It’s day 2 now of the 7 in 7 project. The goal is to create 7 valuable pieces of content to post on the web in 7 days. I’ve been working on projects all day for other people and now it’s my turn to pump something out. For my post today, I’m going to teach you guys “How to Bullshit Your Way Through Anything.”

Not everyone wields the unique power of bull-shitting. It either takes lots of hard work, or you are like me, and was graciously handed the gift at birth. With a little guidance, I can have you gushing loads of bull like the pros in no time!

Tip #1 – Be the Bull

If you’re going to come up with a bunch of crap on the spot and expect people to take the bait, you have to be confident. This confidence is what I like to call “being the bull.” If there is even the slightest hint that you don’t know what you’re talking about, you will lose all respect and rapport that anybody may have previously had for you.

Tip #2 – Don’t Hesitate, Elaborate

When talking or writing the bull, quantity is much more important than quality. Start simple and on topic, and then, just let your imagination flow. Some people while attempting this elaboration method tend to veer too far from the original topic being discussed or written about. The trick to elaboration is to be unique and creative while maintaining a smooth chain of bull.

Tip #3 – If You’re Trying, You’re Trying Too Hard

Bull-shitting isn’t something that can be forced. If you find yourself stuck and searching for what to say or what to write, chances are the material you come up with will feel unnatural and will easily tip-off any suspicious listeners that you’re completely full of shit. Whenever I catch myself searching, I stop, take a breath, and allow my mind to provide me with more precious nuggets of bull. Fact is, true bull is never forced, it can only be inspired.

Following these 3 bull-shitting tips will have you on the fast-track to success!

Ha! Oh man. I’m so full-of-shit it’s ridiculous. Although I was completely talking out of my ass, I think there were some good lessons here that could be applied to other aspects of life. Even if you didn’t learn anything at all, it’s ok. I hope  I was at least able to provide a few good chuckles. Never underestimate the value of a good chuckle.

Have a good night everyone!

I just made the update to Mac OS X Lion. It’s insane how much easier it is to update your operating system on an Apple than a PC. It was only $29.99 and I installed it right from the App Store on my computer. There are tons of cool new features. Especially one in particular I just stumbled upon tonight, “Text to Speech”. I’m pretty sure Macs have had this feature for a long time, I just never noticed it until now.

I was just perusing the plethora of options within the Text to Speech feature on my Mac and came across an option that allows you to have your computer “speak” whatever text you have selected, simply by pressing a simple key-combination.

Here’s How! 

1. Go to System Preferences (You can get there by clicking the little black apple at the top-left of the screen)
2. Click on Speech (It’s the little microphone on the bottom row)
3. Inside of the “Speech” feature there are 2 tabs at the top of the box, go into the Text to Speech tab by clicking on it.
4. Select the checkbox that says, “Speak selected text when the key is pressed“
5. Close out of System Preferences cause you’re all set!

Quick Tip: To close out of any currently open program, press and hold “command”, and while holding, click the “Q” key (command+Q)

Now you can highlight any bit of text, press [option+esc], and the computer will read back to you whatever you have selected.

Practical Uses: 

• Highlight an entire article on the web and let the computer read it for you. — Hey, why don’t you test it out on this page ;)
• Highlight your friend’s Status Updates on Facebook and let the computer read them back. You could even go back into the System Preferences and change the computer voice to female and match your friend’s gender… lol
• Open up a “Text Edit” document, write a bunch of funny stuff and make your computer read it back. For some reason this is so freaking entertaining! I have spent a good few hours writing profanities and funny sentences and making Alex (my computer voice) read them back to me.

I work in an office where everyone sits on their computers for hours at a time. I can’t wait to hook my computer up to the Bose wireless speakers and type something hilarious. Maybe something like, “My name is Murphy, I am your Bose speaker system. Karson, you are looking pretty fat today…” I think it would get some good laughs.

I’m excited to hear what cool stuff you’re able to come up with using the Text to Speech feature on the Mac. Be sure to post any conversation down below as a comment.

I’ve got an idea… How about in the comments, you guys write little chunks of funny text that we can all highlight and make the computer read back? That could be pretty cool.

Catch you later!

I thought I would share with you guys 3 awesome, extremely valuable video shooting tips and/or tricks.

#1 – Quality

I’m not going to bore you with the usual technical and mechanical advice you see all around the internet. The quality of your video should totally depend on what your goals are. If you’re promoting yourself as a professional and want people to take you seriously, high-quality video is a necessity. However, if you want people to see you as a more laid back and “real” type of person, I actually recommend purposefully shooting lower quality video. Perhaps only using a mobile phone to shoot your videos suits you? Don’t get stuck thinking High-Quality = Better and Low-Quality = Worse. They are just different and they produce different results.

#2 – Eye Contact

This tip is more geared for somebody shooting video and speaking to an audience. I see this all the time where people read their lines and try to fool the audience into believing that they are really speaking directly to them. When speaking to an audience, look directly into the camera lens as if it’s a human eye. You have to remember that actual people just like you and I are watching this. It get’s really easy to objectify what we see and read online. As if some robot is just spitting out all of this information for us to consume. Put some personality and emotion into your work. Let people connect and relate with what you have to say.

#3 – Lighting

This always seems to be one of those tasks that gets swept under the rug. Lighting your video can add so much life to whatever it is you’re shooting. If you’re shooting outdoors, a simple reflector will do miracles. If you’re not looking to spend loads of cash on video production gear, I recommend heading over to Home Depot and grabbing a large piece of insulation board with the reflective back. If you’re really in a pinch, grab some cardboard and wrap it up in aluminum foil. As for lighting your scene indoors, professional lighting of course is going to give you the best quality. Again, if you aren’t looking to spend mad bucks, just be conscious about lighting and try to shoot in an area with lots of natural light.

Maybe you already knew about these video shooting tips, maybe not. Hopefully I was able to at least provide a different perspective on the topic of shooting video. If you guys have any other useful tips for shooting video, be sure to write them in the comments section below. People are friendly here so don’t feel shy.

Perhaps you’re like me and often struggle to come up with blog ideas. I have listed in this post 5 ways to generate fresh, creative, and valuable blog ideas.

#1 – Do something constructive and let the ideas come to you.

Make it a goal to get out and do something constructive every time you find yourself struggling for a new blog idea. Stop chasing and let the ideas come to you. Go on a walk, work on a hobby, hang out with friends and family, whatever you do, take your mind off the blog.

#2 – Ask yourself, “What do I struggle with?”

Chances are, millions of other people struggle with the same issues that you yourself struggle with. Find something within your niche market, learn how to solve the issue, and share your experience. Give your readers something truly valuable and creative so they will want to come back time and time again and start sharing everything you post with their friends.

#3 – If you’re thinking, you’re thinking too hard.

Sometimes going the complete opposite of being active and constructive is perfect for generating fresh new blog ideas. Slow down, relax, lie down, get comfortable, and let go of everything. True inspiration isn’t searched for, its thrust upon you.

#4 – Grab a pen and piece of paper.

An easy way to get some interesting ideas is to simply grab a pen and a piece of paper. I generally pull out my laptop or iPad when I’m transcribing my ideas. By changing your method, you allow the brain to access different types of information. If you normally write, try typing on a computer. Change is the key factor.

#5 – Have fun!

Positive and negative energy are constantly being transferred through everything. When we exert positive energy, positive energy flows back to us and vice versa. Whenever you are looking for ideas or writing, stay positive, happy, and most importantly, have a good time. Turn blogging into a passion instead of a job.

It’s always nice to hear what you have to say…

This website and I will be around for another 70 years or so… How about we get to know each other. Leave a comment if you have any questions, feedback, or just want to say hi.

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