This is a guest post by Ivan Walsh in response to Joseph Ratliff’s post last week, entitled “Do You Following the Rules?“

‘Are we really rebels?’ asks Joseph.

In the 1953 movie, The Wild One, Marlon Brando and his Black Rebels Motorcycle Club, a group of boisterous bikers led by Brando, invade the small town of Wrightsville during a motorcycle race.

When a girl confronts him “What are you rebelling against, Johnny?”, Brando answers, “What do you got?”

This is the mindset of a rebel. Show me what you got and I’ll tell you why I don’t want it. It’s the classic strength and weakness dilemma that each rebel faces.

‘I want to be different. But, once I become different, then I’m just like those guys over there.’

Your back where you started. Want some examples?

Brando started as a rebel and ended up playing Superman’s dad. His mega contract broke all records.

DeNiro made Mean Streets and Taxi Driver in the 70s. Now he does Meet The Fockers. Your Grannie would love it.

Tupac was the real deal until he started duetting with… Elton John.

You get the idea. But…Joseph has a point. You can turn ‘Rebel Yell’ to your advantage. Whether you sell out or not, that’s up to you.

How To Be A Real Rebel Blogger

Remember what Joseph’s asked, ‘Are we really rebels?’ It depends on your definition and how far you want to take it. You really want to be a rebel blogger? Here’s how to do it:

1. Anti Hero. Think Howard Stern, Frank Zappa, Jim Morrison, or whoever rocks your boat. You can’t please everyone. If you do, you’re not doing it right. Create conflict. Make enemies. Be controversial.

2. Divide Opinion. Identify a topic that divides public opinion. Examine people who hold extreme beliefs. See what motivates them. They usually feel slighted, excluded and/or oppressed.

3. Social Exclusion. Identify with people who feel society has failed them. For example, divorced dads who can’t get access to their kids.

4. Create Targets. Set a goal that your followers can relate to. For example, organize a nationwide protest march to Washington DC.

5. Siege Mentality. Prove to your followers that the world is against them, that we need to pull together and every setback is an opportunity to work harder.

6. Give Hope. Encourage your fans by sharing success stories. Examples of where things are working and that positive changes have occurred.

7. Brand it. Hells Angels, Nascar, and Scientologists. They all develop strong brand ‘values’. While you don’t care about these, those on the ‘inside’ do.

So, where does this leave us?

Joseph’s last point was, ‘Are you following the rules, or creating them?’

And this is the most interesting part for me. How each of us approaches this area determines our future earnings, personal happiness and social status.

Maybe you don’t care about these, but I think you do. We all want to be different, but not too different, because then, y’know, people think your strange.

The last word goes to the late Frank Zappa.

In the 60s, it was still frowned upon for men to have long hair. During a TV interview, Joe Pyne insulted Zappa by saying, “So I guess your long hair makes you a woman.” Zappa allegedly replied, “So I guess your wooden leg makes you a table.”

What do you think? Fire away below.

Ivan Walsh helps introverts make money. Curious? Visit his site: http://www.ivanwalsh.com

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The Marlon Brando Guide to Rebel Blogging is a post from: Nathan Hangen

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This is a guest post by problogger Chris Garrett, co-author of the book: Problogger, and blogs at ChrisG.com. You can also find him on Twitter.

Nathan is not well today, so I thought I would step in and provide a guest post while he recuperates. As Nathan has already mentioned, guest posting can be very beneficial to any blogger, so this is not a purely altruistic move on my part!

Most people who talk about guest posting emphasize the search engine benefits as a reason to take up the tactic. In fact, when people buy my Guest Posting guide it is mostly high quality links that motivates people. The thing is, there are other benefits over and above the awesome search boost that you can get.

One of the things I still do as a blogger is write for clients, such as the Excel to PDF converter software people, Cogniview, and the Auto Dealer Social Media tool developer, GOSO. While I do not do this as much as I used to, due to time constraints more than anything, writing for these companies allows me to get far more exposure than by sticking to my own blog, chrisg.com. Attention is not just about getting links, it is being seen and read by new people who might want to check out what else you have done.

Take this guest post for example. Yes, I have managed to slip in a link to a product of mine (sneaky!) but also Nathan gets some fresh content while he recovers from the man-flu, and I get to put my name in front of his audience (you!) during a time when he is attracting a lot of attention due to his product launch.

In terms of networking, Nathan was already well aware of who I am due to me being featured in the Beyond Blogging book, but by me guest posting here we have a little more shared history to add to our networking relationship. Mike did the same by guest posting on a couple of my blogs too. Friendships are built on doing favors and reciprocation, ask not what contacts can do for you but what you can do for your contacts!

Getting Unstuck

Finally, as a blogger it is very easy to get stuck in ruts. You start “phoning it in”, and your audience can get bored and drift away. Just like your favorite television shows can become formulaic, so can our blogs. By allowing guest posts, or guest posting on other blogs, it helps mix things up and stay sharp, which is a win-win for everyone.

If you are not already guest posting then I recommend you start now. Begin with supplying articles for your friends then branch out, you do not need to start with the A-list to get the benefits.

Do you guest post already or have you not tried it yet? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments …

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How Guest Posting is More Than Just SEO is a post from: Nathan Hangen

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If you haven’t read The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand, then you need to close your browser immediately and go read it. Seriously, it’s a fantastic read.

If you have, then you’ll remember the character of Howard Roark, the promising young architect that, against all odds, fought the world and won.

My friend Rich Lazzara says, we’re all entrepreneurs at heart, and that’s true. But, no matter how smart, talented, or dedicated you are…you’re going to face some of the trials that Roark faced on his road to freedom.

You are going to deal with doubters, critics, and even evil minds that want to bring you down to their level. But…you can’t do it. You cannot quit. If they succeed, no one gets ahead…no one lives a life of their own design.

But, if you win…if you make your own way, then you’ll know only be living your dreams, but you’ll leave a path so that others can do the same. Therefore, as a tribute to Roark and the hero that we can all become, I want to offer to you the Howard Roark Guide to Business.

Idealism

The first step to taking on the world is to have something to believe in, be it a moral code, a code of excellence, or just a vision for the way things should be. If you don’t have this vision firmly implanted in your mind – entrenched in your behavior, then you will not succeed.

If you want to get somewhere, you have to know where you are going. You have to have a set of guideposts to keep you on your path.

Roark had his standards for what an architect should endeavor to and the manner in which it should be achieved. He had a strict code for what made a building worthy of being raise to the sky or razed to the ground. If a project did not meet this criteria, then he wasted neither time nor effort in it’s creation.

No Compromise

What made Roark such a likable character, but what also served as fodder for his many enemies, was that he refused to compromise his ideals…even once. No matter the consequences, no matter the damnation that followed, Roark lived by his standards without compromise. When offered the chance to take an easier road, by simply giving up some of his beliefs, he always took the hard way out…many times to his peril.

As an entrepreneur, you are going to deal with people that want to bring you to their level. They’ll want to call you names, offer you bribes, or find ways to prevent you from achieving your dreams, but you cannot compromise one ounce of what makes you “you.”

There might be a project that offers easy money, or a joint venture that makes your work easier, but you’ve got to go with your gut. If it doesn’t fit, then move on.

Realize that you might never achieve the perfect life and that your business might fail, but at the end of the day, you’ll still be able to look yourself in the mirror and be proud for never taking the easy way out. You can’t put a price on that.

Make Your Own Game

When Roark was ostracized by his peers, he didn’t give up…he simply made his own game. Refusing to play by their rules, he chose to create his own. And even though the pay, respect, and adulation was nonexistent, he still kept playing…waiting for the day when his game would become the more popular. It took years, and at times he might have been the only one playing, but because he made the rules, there was always one more game to play.

In their book, Trust Agents, Chris Brogan and Julien Smith talk about hacking the game and changing the rules. That’s what entrepreneurs do best. We can’t compete with the Fortune 500 companies head on, so we change the game on them instead. To take on IBM, Bill Gates created Microsoft in his basement. Rather than compete with Microsoft head on in the software realm, Google flanked them by owning search first. Netflix took on Blockbuster. Vonage took on the phone companies, and Skype took on Vonage.

These were all new technologies or new business models created by guys (or gals) in their basements, in their home office, wherever. These men and women changed the game by changing the rules and leveling the playing field. If you have a business idea, but can’t compete with the big boys, then think of how you can change the model so that you don’t need to compete – so that you, not your competition, own the future. That’s how you make your own way.

Don’t Require Credit

Roark made buildings for other people as a ghost builder. Not because he wanted to help the person involved, but because he wanted to see things done right. It didn’t matter that he didn’t get paid, didn’t get praised, or that he helped the enemy…not when it came in the way of his vision.

Sure, it’s great to be loved. It’s wonderful to be praised and adored, but the only thing it really does it feed your ego. So long as your goals get accomplished, as long as your vision becomes real, why does it matter if you get the credit? Why not let someone else get distracted by conquests and frenzied fans? You can work in the background, without distraction, and get more done now that someone else is taking the credit. You can build others up so that they have the confidence to follow your lead and join your fight.

Yeah, you’ll want the paycheck, but credit and praise do little more than make you feel more important than you already are. I’m not saying you should turn it down, but don’t make it your primary goal. Production and results…the accomplishment of your goals…that’s what should motivate you.

Never, Ever Give Up

Jimmy V said it best in this speech, and there isn’t much more I can add to that, but I’ll try.

Roark dealt with more obstacles than seems humanly possible, but he became victorious by outlasting his enemies. Your enemies might not be physical, but you have them nonetheless…

Fatigue, depression, doubt, cynicism, skepticism, hunger, thrist, lack of patience, you name it, you’ll deal with it. Whenver you feel like you aren’t going to make it, realize that you are in the moment that separates the quitters from the winners. You have to be the person to believe in your vision, even if the rest of the world has given up.

The future is yours to claim, but you are going to have to fight for it. No one ever said it was easy, but that’s what makes the prize so sweet. Even if you fail in every manner, except in these 5 laws of business, then you will be successful at the end of the day. Just remember, the score only matters in the end.

Image Credit

Image Credit

The Howard Roark Guide to Business is a post from: Nathan Hangen

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“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” -Oscar Wilde

A quick way to become remarkable is to amplify yourself. Analyze and take your traits to an extreme in whatever you do and create. You use your existing self, so no research or calculated efforts are needed.

You’ll be unique because no one else is like you; you’ll be remarkable because you’re taking your traits and quirks to the edge, where few people go.

You can do this exercise tonight in one sitting and start becoming remarkable tomorrow. Granted, like with anything, you won’t perfectly execute your remarkableness right away. But you’ll have your clear game plan to follow, and by continuing to implement it, you’ll become remarkable almost definitely sooner than you think.

Why Being Remarkable Matters – a LOT

There are more people creating and saying things than ever, especially with the spread of the internet. The only proven way to cut through the noise and get noticed is to be remarkable.

You don’t try to please everyone. Instead, you laser-focus your content to others like you. And there are a lot out there. A community, in fact. And those will absolutely love your stuff, assuming you make it remarkable. They’ll be far more interested in a remarkable you that talks to them on their level then some middle-of-the-road “safe” website.

Sure, you’ll turn some people off. But those folks aren’t a good fit for your stuff anyway. So why prolong the disinterest? Snip them off from the get-go to not waste yours and their time.

Be remarkable by being an amplified version of yourself. You’ll attract the most receptive audience, and you’ll be of far more interest and value to them.

So, how do you implement this quick way to become remarkable?

Step 1: Analyze Your Traits

Write down all of your traits and quirks you see in yourself. Don’t try to spin some interesting angle here: simply write them out, stream-of-consciousness style.

Step 2: Take It to the Edge

Look at each trait and quirk and see how you can take it to the edge. How do you push your favorite traits and quirks to the extreme? This is the step that forms your remarkable self.

Some examples:

• Trait: I don’t drink = Remarkable: I’ll never touch a drop of liquor as long as I live
• Trait: I live in a suburb = Remarkable: I’m at the most boring place on earth
• Trait: I smile often = Remarkable: I have the biggest, most relentless smile in the world

Step 3: Inject Into What You Do

Start utilizing your now-remarkable self in whatever you do. Inject your to-the-extreme traits and quirks in your writing, music, business, performance, or whatever you create.

It won’t be perfect at first, but like with a sport, you practice to get better. The more you do something repeatedly, the faster you improve. With your game plan in hand, inject your remarkableness into what you do and don’t stop. You’ll become more remarkable almost definitely sooner than you think.

Bonus Step: Multiplied Extraordinariness (ME)

Do you want to amplify your remarkableness? Combine quirks and traits for Multiplied Extraordinariness (ME). Inject ME into everything you do and create.

For example, are you a huge traveler and have that world’s biggest smile? Than one of your ME’s could be that you make the world smile – literally. You travel the world and make almost everyone smile from every single country.

How These 3 Steps Helped Me Become Remarkable

I had trouble being remarkable. I just didn’t see myself as such. Me? Remarkable? I’m just a regular person. How do I become remarkable?

I started thinking of how I could fabricate a story, or which attitude I should adopt. I thought I needed to come up with an artificial way and fit myself into this remarkable mold.

But the more I read and consumed various remarkable things by remarkable people, the more I noticed they were like me. Well, not exactly, but they were regular folks. The truly remarkable people didn’t seem to force it, but just embraced certain quirks they had.

So one day, I took a look at myself and wrote down all my traits, to see if I could find some interesting quirks. After just a short while, I realized that I had a pretty interesting combination of traits and quirks, some of them which most people didn’t have – and I didn’t even realize it before.

The next step I took is to see how I could push them to an extreme. Why not? I already had these traits, so it wouldn’t really be any extra work. I’d just be consciously taking my traits to the edge.

Here are a few I came up with:

• Born in Russia, lived in various parts of the US = citizen of the world
• Don’t drink or smoke = non-drinking Russian
• Make all my electronic dance music on my laptop and earbuds in various places around the world = world’s most mobile pro-level musician
• A writer, musician, and personal development seeker = authority on maximizing creativity
• Never followed societal rules, found my own way = most nonconforming freerunner
• Child-like curiosity, don’t limit myself to how I “should” act = eternal kid in an adult’s world

When I started writing during the summer of ’09, I was concerned how my articles could be remarkable. I mean, the topics were on the unconventional side of personal development, but how do I make them even more unique?

I quickly realized I could infuse them with my traits. In fact, I saw that I could combine a few of them into each article for the aforementioned ME effect. And I’d like to think that even my early articles had at least a little bit of remarkable Oleg Mokhov in them.

Now, I feel comfortable with my remarkableness. I’m not trying to brag or delude myself or anything, but I’m simply confident in and embrace my traits and quirks to an extreme. Infusing my writing and music with them is a start, but if I keep at it like I’ve been doing, hopefully my stuff will keep getting more and more remarkable.

Of course, I’ll let you be the judge of that. And let me know if I’m boring to you, so that I can kick my butt into high gear and try harder. But the point is, I have my game plan, so I just need to keep working at it to become more remarkable.

Become Remarkable by Amplifying Yourself

Want to cut through today’s noise and be noticed? Know your stuff is great but having trouble grabbing attention? The proven way to solve that problem is to be remarkable, and the quickest path to become remarkable is to amplify yourself.

Analyze your traits and quirks and take them to an extreme. By being completely yourself, you become unique, and by amplifying your traits to an extreme, you become remarkable. With your game plan in hand, keep injecting your to-the-edge quirks and traits in whatever you create, and it will become more and more remarkable.

Be unique. Be interesting. Be remarkable by being an amplified version of yourself. I guarantee there’s no one else like that.

Oleg Mokhov is a writer, musician, adventurer. He writes about life maximization for remarkable people and makes energizing electronic dance music for melody-lovers on his site Lifebeat.

Image Credit

3 Steps to Being Remarkable is a post from: Nathan Hangen

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Lesson #1 Networking

I’ve got so much to share with you from my trip to Vegas that I don’t really know where to begin. For instance, I got a chance to hang out with some of the guys that helped me launch my blogging career, such as Darren Rowse (Problogger):

Chris Brogan:

Chris Garrett:

and David Risley:

Also included in that photo are a few guys that I hadn’t known before the event, but really enjoyed hanging out with (Lisa Morosky, Rich Lazzara and Tim Jones). Outside of that, I got to meet Shama Kabani, have dinner with John Chow and the Market Leverage team, and find an awesome new lifestyle coach.

Image Credit Lisa Morosky

I got a killer shot with Izea’s CEO Ted Murphy and snagged a photo op with Chad Vader “Day Shift Manager.”

As someone that used to work in direct sales, I’m used to being able to do business over a drink and a handshake, and that is what I really enjoyed about this conference. Every single one of the people in these photos were not only approachable, but they were helpful. I wanted to do my part to help them put a face to a name (my name in this case) and I think that can help people like you and I bridge the gap between being low on the radar and taking things to the next level.

I’m under no illusions that namedropping will catapult my career, but the truth is that getting to know the pro’s in the blogging world, or in any world for that matter, can help you elevate your game. It’s more than just how hard you work…there is a mindset required to become successful and hanging out with the people that do this for a living is a great opportunity to examine and adopt that mindset.

Lesson #2 Business is Serious

One of the most prevailing messages of this conference was that if you aren’t taking your business seriously, then you are on your way to a giant #FAIL. I take my business seriously now, but I don’t plan as much as I should. Rich gave me some great pointers about how to improve my website…things that I probably should have fixed but never took the time to address. I learned that you need to focus on the pieces of the puzzle that make you money and also to keep doing things that are working. However, if you aren’t paying attention to what works and what doesn’t, you won’t be able to identify either issue.

The guys that make the crazy cash doing this for a living might seem casual on the web, but when you meet them in person you can sense the intensity and purpose within them. Chris Brogan had an awesome keynote about how to elevate your game and I really liked what he had to say. I’ll paraphrase:

You need to quit putting yourself on a pedestal because you understand this game. Instead, get your ass out there and meet other people. Find out how you can help them and then learn how you can make a business model around that. Don’t limit yourself to little projects…change the game by thinking big. We’re just on the brink of greatness…all of us.

The essence of the conversation is that you need to have more than a short-term plan. Every post needs to have a purpose, as does every aspect of your website. Don’t just go with the flow…take consistently purposeful action and move towards your big goals. Make dreams come true for you and for yourself.

Lesson #3 The Little Things Do Work

I was able to spend time talking with many of these people because I consistently follow the actions mentioned in my Twitter course. I listen, respond, and listen more. I understand their game and try to work my way into what other people are doing. Once they know you (and this is how I got a post on Copyblogger and on Twitip), you can offer to submit guest posts. From there, you can stay in touch and see how you can continue to help them. Once they trust you, they’ll let you do more until eventually, you can launch a product together or ask them to do interviews for a book. It’s all about networking…one step at a time.

In closing, I just want to remind you to check out my updated Twitter Guide (Twitter for Game Changers) and be on the lookout for a new design very, very, very soon. Lastly, if you haven’t signed up for the Beyond Blogging pre-order list, check it out. Very shortly you’ll get a chance to win a Crush It wristband, a signed copy of Crush It, and some other cool stuff.

Blogworld Expo – The Recap is a post from: Nathan Hangen

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Say What You Mean To Say

It took me a long time to start figuring out how to do it. I thought there was a certain way that I had to write, but after writing over 200 posts, I learned that I was writing in a voice that felt comfortable but might not have been the best fit for my blog. As you evolve as a blogger, you should constantly be searching for a way to find your voice. Once you’ve found it, you’ll know it because everything you do will feel different. You’ll feel like you are a man (or woman) on a mission. You’ll have a bit of a swagger and you will spend less time thinking about posting and more time actually filling your blog with great content.

I’m still working on it too

I’ll be honest, I still don’t think I’ve found my voice, but I know that I’m getting closer. How? Well I describe it like this…as a blogger, you’ve got your normal “will they like this post?” writing style, which will be reflected in much of your early content. Eventually though, you’ll start to venture out a bit and you’ll write some things that are great, but you’ll have no idea where they came from. Over time, that voice will keep creeping out until it dominates your blogging and soon you’ll feel like you’ve unleashed the beast within. That’s what it feels like to find your voice…like the muzzle has finally been removed from your inner author. That’s when it becomes awesome

Like I said, it took me nearly 200 posts to get it right, and I’m still working on it. Let’s try and cut out some of that learning curve for you by sharing some of the tips that have helped me improve my writing.

1. Experiment

I’m guessing that like me, you read a lot of good blogs. There are certain writing styles that resonate with each of us. I happen to like Naomi Dunford’s snarky style, but I also like the way that Chris Guillebeau frames his content. These days, once I read a post, I look through it one more time to look for the elements that really speak to me. I observe various writing styles and try to mix them in my content from time to time. Sure, sometimes it doesn’t feel right, but if you experiment with different ways of saying the same thing, I think you’ll find one that feels liberating and allows you to say what you really mean, rather than what you think you mean.

2. Keep it Short

In the past, I used a lot of fluff words. I’d spend a paragraph saying something that could be said in one line. I’ve found that when you keep it short, you are forced to think about what you really want to say, which helps you use powerful words that reach out to your audience and smack them in the face. If your content doesn’t grab you, then how will it grab your reader?

3. Pay attention

Listen to what is going on inside your head when you write. Are there certain types of music that make you feel more at home? Do you write better in silence than you do with noise? Maybe the bookstore vibe brings out the Chuck Palahniuk in you. Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings while you write so that you can repeat the successful events.

4. Give up fear

You are already putting your heart at the feet of your readers, so why not reveal it completely. Write as if you have nothing to be afraid of, not as if you are trying to please everyone. Pleasing everyone sounds nice, but the reality is that you end up pleasing no one. Pick an angle and go for it. Commit 100% to your idea and leave it all out there. Every drop of ink should reflect the way you feel. If you need to curse, then curse. If you want to rant, then go for it. Don’t hold anything back.

5. Wait for the next 100 words

An interesting thing happens when I start to write. I’ll sit down, trying to hammer out an idea, and I’ll write a good 100 words before I really feel like I know what I’m talking about. I view it as kind of a warm up for the real writing…morning pages if you will. Once I hit that spot, sometimes it takes more or less, I’ll promptly go and delete the first paragraph or re-write it into a proper intro. This allows me to stay true to rule number 2 and still provide valuable content. Once you’ve warmed up, go over your first hundred words or so and see if they really fit. If they don’t, remove them.

Some people find their voice naturally, others need a little push. Regardless of where you are on the spectrum, pay attention to your reader comments and blog traffic. If you notice, those posts in which you “unleashed the beast,” are usually the most popular.

5 Ways to Unleash the Beast is a post from: Nathan Hangen

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Too often, people spend all of their time focusing on the content, without spending thought to the manner in which they position that content. When developing your brand, you’ve got to decide how to present that brand to your audience. Using these lessons on positioning, you can learn how to improve your content without editing a thing.

On a side note, ignore the kids in the background and the poor video quality (my head cut off for one!), sometimes life happens

The Power of Positioning is a post from: Nathan Hangen

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