Penguins of Madagascar” even if I didn’t have kids.

Even if I wasn’t the father of a 5 year old and an 8 year old, that show would be on rotation at my house. It’s funny, well written, and full of penguins that will occasionally judo chop other animals.

I digress.

Sometimes as an adult you bump into things designed for children that you end up needing more than your kids. It’s a book or a movie that speaks to you in a way you didn’t anticipate but can’t forget. That’s how I feel about two books by a guy named Peter H. Reynolds.

The first one is called “Ish.”

Ish is about a boy named Ramon who is told he can’t draw pictures very well. In less than 500 words, Reynolds tells an incredibly powerful story about what criticism does to our ability to appreciate our talent and how to break free of it.

The second book is called “The Dot .”

The dot is about a girl named “Vashti,” who can’t paint. She can barely stand to look at the blank page. She’s so afraid to start. In less than 500 words, Reynolds tells a story about the simplest way to begin the things you care the most about.

These are the first children’s books I’ve ever recommended, but if you’re someone who is working on a dream, run out and get these. They’re short, colorful and just the thing your dream might need.

Question:
What’s a children’s book you love?

I’ve been doing it almost every day for the last four years and this is the conclusion I have come to.

It’s hard to build an audience, hard to create fresh content day after day, hard to know when it’s time to change things up and hard to know when you’ve strayed a long way from the goals that originally got you into blogging.

When I bump into those challenges, there’s someone I consistently turn to for help – Bryan Allain.

We’ve been friends for about three years now and he has generously helped me with any and every blog question I threw at him. Finally, after years of doing that for a lot of people, he wrote a book for bloggers.

It’s called “31 Days to Finding Your Blogging Mojo.”

I just bought a copy for myself. It’s only $4.99 and whether you’re a seasoned blogging pro or just starting to dip your toe in the water, this is an awesome book.

If you’re ready to overcome the blog challenges that wreck so many people before they really even get started on the fun experience a blog can really be, pick up a copy of this book.

After six years in Atlanta and 12 years in the same industry, we decided to move to Nashville. Why?

Because Dave Ramsey asked me to join his team.

As a family we’d gone through his book “Total Money Makeover” years before we ever heard him on the radio. In addition to changing the way we looked at finances, the book also helped us radically change the way we communicate as a couple.

But it’s one thing to love somebody’s book and it’s a completely different thing to leave everything you know, quit your job and work alongside them full time.

Why did we do it?

I go into that in detail in Quitter, but the simple answer is that I wanted to be a leader.

Not a leader who leads on stage but not at home. That’s not a leader that’s an actor.

Not a leader who cares more about ego than they do about change.

Not a leader who speaks about truth but doesn’t really live it out.

I wanted to be an honest, passionate, generous leader.

I had a suspicion that Dave Ramsey was that kind of leader and could help me become one too.

13 months later, my wife and I still feel we made a great decision. This last year has been like getting an MBA in leadership. As an author, speaker and leader I’ve been stretched in more ways than I could have fathomed possible.

That’s why I’m honestly excited about Dave’s new book, EntreLeadership. This is Dave sharing everything he’s learned in the last 20 years about growing a business. From time management to mission statements and everything in between, this book is 300 pages of real world wisdom. And my favorite part is these aren’t just theories or ideas Dave is sharing, these are the truths our team lives day in and day out.

The book came out today. You can get it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or DaveRamsey.com.

You can also read the first chapter free.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

In the midst of trying something new, have you ever bumped into a wall that seemed higher than you could climb?

I think everybody does at some point, whether you’re opening up a new business or trying to finish an album. I know I’ve had a creative block.

In the midst of writing my first book, I got stuck.

My creativity felt drained. My hope was gone. The project felt insurmountable. Surely someone smarter and funnier had already written the book I was going to write. Who was I to think I could write a book? I’ll never get done. Nobody will ever buy this book.

Those were the thoughts that bounced around my head, until a friend gave me a copy of a book that ended up saving my very own.

What book was it?

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

It’s hard for me to describe what a gift that book was. I’ve underlined most of it, dog-eared page upon page and constantly re-read it. Designed with short, powerful essays on the creative process and the threat of what Pressfield calls “resistance,” The War of Art is easily one of my favorite books of all time. Here’s a section I really liked:

The Artist’s Life



Are you a born writer? Were you put on earth to be a painter, a scientist, an apostle of peace? In the end the question can only be answered by action.

Do it or don’t do it.

It may help to think of it this way. If you were meant to cure cancer or write a symphony or crack cold fusion and you don’t do it, you not only hurt yourself, even destroy yourself. You hurt your children. You hurt me. You hurt the planet.

You shame the angels who watch over you and you spite the Almighty, who created you and only you with your unique gifts, for the sole purpose of nudging the human race one millimeter farther along its path back to God.

Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution.

Give us what you’ve got.

If you’re trying to do something extraordinary with your life, and you should be, I highly recommend The War of Art.

Question:
What’s one of your favorite books?

And today, I actually get to use them. Why?

An organization called G5 Leadership is offering free leadership training to readers of this blog.

Normally, annual memberships are $129.

Today they are $0.

Just go to this page and enter code g5acuff

G5 Leadership is one of the best live, web training companies in the world. Think of G5 Leadership as a movie theater and the speakers and their topics as movies. G5 is a venue where people can go and select which “movies” they want to watch based on which topics are most important to them. 
It’s a great resource for anyone who wants to improve anything from overall leadership to individual elements like emotional intelligence.

Now if I were you, I would be thinking, “It’s probably free because the leaders doing the training are just a random collection of random guys with blue blazers, pleated pants, woven leather belts and anemic resumes/accomplishments.”

First off, well played on the woven leather belt idea.

Second, the leaders are actually the opposite of that. The leaders are ridiculously good.

My friend Tim Sanders, New York Times best-selling author of Love is the Killer App, is one of the leaders they work with. So is David Allen, author of the epic book Getting Things Done. And Bill Taylor, the founder of Fast Company magazine. And … you get the picture.

What/when is the next event?
G5’s next live keynote is on September 15th at 11am EST. 
“Agreed” with David Marcum teaches you how to approach any negotiation and create the best outcomes for both sides. I am horrible at negotiating and need to watch this one.

The coolest thing about all of this? We get a free membership and, as a member, we can listen to any G5 leadership training event on-demand after the live session is over.

The desire to be a leader, grow as a leader, and serve as a leader is a pretty new experience for me. I’m going to do my best to partner with people/groups who I think can help me and you do that. I think G5 Leadership is one of those groups.

From Seth Godin

Today, 61 amazing authors (and me) are publishing an important new book, a book about great work and finding insight and making a difference. It’s a bargain at $20 for the Kindle edition and $25 for the paperback (international pricing and availability varies, as always).

But of course, there are plenty of great books to choose from. You probably own a few books you haven’t read yet. The fact that this is a great book is not why you should buy a copy right now.

You should buy a copy because today is End Malaria Day, and because we’re donating $20 from the sale of every copy in any format to Malaria No More. In fact, we never even see the money. The writers, the designers, the promoters and the Domino Project all worked for free for months to bring this book to you, so you could step up and save someone’s life.

I love watching projects like this come together.

I wrote an essay in the book and it’s full of a ton of great ideas from folks like Seth, Dave Ramsey, Gary V, Scott Belsky, Sir Ken Robinson and many others.

Click here to check out the book.

I told my friend Stephen about the band and he immediately said, “Oh, Listener? He’s preforming at Ben Arment’s event, ‘Story.’” (Check out the site for the event. The design of the site is beautiful, there are still tickets available and the event will talk about the elements of what makes a story, a story.)

Recently Dan Smith, from Listener, sat down to answer a few questions about storytelling. Here’s what he had to say:

What is your best personal definition of a STORY?
Dan:
A story for me is all about describing the journey.

What is one way you have found to grow or engage your imagination?
Dan:
I try to be faithful to, and acknowledge when the times come to be creative or make art…and not force it.

In your experience what is the best nontraditional form or STORY telling you have seen, heard, or experienced?
Dan:
I think I only know non-traditional forms of storytelling . If it’s honest and from the heart I can get behind that.

If you could encourage a creative person with one tip on being imaginative what would you tell them?
Dan:
Don’t beat yourself up about not creating, or only being able to make small pieces at a time….there are times for all sorts of art…it doesn’t always have to be a finished product in one sitting.

What is one thing you are excited about sharing with the tribes attending STORY 2011?
Dan:
Our music.

Free
Book
Seth Godin

Until Saturday, August 27th you can get the new book from the Seth Godin Domino project for FREE on your Kindle or Kindle app. It’s called Zarrella’s Hierarchy of Contagiousness: The Science, Design, and Engineering of Contagious Ideas. Here’s the description from Amazon:

Want to learn how to maximize social media? When to do it, what words to use, who to tweet at? Look no further than Zarrella’s Hierarchy of Contagiousness: The Science, Design and Engineering of Contagious Ideas. Social media master Dan Zarrella has amassed years of experience helping people negotiate the often mystical place of social media marketing. Now, he has condensed those well-tried ideas into this concise and conversational book. Zarrella’s Hierarchy of Contagiousness demystifies and deconstructs how social media works, who it benefits and why we all depend upon it to help our good ideas spread.

I haven’t read it yet, so this isn’t me telling you it’s brilliant, but I do know that brilliant is really the only thing Seth Godin puts his name to. And it’s FREE.

Click here to get a copy. I got one yesterday and can’t wait to read it. (I don’t have a Kindle by downloaded the free Kindle app on my iPhone.)

One of the most successful motivational speakers of all time, Zig is a legend the world over. I knew I’d get to spend time with his son Tom, a brilliant guy in his own right, but was not expecting to see Zig when I was in Dallas. Lunch was great and, during our conversation, Zig went out of his way to be incredibly kind to me. I was throwing tons of questions at him, his wife and Tom.

“How do you pursue a dream without wrecking your family?

“Did you ever wrestle with fear and your ego?”

“How do you not get lost in all the challenges that come with growing a business?”

Zig and Tom graciously answered every one of my questions. At the end of the lunch though, when we were getting ready to leave, Zig leaned forward on the table, pointed his finger at me, as if to say, “If you only hear 3 things today young man, hear these,” and then said this:

1. True success starts at home.
Zig implored me to pursue my wife continually and ceaselessly. All the speaking gigs in the world, all the book sales, all the fun opportunities don’t matter at all if I abandon my wife in pursuit of some dream. Watching Zig and his wife tell stories at lunch and laugh about decades of a shared adventure, it was easy to see he was living out this principle. When I told him I was bringing Jenny on stage with me at the Quitter Conference to talk about how working on a dream can be a team sport, he said, “That is the most brilliant thing you’re doing.” And I think he was right.

2. Your reputation is everything.
“If you tell someone you’re going to be there at 9:00, don’t you dare show up at 9:01. Do the things you tell people you are going to do.” This one was hard to hear because I’m honestly not good at that. I tend to overpromise and under deliver because I want people to like me. I wrote about my desire to tell everyone, “Let’s get coffee sometime,” when I know we probably won’t. I make big promises that I simply can’t keep, because it’s fun to say “yes” to requests and hard to say “no.” But that kind of thing chips away at your reputation. Hearing Zig say that made me realize I need to do some repairs to my mine.

3. It’s not about you.
“Help other people be successful. That’s what it’s all about.” As I wrestle with building “my personal brand,” Zig’s words were like a lighthouse in a stormy night full of tweets. (That simile got a little away from me.) I know this sounds silly, but writing Quitter and holding the Quitter Conference really got me excited to help other people be successful in a way I haven’t felt before. For years, I was in a bit of a “me, me, me tailspin.” And it’s exhausting when life is all about you. You have to maintain so many edifices and fronts and plans and manipulations. I actually felt a great sense of freedom when Zig said “It’s not about you.”

I’m not done with those three ideas. That is, I haven’t mastered them and moved on. I’m still unpacking that lunch, working through what Zig shared. I think that’s what great leaders do. They shake you up, even over Pad Thai in a quiet restaurant in Dallas. They drop off grenade ideas and then say what I’m about to say to you:

So, what are you going to do with that?

I’m bringing 15 books to the beach.

Why? Because I’m crazy.

Which books? I’m glad you asked.

Here’s a photo of all the books I’m bringing, and please know this is an edited list. Some didn’t make the cut.

Starting from the top row, going left to right, here’s what each book is and a quick explanation on why it made it into the backpack:

1. The Ragamuffin Gospel – Brennan Manning
My men’s group is reading this right now. I’ve never read it before and am loving it.

2. Moleskine Red Notebook
This is where I capture all my action items. It’s red like the bat phone ’cause that’s how I get down.

3. Decoded – Jay-Z
My friend Stephen Brewster and I are reading this together. I’m interested in the backstory of the hustle that has made Jay-Z into Jay-Z.

4. The Little Red Book of Wisdom – Mark DeMoss
I rarely finish books, which is shocking given that I’m bringing 15 on a week-long vacation. I actually read this one already and am reading it a second time. Big fan of this book.

5. How to be a Presentation God– Scott Schwertly
Scott and his team at Ethos 3 are designing the Quitter Conference presentation for me. I wrote it, and they’re turning it into visual magic. I want to read the book to understand how they do what they do.

6. The Power of Full Engagement– Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
I heard Tony speak at the 99% conference. I’m fascinated in learning more about how to focus, a problem I clearly have with 15 books on the table.

7. Black Notebook
This is a place for me to scribble down ideas.

8. Bible
The foundation, the filter, the lens, the jumping off point for everything I do.

9. 5 small Moleskines
One of the concepts in Quitter is that you need to “dream backward to move forward.” I don’t think figuring out your dream is an act of discovery but rather an act of recovery. It’s often rescuing something you loved and you lost in your past. Something that “real life” got too busy for, or something someone who mattered to you told you didn’t matter. These are 5 of about 20 notebooks I filled with thousands of ideas a few years ago. I’m reading through them to get a sense of where I’ve been and where I still want to go.

10. And Here’s the Kicker: Conversations with 21 Top Humor Writers on their Craft– Mike Sacks
I think my friend Bryan Allain recommended this one. It’s great.

11. Scientific Progress Goes “”Boink”" – Bill Watterson
I was thinking about introducing my second grader L.E. to the magical world of Calvin and Hobbes.

12. The Project 50 – Tom Peters
I’m shifting my thinking right now on a few things and putting some time/energy into figuring out how projects work, not just the writing part, but the whole project.

13. A Feast for Crows – George RR Martin
I hear that HBO is setting new records in “completely unnecessary nudity” with their version of this book series. Regardless, Martin is apparently releasing a long awaited new book, and my brother Will and read these together. I want to finish this one before the new one comes out.

14. The Way of the Heart– Henri Nouwen
Whenever life gets loud with stress or opportunity, this is a book I read.

15. Quitter – Me
I try to give away a copy of my book to someone who might need it whenever I go on a trip.

That’s what I’m bringing to the beach this summer. Will I finish them all? Nope. I’ll spend more time digging holes and catching minnows with the kids. But if there is a down moment, I’ll try to run through all 15 of these.

What books are you reading this summer?

There are at least 3 reasons:

1. Ideas are plentiful.
The planet is crawling with them. I googled “idea blogs” and there were 544 million results.

2. Everyone else has ideas too.
Having an idea doesn’t make you unique. Take publishing as an example. In 2002 there were 33,000 non-traditional books published. In 2010? There were 2.8 million published.

3. Ideas are easy to come up with.
Brainstorming is always the part of the process everyone has fun with.

For those 3 reasons and many others, just having some ideas isn’t enough. Because they don’t matter.

So what do you do when you find yourself with a whole bunch of ideas?

You’re starting a new business.

You’re writing a new book.

You’re heading into a new career.

How do you make your ideas matter?

You execute them.

You finish. You get stuff done. You walk that difficult, often narrow road from concept to completion. That is the only way to make ideas matter. And Derek Sivers recently blew my mind with his views on this subject.

He’s the founder of CD Baby and I just got a copy of his new book, “Anything You Want.” His understanding of the relationship between idea and execution is brilliant. Here’s an excerpt of his book, which I strongly encourage you to buy immediately:

“It’s so funny when I hear people being so protective of ideas (especially people who want me to sign an NDA before they tell me about the simplest ideas).

To me, ideas are worth nothing unless they are executed. They are just a multiplier. Execution is worth millions.

Explanation:

AWFUL IDEA = -1
WEAK IDEA = 1
SO-SO IDEA = 5
GOOD IDEA = 10
GREAT IDEA = 15
BRILLIANT IDEA = 20

NO EXECUTION = $1
WEAK EXECUTION = $1,000
SO-SO EXECUTION = $10,000
GOOD EXECUTION = $100,000
GREAT EXECUTION = $1,000,000
BRILLIANT EXECUTION = $10,000,000

To make a business you need to multiply the two components.

The most brilliant idea, with no execution is worth $20.

The most brilliant idea takes great execution to be worth $20,000,000.

That’s why I don’t want to hear people’s ideas.

I’m not interested until I see their execution.”

I love that! (All credit, coolness and compliments go to Derek Sivers and his book “Anything You Want.”)

The challenge for you and I is to be honest about how well we focus on both sides of the coin, the idea and the execution. Me personally? I’ve spent years rolling around in the fun, fluffy idea side of things. But it’s only been recently that I’ve become fascinated by the execution side.

How about you?

Do you ever have a hard time executing an idea?

Here is the photo:

Here are the books that are on it from left to right:

1. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (Have not read this yet but I hear good things.)

2. Linchpin by Seth Godin (Reading this right now, love Seth Godin)

3. Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut (My favorite book by one of my favorite authors)

4. Story by Robert McKee (Need to read this, occasionally intimidated by the girth of it.)

5. Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick (Loved this guy when I saw him at Catalyst)

6. The Element by Ken Robinson (By the guy who gave one of my favorite talks on TED)

7. The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz (Would love to have Full Engagement, currently too distracted to read book, but it looks awesome.)

8. Stuff Christians Like by Jon Acuff (You have to have a copy of one of your own books on the shelf. I hear this author is handsomer in person.)

9. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller (Latest book by one of my writing heroes)

10. Deadly Kingdom by Gordon Grice (Love this book, really amazing collection of random information about deadly animals.)

11. Bible by God. (Travel version. It’s got a 1 point font and requires laser beam eyes to read)

12. The Intelligent Traveller’s Guide to Historic Britain by Philp A. Crowl (Have not cracked this one, probably keeping it on my shelf to appear intelligent.)

13. Advertising Now! Print. Print by Julius Wiedemann (Great discourse on advertising.)

14. Hoopla by Crispin Porter + Bogusky and Warren Berger (History of coolest ad agency in the last 20 years. Original cover is made of sandpaper.)

15. From Conception to Birth by Barry Werth (An amazing photographic journey from conception to birth. We gave this book to our parents when my wife got pregnant. This made it to my office by accident just because it was in a box of books I unpacked.)

That’s my shelf.

What’s on yours?

Share a picture or list what you see when you look at your shelf.

In general, if I use notes, I prefer a piece of paper laid on a table somewhere. But what about an iPad? Am I being old fashioned with paper?

Here are what I think are the pros and cons of speaking from an iPad on stage:

Pros

1. It’s easy.

2. It’s got everything you could possibly need in one place.

3. You’re more likely to lose a piece of paper before the event, but less likely to misplace your iPad.

4. Depending on the speaking engagement, it might be one of those things that makes you look relevant. (If you’re at an Apple Conference, you have to use an iPad.)

5. You won’t lose your notes after the gig and possibly misplace your outline if you’re going to give that same talk again.

6. Throw it on a table with a case on it and it looks like a notebook.

Cons

1. It’s distracting to audience members. When people see an iPad or iPhone, it often triggers them unconsciously to check their own iPhones.

2. It unwittingly can enter you into a money conversation. No one ever sees a speaker’s notebook and thinks, “Oh jeez, this guy spent $800 on that piece of paper.” But when you bring an expensive piece of equipment on stage there will be folks who think about money in the crowd.

3. It’s one more thing to keep up with. When I’m traveling, I’m weighed down like a pack mule. I’ve got my luggage, boxes of books, petty cash to make change for the books, my laptop, etc. If I lose my piece of paper notes, I’m OK.

4. You have to buy an iPad. Which costs more than paper.

Ultimately, I think it depends on the speaker and the message.

I might try it sometime and realize I love the iPad as a speaking aid. It might be time for me to hit warp speed and jump to 2009 already.

How about you?

Do you notice if a speaker uses an iPad?

If you have to give a speech or a message or a sermon, what do you use for notes?