Gurus Endorsing One Another’s Products

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by JimmyKrug

Some of the most talented people I know are also the most frustrated and make the least amount of money. If you fit that category, consider this – “You have too many options.” I’m currently working with a guy who played in the 80’s band TOTO. He’s from Cleveland, Ohio. He played Keyboards in the studio for them and was with them when they were making their big comeback in the 80’s, playing the Hollywood Bowl and other places. He was going to be their new keyboard player. Then the drummer died, the whole thing blew up, and he went on to write songs and design movie sets for movies like Stallone’s forgettable flick – “Over the Top.”

He has more talent than any one single person I’ve ever met in my life. He has so many good ideas… but none of them are making any real money because every time one thing gets started, something else distracts him and dilutes his efforts (like Twitter may for some of you guys). He bounces from one idea to the next.
Here’s a video link of him playing around on the keyboards. I didn’t tell him I put this on YouTube yet because I was just testing the video camera out and was learning how to use it. (http://www.mynationalpublicity.com/gary)

Hi Jimmy,

Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience!

I also own a lot of your products... They're consistently GREAT! And I highly recommend them to everyone...

It's funny, since what you wrote here "meshes" with something I just read elsewhere...

John Carlton (a well-known and successful copywriter) writes on his blog...

Part of the reason it took me so long to get my act together (I was 34 before I got serious about becoming a professional copywriter) is that I have multiple talents above mediocre levels, and pursuing them kept me distracted. I wrote my first novel in the sixth grade. (It was horrible, but a real story with plot, character development, and coherent ending.) By high school, my cartooning was so good I was forcibly given a weekly cartoon strip in the school newspaper (which lasted for two years). I was shy, and actually resented the celebrity that brought. Then the same thing happened in college, and for 2 years I was the staff cartoonist for the school daily. It was hard work. I also played guitar well enough to carry a band, and I’ve been writing pretty damned good pop songs since I was 17. I also played baseball deep into my teens, and thought I wanted to be a jock. (Really bad idea for a guy with my poor eyesight.) I’d be broke today if I had followed any of those professions. I miss cartooning, though.

That seems to agree with what you said, about...

Some of the most talented people I know are also the most frustrated and make the least amount of money. If you fit that category, consider this – “You have too many options.”

Too many options can sometimes be a problem, because it can cause you to lose focus...

Thanks again, Jimmy. I really appreciate your insights!

(And thanks for the kind words too!)

Best wishes,

Dien