I like this quote: “Once you understand the motivation, reward and punishment structure of any system, you can begin to control it.” - Guido Van Rossum (founder of the Python programming language) I once heard Cesar Millan (the Dog Whisperer) say all dogs like at least 1 of these 3 different rewards: - Toys - Food - Affection Once you know the type of reward a dog responds to best, it makes it much easier to train! Hugsy likes toys, food, and affection: Sid is primarily motivated by food, and is "meh" on the rest: Poe mostly responds to affection: Knowing the reward/punishment structure seems to help in any system! - Training neural networks - Training dogs - Raising kids— Guido Van Rossum (founder of Python)
They don't want software, they want to accomplish a goal
Aaron Orendorff nails it with this tweet. The truth: people don’t want your product. They want what your product helps...
Good friends bring up hard conversations
Ever give someone feedback and immediately regret it? That weird face in the image perfectly sums it up — the...
Webpage dedicated to testimonials
FeedLetter nailed the testimonial game. Instead of just dumping quotes on a page, they built a visual “Wall of Love”...
“Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open."— Stephen King
SAAS company uses animated banner to display testimonials
Howitzer nailed their testimonial section. Instead of a long scroll, they pack multiple reviews into one screen — with sources...
Email newsletter homepage displays social proof with blurbs from popular journalists
Most sites beg you to sign up. NextDraft just shows you who already did. Their homepage lists quotes and blurbs...
Joseph Campbell tweet on fear
Behind every great writer
Oscar The Grouch Motivation
There’s something oddly inspiring about this photo of Oscar the Grouch dropping motivational heat. It’s silly, unexpected, and totally sticks...
Tools are bought, Transformations are sold
Dharmesh Shah drops a truth bomb here: “Tools are bought, transformations are sold.” That’s the mindset that turns a salesperson...
David Ogilvy on Good Ads
David Ogilvy on Bad Campaigns.
“How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top.”— Yvon Chouinard
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."— Thomas Edison
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”— Winston Churchill
"The test of all communication is: "Does it sell the product?" Just don't do it at the cost of good morals, good manners, and good taste."— Earl Nightingale
“Passion is the side effect of mastery.”— Cal Newport
Effects of Multi-Tasking on Productivity
This graph hits hard: the more tasks you juggle, the less time you actually spend on any of them. Once...
Clean 3-Column Testimonial "Wall of Love" by Trends
This image nails it: founders raving about Trends in their own words. No hype, no fluff, just proof that the...
"What would ___ do?"
Stuck on a big marketing problem? Here’s a simple brain hack: ask, “What would my hero do?” This question pushes...
Add a "constraint" to a problem
Ever get stuck staring at a blank screen? Try adding a constraint. Sounds backwards, but limits actually force your brain...
"What is my $1,000/hour skill?"
Most people get stuck doing $10/hour tasks. But real growth happens when you identify and double down on your $1,000/hour...
"How can I 10X this?"
Most people play small. They chase 5% gains and small wins. That’s fine if you want safe results. But if...