At a dinner gathering, Friday night…

New friend: I watch Good Life Project, it’s amazing.

Me: Thanks, I just ask questions, the guests make it what it is. They’re incredible people.

New Friend: That’s not really true. You ask great questions, that’s a big part of if and that’s not easy to do.

Me: Questions are easy. Listening is hard.

New Friend:  Hmmm…

When you listen deeply, the right questions come naturally. Hearts open. Stories tumble. Conversations soar. Magic happens.

The reason behind this is a bit sad. People are so rarely seen and heard these days—on a true-nature level—that when you give them the gift of sustained attention, it’s like removing a source of deep pain. The world outside ceases to exist.

Next-level ideas, needs, insights, stories and revelations come out. And, if you’re paying attention, it’s impossible to not want to know more. So you ask questions out of a genuine sense of curiosity. And the conversation goes places that’d never have been visited had you stayed “on-script.”

This is as true in a business or sales setting as it is in life. I began to cultivate this skill taking depositions in a past life as a newbie S.E.C. enforcement attorney.

The few times I’ve felt interviews go off the rails, it’s because I’ve lost focus. I’m no longer there, stuck in “I need to look good so I’m gonna pretend to listen while actually fabricating my next blockbuster question” land.

When you check out, people know. And the possibility of sublime moments and deep connections evaporates.

If you’re going to develop one transformative skill, make it sustained-attention or presence.

It will trump the benefits of nearly any other ability.

With gratitude,

Jonathan

Work-life balance…BAH!

Confession – I don’t believe in work-life balance. And neither does my guest on this week’s episode of Good Life Project, Mitch Joel.

But, not for the reason you think…

Living completely out of whack with your priorities, allocating your energy in a way that destroys your health, relationships and ability to live well and give well is, well, just plain dumb.

Whoah, wait a minute? How can I not believe in work-life balance and still make that statement?

Simple, because work-life “balance” works on an assumption I fundamentally disagree with. That work is and should be something outside life.

That you work not out of a sense of joy, meaning, purpose, contribution, flow, drive, love and passion. Not within a culture populated by people you love, who are deeply connected by shared values, ideas, visions and energies. But because your work gives you the money to spend the few remaining hours of your “real” life, you know, the one outside work, finally pursuing those all those same things. Often unsuccessfully.

Um, no.

When you start with that assumption, you automatically lose. You assume that work must be so in conflict with life that it’s something that needs to be “balanced AGAINST life.”

You surrender the possibility that you can be so fulfilled and called by the work you do and the people you do it with, that the way you contribute to the world becomes a joyous, integral element of life.

Here’s the funny thing. Many people who contribute to the world in a way where their only compensation is money and stature often feel the need to “decompress” in front of a screen or a bottle. Or take a vacation to “get away” from the intrusion of work, to reconnect with the people and activities that matter most to them.

For me, those same people and activities are woven seamlessly into the way I contribute. My work.

Which is where we introduce the concept of work-life “blend.”

Wish I’d invented the term, but sadly I didn’t. Nor can I do it justice the way dad, husband, digital agency founder, blogger, podcaster and Ctrl Alt Delete author, Mitch Joel can.

He lays it all out in this week’s episode of Good Life Project. I’ve embedded the video here to make it really easy for you to watch. And, of course, if you’d rather take it on the road and listen, just subscribe over at GoodLifeProject and you’ll get instant access to the mp3 vault (and soon to launch transcripts).

Now, here’s my question…

Are Mitch and I waaaay off base?

As always, I’m open to the conversation.

And, what of the other “dark side,” where you’re so consumed by work you love, you “forget” about the people and activities (and health) that makes life so rich, but may not be well integrated into your “work?”

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

With gratitude,

Jonathan

Interesting thing happened here on the blog last week…

I posted a video deconstructing the design, copy and strategies employed on Chris Guillebeau’s new landing page for Adventure Capital.

At the end of that post, I said “hey, go check it out yourself.” Then I gave everyone two ways to visit Chris’ page.

• Option 1 was an affiliate link - If the program also happened to be a match and you enrolled, I’d get a commission.
• Option 2 was a plain link - Clicking that one would eliminate the possibility of a commission.

And I made it clear which was which.

I then tracked the percentage of people who clicked on each link.

Wanna know the result?

In a second. Before we get there, I also got a number of messages, from comments to emails, asking why in the world I would do something like that? And why I even care about disclosing affiliate links on the rare occasion when I use them. One e-mail asked:

Hi Jonathan,

I’ve been reading you off and on for years and always wondered why you stepped so far out of the way to call out affiliate (or non-affiliate) links.

The most recent example being at the bottom of: http://www.jonathanfields.com/blog/adventure-capital/

Have you found that it increases the trust factor that much that it outweighs the annoyance or confusion of the average reader? Or do you have other related data to support the practice?

Curiously yours,

So, why do I care so much about not hiding affiliate links?

A few reasons -

1. I am legally required to disclose affiliate links by the FTC. So is every other blogger and marketer, even though many don’t. But that’s actually not why I do it. In fact, I was disclosing affiliate links long before the FTC started requiring it. Because…

2. It’s the right thing to do! I could use affiliate links all the time and generate a decent amount of income from them. But I don’t. I generally reserve them for the occasional mention or review of something I believe genuinely in, have used or experienced and have a strong, direct relationship with the person or organization that created it. And, even then, I often don’t use them.

I also work really hard to cultivate trust. That is the single most important metric with my readers, viewers and listeners. So, whether some legal authority requires it or not, even though I will only recommend or mention things I believe in and, even then, will call out things that could work better, it’s important to me to stand in integrity. To let you know, “hey, if you end up getting this, I’m going to benefit in some way.”

Have I forgotten to do this somewhere along the line over the last 7 years? Who knows? Probably. I don’t remember any times, but I’m human, so maybe over the thousands of links I’ve shared it could’ve happened. Dunno. But I really do my best to keep things transparent.

In fact, I often not only call out my relationship, but try to do it in a way that’s massively blatant and even funny. My standard affiliate disclosure footnote, for example, reads:

[FTC Disclosure (because being transparent should be fun, dammit!) - You should always assume that pretty much every link on this blog is an affiliate link and that if you click it, find something you like and get it, I'm gonna make some serious money. Now, understand this, I'm not talking chump change, I'm talking a huge windfall in commissions, bling up the wazoo and all sorts of other free stuff. I may even be given a mansion and a yacht, though honestly I'd settle most of the time for some organic dark chocolate and clean socks. Oh, look, a squirrel.... K, I'm back. And if I mention a book or some other product, just assume I got a review copy of it gratis and that me getting it has completely biased everything I say. Because schwag is like a drug to me, put it in my hand and you own me, you've been warned (disclosure to the disclosure, that was a joke, or was it?). Huggies and butterflies. Oooooh, shiny...]

So, in response to the email above that asked -

“Have you found that it increases the trust factor that much that it outweighs the annoyance or confusion of the average reader? Or do you have other related data to support the practice?”

…it’s not about data, I have none (at least I didn’t before this).

It’s about doing what’s right for my community, and for me. My judgment call, and I’d never deem to say what’s right for anyone else. It’s just how I roll.

Also, I don’t see how calling out affiliate links or giving people an option to choose an affiliate versus a non-affiliate link leads to annoyance or confusion. If anything, it adds clarity and transparency. And yes, increasing trust is the most important thing for me. Totally worth it, even if it lowered any income generated. Money isn’t my leading metric.

But, I’ve still been teasing you for this whole read…

What about the data?

How many people chose the affiliate versus non-affilate link in last week’s post?

Offering both links was a bit of an experiment. I was curious, given a choice, what percentage of my readers would be fine with me benefiting if they dug something I turned them on to. And how many would prefer to remove the possibility of me benefitting, even if it would’ve cost them nothing.

As I mentioned in the post, I’m totally cool either way. It’s more about my fascination with human nature.

Especially because I’d not only written the post, but put a fair bit of energy into creating a video that was purely marketing education, no selling at all. It was a total give.

The results were eye-opening…

76% of you chose the affilate link – chance of financial benefit to me

24% chose the non-affiliate link – no chance of financial benefit to me

I’m so interested in the psychology behind this, why people might choose one or the other.

What do YOU think about this? The percentages, the way I disclose, my decision to disclose at all and the experiment I ran with this last post?

And, if you clicked on one of the links, why did you choose the one you chose? No judgments either way, just so interested in your “why.”

Share your voice in the comments below…

With gratitude,

Jonathan

I love it when impact-driven entrepreneurs, savvy marketers and good friends like Chris Guillebeau launch things.

It’s fun to watch on a few levels…

• One – he’s always pushing the envelope and trying new things. Always different designs, flows, funnels, products, solutions, calls-to-action and copy than anyone else. Proving you can honor your own style and voice, stand in integrity and still serve people and be extraordinarily successful along the way.
• Two – he shows how to bring a product to market, generate a lot of buzz and sales…without resorting to hype. When you see his design ethic and read his copy, you automatically feel you can trust him. Like he’s there to make things easier for you. To serve. And for good reason.
• Three – he generally undercharges and over-delivers. Which gives me a chance to razz him about the need to give people the opportunity give back to him by paying him what he’s really worth (which will likely never happen, lol).

This time, I’m talking about Chris’ new Adventure Capital program…

I figured I’d turn his launch into an opportunity for you to learn. Especially because he’s using an innovative landing page design, crafted by the ever-talented Tsilli Pines.

So, I’ve actually made a quick screen-capture video to walk you through some cool things he’s doing with the design and launch “funnel” that might give you some ideas for your own projects and ventures. Enjoy!

Hope you found value in that quick video “funnel breakout.” If you’ve got even the slightest interest in building a successful venture, always be watching, studying and learning for those who lead the pack.

And, of course, I’d strongly encourage you to check out the Adventure Capital landing page yourself. Tab through it, read the whole thing and take notes.

Here are two quick links to get you there…

Option 1 - (Click this link to check out the landing page, and if you happen to sign up as an aside, I get a thank you commish and maybe some argyle socks)

Option 2 - (With this link, you can explore the page and if you end up signing up, I get nothing. But hey that’s totally cool too. No guilt trips, I just love to help)

Either way, there’s no obligation to buy or take action, just go and learn from a master!

Curious, too – how do YOU feel about the design of the page?

Share your thoughts in the comments below…

With gratitude,

Jonathan

I’ve seen this happen so many times.

Entrepreneurs breath life into a business because (1) they see an opportunity and (2) they’ve got mad skills or knowledge in the area of need.

The business grows mightily, then one day, the entrepreneur wakes up and says, “what the hell am I doing? And why don’t I want to go to work anymore?”

Just because you brought it into the world and spent all your time, money and energy getting it to where it is, doesn’t mean you should keep investing in keeping it alive. At least, not under your watch.

You change over time. What you thought your business would be evolves to what the market will sustain.

Sometimes this remains well-aligned with who you are, how you want to live your life and what you want to build. Other times, not.

There’s no shame in saying “things have changed,” then taking the actions necessary to allow you the space to redirect your energy toward something better aligned with who you are, what you want out of life, and how you wish to contribute to the world.

The last brick and mortar company I founded was a flourishing yoga center and teacher training institute in New York City. We had a vibrant community with thousands of students from all over the world. We were strongly profitable and I had a great management staff that allowed me to work only about 5-10 hours a week.

But there came a time where I stopped wanting to go into work. Where I felt increasingly disconnected from the community I’d built. Where the original plan for the business had evolved and enough of the assumptions that drew me to it had been proved wrong that it wasn’t the venture or adventure I thought it would be.

Equally important, this beautiful community needed a steward who was more invested than me. They deserved that much.

So I sold the company. Taught my last class, trained my last group of teachers, turned over the keys and walked out the door. It was time. And it was the right call. Both for me and for them.

Question is…what about you?

We get so wrapped up in finishing what we started, we forget to ask if the thing that led us to start still exists.

Maybe the need has evolved. We’ve evolved. Assumptions that drew us to a market or solution were proven wrong. And even though we’ve adapted to create a successful venture, that adaptation stripped what drew us to the quest in the first place.

So, yes, maybe you gave birth to something powerful, something that matters to others.

But does it still matter to you?

Is your BABY still your THING?

Ask the question. At least once a year.

And if the answer isn’t a resounding, visceral yes. Explore why.

Then do what you need to do to get back to yes.

As always, curious what you think…

With gratitude,

Jonathan

P.S. – We’re not talking about “real” babies, here! Whole different set of rules there. lol.

It’s one of the questions I’m asked most often…

What if I choose wrong?

People are so freaked out about making the wrong choice.

Traveling down the wrong road.

“Wasting” time, money, energy on the wrong thing.

Newsflash. With rare exception. The only bad decision is indecision, followed by inaction.

It doesn’t matter whether you choose right. There is no wrong. No such thing as wasted time, money or energy…IF:

(1) you commit to being present and engaged in whatever you’re doing, and

(2) you approach everything with curiosity and openness, always a student.

So maybe you took the “wrong” job?! What can you LEARN from the experience of living in a place of misaligned action? What skills, resources, relationships can you cultivate doing the “wrong” thing that’ll advise and accelerate your quest to get closer to the “right” thing?

What is your “serendipitous detour” teaching you about what you do want, don’t want, excel at, suck at, love, hate, yearn for or abhor?

The only way the time, money and energy you put into something that’s not quite right is wasted is if you choose not to see and build upon what you’ve gained along the way.

In the end, the only bad decision is indecision, because it leads to inaction. And without action, there’s no data. No experience of life. No information to serve as fuel for evolution, connection, joy, progress. No growth. Just gray.

Get out of your head and into the world!

As Joseph Campbell said…

Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.

So, go ahead. Stumble. Decide. Act. You cannot be wrong, unless you act without intention, presence and openness to evolution.

The only wrong choice is deciding not to choose.

When you do that, you automatically lose.

What say you?

With gratitude,

Jonathan

P.S. – Before someone brings it up in the comments. Yes, there are rare exceptions to this. The decision to commit violent crime may be one. Very likely a bad call. Especially in it’s impact on the victims. But even then, there can be immense growth and opportunity that comes out of this.

Witness the journey of Christian Howes, a child classical-violin prodigy who’s 4 years in prison introduced him to a world of humanity and music he’d never known, and led him to shift gears and eventually become the world’s greatest jazz violinist after being released.