Category: positivity

There are no guarantees that your great idea will work every time.

Every day there are new songs, books, and blog posts. (Like the new blog post you are reading right now.)

There are new businesses, restaurants, shops, clubs and bars. Including shops where you buy clubs and bars.

There are new clothes, accessories and decoration.

And there are enough new social posts to fill a whole new social sphere every single day.

So why all the newness, Huey Lewis?

Because people have great new ideas worth betting on all the time.

However, you never know which good new ideas will wallop and which ones will whimper.

Sometimes your favorites will fail like New Coke and Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi ad. And sometimes your maybes will make a mighty roar. Like cat videos.

Learn from both.

And just keep swinging.*

The only real failure is to stop sharing your new ideas.

*Don’t actually be a swinger.

If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them. Especially if you know Kendall Jenner or anyone thinking about swinging.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

The 3 types of affluence that lead to happiness.

There is almost nothing more enviable than affluence.

The two inventors of the dictionary, Meaning Miriam and Definition Webster, decided that affluence means an abundant flow or supply.

And when you have an abundant supply of good things your life tends to be good. Unless the things you have in abundance are news coverage and bottles of lube.

Affluence most certainly leads to happiness. But not in the way that most people think.

Here’s how it works:

The Affluence Formula

1. First develop your relationship affluence. The more and better friends the better. This is the greatest investment you will ever make. (Unless you bought Apple at its IPO.)

    2. Relationship affluence leads to financial affluence. Your relationships increase your opportunities, knowledge, support, encouragement and positive peer pressure. It’s not just about a small group of great friends like Monica and Chandler. Your outer ring of relationships is sneaky valuable as you can read here in the study The Strength of Weak Ties.

    3. Financial affluence leads to time affluence. The more financial resources you have the more control you have over your time. This is the greatest freedom in the world.

    4. Time affluence leads to happiness affluence. When you have control over your time you have control over your life. That Janet Jackson-level control enables you to spend your time doing the things you enjoy most with the people you enjoy most.

    Plot Twist!

    The great happiness in life will come from your abundance of relationships and time. Not from the money itself. Never forget that.

    Key Takeaway

    More and better relationships lead to more and better opportunities. Opportunities create financial resources. And financial resources give you control over your time. Which is the greatest affluence of all.

    *If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

    +For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

    You just need someone to take a chance on you.

    I recently came across this classic photo from July of 20000. It was the first photograph ever taken of me and Dawn Zabel. This was long before she was my wife, and shortly before we started dating. And the photo itself was taken by a camera that wasn’t attached to a phone, social media or Wordle.

    When I saw this photograph an interesting and profound thought popped into my hat holder. It wasn’t about how young Dawn and I looked, how short my hair was, or how Clorox-white our shirts were.

    My immediate thought when I see this image is that we all need someone to take a chance on us. Because here’s what I see that goes beyond the obvious.

    My First Job

    This picture is from the Cramer Krasselt company picnic in 2000. CK was my first employer in advertising. They took a chance on me right out of college. I was an unproven commodity that had no track record of advertising success and no experience to draw on. I was just a recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin who came for an informational interview with an endorsement from one of my college professors. It was hard for them to know if I was just a talker or a Hershel Walker. But CK took a chance. And like dough, that was all I needed.

    My Credit History

    When I started my job at CK I made very little money. (It was actually the same size money that everyone else made, but I didn’t make much of it.) And I had to Stretch Armstrong that money to pay for rent, groceries and a $300 per month student loan payment. So when I applied for a credit card everyone Heismaned me, citing my high debt to income ratio that made me credit unworthy. For 2 years I experienced rejection after rejection by the credit cards who I asked out. Then 2 years into my career I flew to Los Angeles to shoot a commercial for Reddi-Wip whipped cream with my creative partner, Dan Koel and my creative director Mike Bednar.

    After the filming was finished I stuck around LA and attended a college football game between USC and San Diego State, with my college friends Alex Mautz and Jaime Smith Mautz. On our way into the game I passed a tent that was giving away free USC t-shirts if you signed up for a USC credit card. I was excited to have a t-shirt to wear to the game, but I knew I wouldn’t actually get the credit card because of my preexisting credit condition. So I filled out the paperwork, took the shirt, and enjoyed the game.

    Then, two weeks later, to my total surprise, I received a USC Visa credit card in the mail. Someone finally took a chance on me. I used that Trojan card for the next 6 years like I was the proudest USC grad on the planet. I paid off my entire balance every month. And I built my credit. My credit score passed Pat Robertson’s 700 Club and went to the 800s. All because USC Visa took a chance on me.

    Look at this photograph. Every time I do it makes me laugh.
    I am wearing the T-shirt they gave me outside the LA Coliseum.

    My Wife Dawn.

    I first saw Dawn Zabel in the elevator on my way to work in early June of 2000. And my life has never been the same. I got off the elevator and immediately began a long and elaborate Dawn-stalking mission, which turned into the greatest adventure of my life.

    But back then, I was just a 27-year-old copywriter with a high debt-to-income ratio and a shiny new USC Trojan visa. My career hadn’t had any major moments indicating future success. I didn’t have an impressive resume of enviable past relationships. I hadn’t been a good parent to a dog, cat or hedgehog. Heck, I didn’t have a fern that could vouch for my skills as a long-term provider.

    Yet, Dawn still took a chance on me. A couple weeks after the company picnic we went on our first date to see the movie The Patriot, which to my surprise, didn’t feature Tom Brady or take place in Foxborough. And it didn’t really land with Dawn. But when I dropped Dawn off that night I did land a goodnight kiss. Two years later we got married. Then came 3 kids and 5 houses. We enjoyed moves and promotions. Adventures and opportunities. And we had credit cards that got paid off every month.

    This week, Dawn and I celebrated our 22-year wedding anniversary. All because she took a chance on me.

    Key Takeaway

    All you ever need is a chance. When you find people willing to give you a try, prove them right. Have pride in your reputation and respect the trust others have offered you. Then knock it out of the park. Turn the promise of your potential into proof and performance. When you look back at your life you’ll be thankful to all those who gave you a shot. And it will make you want to do the same for others. Taking a chance on an unproven person is one of the greatest gifts you will ever give. And often times it is all that person will ever need.

    *If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

    +For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

    I have started Adam’s Good Newsletter to share more positivity.

    Hey Readers! I have started a newsletter called Adam’s Good Newsletter. You can cheat code to the newsletter right here, right now, like that arena hype song says. But if you want the backstory first, and who doesn’t like a good backstory, you can find it below.

    The Backstory

    The spring of 2020 was a dark time in America. COVID-19 was creeping across the country like a lung-infecting fog. Race-related issues were boiling over. And our presidential election was unfolding as one of the ugliest in American history.

    The events of that spring scared the crap out of Americans. Which helped turn toilet paper into gold. During that dark and stormy time I recognized that we could all use more good news. So I committed to sharing only good, positive, uplifting stories, ideas and perspectives here in my blog.

    As a result, I saw a surge in readership. People called, emailed and texted me telling me how much they appreciated the positive outlook I was sharing here. They told me they looked forward to my posts as a bright spot in their day. And they asked if I knew where they could find toilet paper.

    Then, without telling anyone what I was doing, I started writing my book What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? I was committed to writing a book that would help readers learn a little, laugh a little, and lift a little.

    18 months later the book was published and my life changed for the better. Suddenly I had speaking opportunities, TV and podcast interviews, and more interesting things to talk about at career day at my kids’ school. Readers sent me pictures of my book all over the world. Well not in North Korea. Or Antarctica. Or the Gulag. #BookGoals

    Now, I had a blog and a book. But I became obsessed with a third vehicle for sharing positivity. Because somewhere between the simplicity of a blog post and the intensity of a book lies the newsletter. For years I wanted to create a fun newsletter to spread good news, ideas, recommendations, motivational quotes, photos, and a little more humor.

    But I couldn’t find the time in my schedule to start the newsletter until June of this year, when I finally started publishing Adam’s Good Newsletter.

    I just published the 4th edition. And If you have read this far you will like the newsletter. You can check it out by giving this link the old click-a-roo. You can also sign up to receive it fresh in your inbox, and check out past issues.

    Please message me at adam@theweaponry if you would like to be added to the mailing list. (Also message me if you have found The Fountain of Youth or a Wonka Bar with the golden ticket.)

    Additional Note:

    I just created the literary equivalent of a Turducken. Because I stuffed both my book and my newsletter inside my blog. Boom!

    When you feel good, share that feeling with others.

    On Saturday morning I was sitting at home when Lola, my Border Collie, started barking like there was an intruder. A moment later my doorbell rang, and I understood why Lola was going off. I got up and walked to the front door. I could see through the glass there there were two pleasant-looking middle-aged women standing on my front porch, with what looked like ‘materials’.

    I unlocked my front door, while Lola lost her canine mind. Then i opened the door just enough to slip out onto the front porch without Lola following me. I pulled the door shut, then turned to face the two strangers on my steps.

    What the ladies at my door didn’t know was that I just returned home from coaching a football game that morning and was still in full Coach Albrecht mode.

    I boomed in my energetic youth football coach voice, ‘GOOD MORNING LADIES!!! HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY?’

    The women were clearly surprised, and delighted by the enthusiastic, greeting they received.

    They both smiled and inquired, ‘Are you a coach?’ Clearly, the women picked up on the fact that I was still wearing my team cap and polo, both of which featured our team’s Cardinal mascot.

    I boomed, ‘YES I AM! AND I JUST GOT HOME FROM COACHING OUR GAME THIS MORNING! WHICH WE WON!!! BETTER YET, I AM THE DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR, AND WE WON OUR FOOTBALL GAME 2-0! AND MY SON MAGNUS SCORED THE SAFETY!’

    The women, Ruth and Chris, both smiled broadly and offered warm congratulations. (I may have just thought those were their names because I was hungry for steak.)

    Then I clapped my hands loudly, dropped into a linebacker-stance and said, ‘HOW CAN I HELP YOU, LADIES?’

    The women revealed that they were Jehovah’s Witnesses. And they were there to invite me to study the bible with them.

    I responded like Matt Foley giving his van down by the river speech, ‘LADIES, I ALREADY HAVE A BIBLE! AND I AM GOING TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY (this month)! YOU DON’T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT ME! NOW I WANT YOU TO GET OUT THERE, LADIES! AND GET EVERYONE ELSE ON THE TEAM! CAN YOU DO THAT FOR ME?!?’

    The women lit up and laughed at my over the top response to their sales pitch. They thanked me for sharing my energy with them that morning. Which I am sure is a welcomed departure from the typical response the JWs get on their Ding-Dong-Divinitiy Tours.

    As they waved and wished me a good day, I shouted out one last bit of coaching, ‘NOW MAKE SURE YOU GO TO CHURCH TOMORROW! YOU’VE TO GOT TO PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH, LADIES!‘

    And with that, they left with big bright smiles on their faces.

    Key Takeaway

    When you feel happy, energetic, or optimistic, share it with others. Brighten the day of those around you. We can all use a little more of the good stuff. So when you having a great day, break off a little piece and pass it around. You never know who might need what you have.

    *If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

    +For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

    Are you creating Onion Days?

    I had a pretty bad day on Saturday. I coach 8th-grade football on Saturday mornings. And we lost. Like nothing-went-right lost. Like The-Bad-News-Packers lost. Like that-TV-show-about-the-plane- crash-on-that-island lost.

    Then I couldn’t get myself motivated to do anything productive the rest of the day. By Saturday night I felt like I not only lost the football game, but I lost the rest of the day as well. Unfortunately, when you lose a day you never get it back, Jack.

    But on Sunday, I bounced like Flubber. Before I went to bed Sunday night, I reflected on my day. And I realized that my Sunday was as good as my Saturday was bad. I had created an Onion Day. A day with layer after layer after layer of good stuff.

    My Onion Day.

    I woke up early to write and publish a blog post about the importance of planting yourself in soil that enables you to thrive.

    Then my family and I went to the 9am church service. (God knows that service helps you get the most out of your morning.)

    We took the slow Sunday drive home along Lake Michigan, avoiding the usual interstate route. It’s the automotive version of stopping to smell the roses. Although you can’t actually smell roses at 25 miles per hour.

    I cleaned out a significant part of our basement that had become cluttered with random stuff during the renovation we did on our home over the past year.

    I watched some of the Patriots -Bengals game, and watched my Pats look like a real team again for the first time since Tom Brady left to spend more time looking at himself in the mirror.

    I helped my son Johann think through a writing and research project for an AP class he is taking.

    I took a long walk with my wife Dawn, son Magnus and dog Lola along Lake Michigan. Which looks like an ocean, but is unsalted and shark-free.

    I picked up fun food for dinner for the family, because I was too hungry to wait for the ribs Dawn was planning to make for our Sunday dinner. (And apparently, a commercial I watched during the football game worked on me.)

    I broke down game footage from our team’s ugly loss so we could coach the team on how to do things better next time. (If they don’t do better I will cry myself to sleep every Saturday night until November.)

    I talked to my daughter Ava on the phone on the last day of her 18th year and caught up on her day at college.

    I worked out, like LFMAO would say.

    The Reflection

    I looked back at my day. And I realized that I had a near-perfect Onion Day.

    • I created
    • I churched
    • I meandered
    • I familied
    • I worked
    • I taught
    • I explored
    • I treated
    • I coached
    • I connected
    • I exercised

    It was a great Onion Day, a great way to bounce, and a great example of time well spent.

    Key Takeaway

    The best days are Onion Days. Those are the days when you layer in as many of your favorite and most important activities. Know what your perfect Onion Day entails. Then work to create as many of them as you can. That’s how you build a great and rewarding life without regrets.

    *If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

    +For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

    Are you in soil that supports your seed?

    There are many types of soil.

    And there are many types of seeds.

    But not all seeds thrive in all soils.

    In fact, some seeds get packaged in a bag and sent to a ballpark to be chewed up and spit out before they get their chance to blow, like Eminem said.

    The key to growth, happiness and success is to plant your seed in soil that supports you.

    Then sink your roots down deep, and bloom baby bloom!

    So if you aren’t thriving and blooming, onion, it’s time to find new soil.

    & This has been a 7 Sentence Sunday Post. Just 7 sentences. (At least just 7 sentences before the little 3-dot divider thingie.) These are quick thoughts before church. Or after church. Or before football if you don’t mark your Sundays with church. Or, if you don’t do church or football, it’s simply 7 sentences before Monday. (Plus this rambling descriptor of how simple the post was supposed to be before I overcomplicated it.)

    +For more of the best lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

    The nice surprise at the end of my long day of trains, planes and automobiles.

    Recently I had a long day of travel to the West Coast. It started with a 1-hour round-trip drive to drop off our Border Collie Lola at her Pet Lodge. Then we had a 1.5-hour drive to Chicago. Followed by a train ride from the remote parking lot to the terminal at O’Hare International Airport.

    My family and I arrived 1.5 hours before our flight was scheduled to take off. But then the flight was delayed by 3 hours. Finally, after a 4.5-hour flight, we landed in the Pacific Northwest. (Note how adding the word Northwest dramatically changed the meaning of that last sentence.)

    After we landed we proceeded to the rental car counter, picked up our car (not literally), and drove 30 minutes to the hotel. It had been quite a day. When I walked into the hotel I approached the front desk with a big smile and enthusiasm, which is my default mode. Immediately the two staff members at reception lit up and commented on how they loved my energy. Especially since it was well after 10pm.

    The person checking me into my room asked to see my ID. I enthusiastically handed him my new license, which I had just renewed the week before. He exclaimed that I really brought the energy in my license photo too. The other person behind the front desk chimed in about it and mentioned that her driver’s license was from Hawaii. Which allowed me to drop some McLovin references. And we all had a SuperGoood laugh.

    As we finished the check-in process the clerk handed me my room keys. They were to an upgraded room on the top floor of the hotel. Then he handed me my parking pass and said, ‘No charge for the parking tonight. Thank you for bringing such great energy to our hotel tonight.’

    Key Takeaway

    Your personal energy is one of the most valuable assets you can share with other people. You don’t have to be a rockstar or a motivational speaker to make people feel good. Just share your energy and your good attitude. It elevates moods. It transforms situations. It reminds us all what life feels like at its best. When you share your energy with the people around you, it helps them do the same. And the ripple effect helps make the world a better place. Heck, you might just get a better room and free parking out of it.

    *If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

    +For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

    Here’s the best way to interpret bad behavior.

    I am reading a fascinating book titled Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy.

    The basic premise of the book, and the inspiration for the title, is that all of us, kids included, are good inside. Kinda like a Tootsie Pop. Furthermore, it is important to remember that when we make bad decisions or exhibit bad behavior, it is simply a reflection of a strong understandable desire, fear or discomfort that manifests itself in a negative way. (Which reminds me of my friend who got yelled at by a flight attendant when she got up from her airplane seat to run to the bathroom as the plane was taking off. But my friend was quite literally pooping her pants. So, yeah, you go to the bathroom girl.)

    Good for parenting. But also good if you are a leader or a human.

    The Good Inside assumption is a valuable reminder to us all. We know that we are good people. We know that our kids, coworkers, friends, and neighbors are good inside, with very rare Dahmerish exceptions. When you recognize this, you come to a much better understanding of what is really driving poor behavior.

    Kennedy introduces the MGI, short for Most Generous Interpretation. (Not Most Gassy Intestines.) If you believe that we are all good inside, it is valuable to consider the Most Generous Interpretation of any negative or problematic behavior. This means that when someone acts up, melts down, or their behavior is otherwise misaligned with norms and expectations, rather than simply cursing and condemning, we should generously interpret the very normal and understandable feelings that are underlying such behaviors.

    This MGI enables you to demonstrate empathy and compassion. It helps you arrive at an understanding, and address the real and relatable issue the person is dealing with, not just the negative expression that leaks out. (Like my friend on that plane.)

    Key Takeaway

    You make the world a better place when you assume people are good inside, even when they do bad things. The best thing we can do for each other is consider the Most Generous Interpretation of each other’s words and actions. It enables us to understand, address and resolve negative behavioral challenges in the most positive way. And that’s a win for everyone.

    *If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

    +For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

    Why I’m launching my good newsletter, and how to sign up.

    In 2015 I began writing a blog to share what I was learning as I started the new advertising and ideas agency The Weaponry. I wrote about entrepreneurship, startups, advertising and marketing. But I also shared lessons I was learning about self-improvement, professional development and positivity. Because if you have a blog you can write about anything you want. Even the strange people you meet at Piggly Wiggly.

    People seemed to like what I was writing. And my blog readers encouraged me to write a book. So in 2021, I published my first book titled What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? Which lead to speaking opportunities across the country. The whole experience was a good reminder, as Michael Jackson said, that you wanna be startin somethin. (You gotta be startin somethin.)

    I have been blogging for more than 8 years now. In fact, this is the 987th post I have published. According to WordPress, my blog has been read in 187 countries. Including almost all the countries you’ve ever heard of except North Korea. Clearly, I am no Dennis Rodman.

    Sharing the insights and ideas I have discovered with the world is my way of paying forward all the knowledge and good fortune that has come my way. But today I have a problem. And it goes beyond North Korea.

    The Problem

    Most people discover my writings through a social media distribution channel. These channels include Facebook, TwiXter, WordPress and LinkedIn. The problem is that I don’t own any of those platforms. Which means that Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Jimmy WordPress and ‘Linky’ Linkenstein decide whether or not to share my posts with you to read and benefit from. In fact, if you are not reading this post it is likely because those gatekeepers are keeping us apart. (And while obviously, you are reading this post, there are billions on this planet who are not.)

    The best way around this challenge is to create a newsletter that enables me to share worthwhile lessons, stories and positive thoughts directly with you and the billions of literate humans on Earth.

    I have been thinking about this for several years. I have even crafted examples of the newsletter and gathered an initial email distribution list. But I have never sent out a newsletter.

    It’s Go Time

    I recently had another birthday. (Yay me!) This spurred significant self-reflection. And one of the things that I reflected on was my unborn newsletter. I resolved to begin publishing it right away.

    So that is what I am doing.

    Adam’s Good Newsletter

    I am excited to announce the introduction of Adam’s Good Newsletter. It will contain the articles I write each week. Plus it will include a range of other fun and quick elements like:

    • Book reviews and recommendations
    • Pictures
    • Stories
    • Quotes I find helpful
    • Things I’m digging
    • My personal book writing updates and previews
    • Other things I don’t know I am going to share

    The goal of writing this newsletter remains the same as all of my other writings:

    To help people learn a little, laugh a little, and lift a little.

    To sign up for this email newsletter please send your email to adam@theweaponry.com with the subject: Newsletter. Or just respond wherever you read this post. I’ll get the message. And as long as I also get an email address, you are in like Flynn.

    I plan to share one new issue each week. Although it may be every other week or monthly as I figure out a sustainable rhythm.

    As with the blog, the books, and the business, I am excited to see where this goes.

    Thanks for reading. I always appreciate your time.

    -AA