No matter how you believe you have learned in the past,
it is time to reframe.
Whatever any person has told you that has proved to be a LOUD
obstacle in your mind whenever you look at obtaining new skills,
now that now is the time to throw it away.
Build your memories starting from this day forth anew.
Address and analyze your strengths of the past and current,
to build your future self.
Future skills are just amplified current ones.
You are beautiful, talented, and smart just the way you are.
Your life is going to be a combination of experiences, things you learn, and stuff you collect.
Whenever you see dancing figures on Youtube or whatever grabs your attention on TikTok:
Remember that you are looking for inspiration from another person who has achieved some level of competence in whatever they are doing.
That’s it.
You’re not supposed to look the same. Or that would be weird.
You don’t have to slim, tall, or sexy. “True beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
You are not supposed to speak three languages. Only if you want to.
What we see in real-life, is edited for content because, people sometimes do not stop to smell the roses,
or appreciate the walk to the rose bush,
or linger on the memory of the sweet smell after strolling away into the late afternoon light.
So remember to see the beauty in your own life, capture the inspiration needed, but remove that self that says, “I need to be like them.”
Who are you?
This was a homework assignment I gave to a student.
No, not one of the deepest questions known to people, but just a simple grammar assignment:
to construct one question.
The student produced three words:
Who are you?
This was my response:
“Who are you?” is actually not a simple, easy question at all. You have found one of the most important questions we all know.
We ask this question, but convert it to:
“Who am I?”
And then, this question is directly connected to:
“What is the meaning of life?”
“Who am I?” is a question we ask ourselves in the deepest and darkest times. The answers to it come in bits and pieces when we are happy. It is those challenging times where prove our mettle, our worth, and the value of our deeds. People find what they are made of when a storm swirls around us,
where,
we
seek
a way out.
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”
Sun Tzu
If life…our stories were a memory,
Then one must appreciate what’s
Beautiful,
By remembering to
hope for the best.
As I do.
I’m not quite sure what self-expression for me is quite yet,
But
I
Am
Confident
That
I will find out.
Thank you.
This poem is for
I believe that learning how to effectively incorporate feedback is an important skill for personal and professional development.
Understand that feedback can come from a variety of sources and motivations, and approach it with the humility of a lifelong learner, recognizing that others may have knowledge or perspectives that we do not currently possess.
As a person, I aspire to make a positive impact on the world through my work. To achieve this goal, it is essential for me to continue developing my skills and expertise.
In modern culture, there is often a societal expectation that demonstrating one’s capabilities and determination is a source of pride. However, for me, this pursuit is simply a necessary requirement for the process of mentoring effectively.
My dream is to work with global technology companies and contribute to the development of people through collaboration. I believe that obtaining funding is an important step towards achieving these goals and making a positive impact on each student’s (every student’s) future. While others may not always understand or appreciate one’s motivations and aspirations, evidence of one’s efforts and accomplishments can be a powerful way to communicate and demonstrate one’s capabilities…and how they relate to a person’s growth — someone figured it out and now it’s your turn to expand and develop.
My ultimate goal is to bring my ideas and designs to fruition in a way that benefits and helps real people. I recognize that I cannot achieve this on my own and that working collaboratively with others can lead to enhanced learning and development. In addition to the practical benefits of collaboration, I also find that the process of proposing and adapting ideas through creation brings joy to myself and those around me.
In my life, I have developed a range of techniques and approaches to improve art and design.
I am eager to share these insights with my peers and support them in exploring and advancing their own goals.
As a writing exercise, remember that each poem is written to a person.
“To be or not to be, that is the question.”
To be great or to not.
To be happy or to not.
To be [any adjective in the English language], or not be [any adjective in a human language]
To be successful or go see about love.
To run or to walk or to crawl.
To lay down all that you value,
to rebuild it anew for a life.
I think that’s what Shakespeare was trying to say.
Everything is always in conflict and that’s actually balance 😀
If the only constant is change,
then that means all the principles with which
we govern our lives,
have their opposing opposites.
14 billion years ago, the universe began to expand,
and it still continues to expand today.
The very nature of the universe revolves cylindrically,
as do our lives and the frameworks we use to,
say what’s right and what’s wrong.
Through it all,
We function as our own gatekeepers or light seekers.
To limitations or to guiding purpose.
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”
Hunter S. Thompson
Hello everyone. Here’s a little introduction to this poetry series.
First off, I’m trying to dedicate each poem to a person and write to that person as I formulate my thoughts.
Secondly, HTML is a great way to embed the dedications for an added treat (the popup).
Third, poetry is freeing and therapeutic. It is my hope that these words exist on the internet for any future eyes to see and ponder.
Today’s poem/post connects with our school, my work, and a new system of reading English, or any other language for that matter.
In the English language, there are nine parts of speech.
Noun,
Verb,
Adjective,
Adverb,
Pronoun,
Conjuntion,
Preposition,
Articles,
and
Interjections (AHHHHH!)
I hope to create a program/extension/plugin that can scan any text in any language, and color code it accurately based on the language’s parts of speech (syntax mechanics).
However, I am almost 40 years old and trying to learn how to code amidst, well life. 😀
Some help would be greatly appreciated.
The following snippets are my forays into what I’ve produced thus far.
<html>
<body>
<p><span class=”preposition”>Beyond</span> <span class=”article”>the</span> <span class=”noun”>forest</span><span class=”comma”>,</span> <span class=”article”>the</span> <span class=”noun”>troll</span> <span class=”adverb”>menacingly</span> <span class=”verb”>hid</span> <span class=”preposition”>under</span> <span class=”article”>the</span> <span class=”adjective”>rickety</span> <span class=”noun”>bridge</span><span class=”period”>.</span></p>
</body>
</html>
Beyond the forest, the troll menacingly hid under the rickety bridge.
<html>
<head>
</head>
<body>
<style>
.App {
width:500px;
border:2px solid black;
border-radius:20px;
background: linear-gradient(#fff 10%, #f1f1f1 98%, #ccc);
padding:0 20px 20px;
font-family: monospace;
}
body {
background:rgb(242, 242, 245);
}
p{color: yellow;
}
span{color: green;
}
span.noun{color: red;
}
span.verb{color: blue;
}
span.adjective{color:orange;
}
span.pronoun{color:yellow;
background:black;
}
span.adverb{color:lightblue;
}
span.conjunction{color:green;
}
span.article{color:black;
}
span.interjection{color: gold;
}
span.period{color:black;
}
span.comma{color:black;
}
</style>
<p><span class="preposition">Beyond</span> <span class="article">the</span> <span class="noun">forest</span><span class="comma">,</span> <span class="article">the</span> <span class="noun">troll</span> <span class="adverb">menacingly</span> <span class="verb">hid</span> <span class="preposition">under</span> <span class="article">the</span> <span class="adjective">rickety</span> <span class="noun">bridge</span><span class="period">.</span></p>
</body>
</html>
// Get a reference to the span elements const prepositionSpan = document.querySelector('.preposition'); const articleSpan = document.querySelector('.article');
const nounSpan = document.querySelector('.noun');
const commaSpan = document.querySelector('.comma');
const adverbSpan = document.querySelector('.adverb');
const verbSpan = document.querySelector('.verb');
const adjectiveSpan = document.querySelector('.adjective');
const periodSpan = document.querySelector('.period');
// Set the innerHTML of each span to the appropriate text
prepositionSpan.innerHTML = 'Beyond';
articleSpan.innerHTML = 'the';
nounSpan.innerHTML = 'forest';
commaSpan.innerHTML = ',';
adverbSpan.innerHTML = 'menacingly';
verbSpan.innerHTML = 'hid';
adjectiveSpan.innerHTML = 'rickety';
periodSpan.innerHTML = '.';The Homework Poem for ____.
*The Student must use 14 pronouns: subjective and objective forms.
| Subjective Pronouns | Objective Pronouns |
| I | me |
| We | us |
| They | them |
| He | him |
| She | her |
| It | it |
| You | you |
**For efficiency’s sake and a challenge, I’m going to try to limit the word count as well.
***Please note that objective pronouns have not been capitalized as they are generally not.
****I’m also going to try and use the parts of speech mnemonic for a familiar sentence structure conducive to future patterns.
Beyond the forest, the troll hid menacingly under the rickety bridge.
I was in it (the city).
He was in it.
We saw him.
She went with him.
He learns from her.
They became “us”.
It was nice.
You can join.
I invite you.
Who are the pronouns?
What are the subjects?
What are the objects?
def print_colored_text(text, color):
colors = {
"red": "\033[1;31m",
"blue": "\033[1;34m",
"orange": "\033[1;33m",
"lightblue": "\033[1;36m",
"yellow": "\033[1;32m",
"green": "\033[1;32m",
"brown": "\033[0;33m",
"black": "\033[0;30m",
"purple": "\033[1;35m"
}
print(colors[color] + text + "\033[0m")
text = "Beyond the forest, the troll menacingly hid under the rickety bridge."
parts_of_speech_and_colors = [
("Preposition:", "brown", "Beyond"),
("Article:", "black", "the"),
("Noun:", "red", "forest"),
("Comma:", "not applicable", ","),
("Article:", "black", "the"),
("Noun:", "red", "troll"),
("Adverb:", "lightblue", "menacingly"),
("Verb:", "blue", "hid"),
("Preposition:", "brown", "under"),
("Article:", "black", "the"),
("Adjective:", "orange", "rickety"),
("Noun:", "red", "bridge")
]
for part_of_speech, color, word in parts_of_speech_and_colors:
print_colored_text(part_of_speech, "purple")
print_colored_text(word, color)
print()
When you look at the core essentials of what DNA has created in humanity,
you will see patterns throughout.
Why you perceive will become information on how you adapt.
Who you choose to be with and what you plan to experience…
is that which will build your life.
Where you go is up to you.
Gary Halbert was a highly influential copywriter known for his innovative approach to marketing.
One of his key philosophies was the A-pile/B-pile concept, which posits that individuals sort their mail into two categories: A-pile mail, which is always opened, and B-pile mail, which is sometimes opened.
Halbert believed that the goal of every mailing should be to get it placed into the A-pile, which could be achieved by sending a personally addressed, white envelope first-class.
In addition to this, Halbert emphasized the importance of writing a personal letter that does not appear promotional until the end, as well as using common interests or problems to build a lucrative mailing list.
An example of this is the coat of arms letter, which was inspired by an article Halbert read about a woman who made personalized paintings of family crests and sold them through direct mail. Halbert saw the potential to scale this idea using print and direct mail and used the phone book to build a list of people with common last names and an interest in family history.
The following is a resharing of a 2018 article by a copywriter who goes by the name of “Robert.”
His original post can be found here.
I’m afraid you and I will never quite fully understand the mind of Gary Halbert.
I can’t listen to him speak without laughing, and it’s not because I find him funny… The way he thinks is humbling – humbling to the point of borderline hysteria. (I speak as though he’s alive because, for us copywriters, he is.)
And, as a copywriter, I’m sure you’ve come across and studied his work. I’m sure too you can empathize when I say it’s an almost meditative experience.
No matter how many times we read Gary’s letters, we expect to be floored… one insultingly brilliant insight after another.
If you are, on the other hand, one who has not yet had the pleasure, I urge you to first prepare…
Wear a seatbelt, a helmet, or light some sage and clear your mind.
Have a pen and notepad handy, and locate your “print screen” button – swipe the file at the ready.
Gary Halbert
So, we learned in day 1, of our 5-day copywriting crash course, Gary’s philosophy… but we need to recap:
He was at his wit’s end.
He had no running water… no electricity and his wife was soon to leave.
He had to think of a solution fast.
So, he asked himself this question:
“Gary, what would you do if you had to make your next mailing work? What if you could only mail one letter and if you didn’t get a response… you would, quite literally, be beheaded?”
The product was his A-pile/B-pile philosophy:
“…The average American sorts through his mail while standing over a waste basket.”
A-pile mail is always opened. This includes anything that looks like a personal letter.
B-pile mail is sometimes opened… includes anything that looks promotional.
So, rather obviously yet widely ignored, the goal of every mailing should be to get that piece of mail into the A-pile.
No more bulk rate postage.
No teaser copy.
No stylish flair.
No business name.
Just a personally addressed, white envelope… sent first-class.
Goal 1: get the letter opened – check.
Goal 2: get the letter read.
On the inside…
No fancy letterhead.
No flashy text or images.
No business name or order card.
Nothing that would even remotely hint “sale,” until the end of the letter.
An honest-to-goodness, personal letter.
This is the famous, coat of arms letter
The idea for this letter, in particular, came to Gary in the morning, while reading the newspaper.
He found himself skimming an article on how to make some extra cash, on the side.
In this article, a little old lady… who split her free time evenly between visits to the library and her workshop… told her story.
She supplemented her income by crafting personalized paintings of family crests.
During her trips to the library, she’d find a surname with a coat of arms associated. And she’d sketch a copy of it, in ink.
Then, she’d go to the phone book and compile a list of every person with that last name, and mail them a postcard… a postcard including the ink sketch, as well as an invitation to buy a painting of that coat of arms, in full color.
So, keen on exploiting the little old lady’s humble source of side income, Gary decided to start a company that would bring in today’s equivalent of $300,000 per day.
His epiphany?
Steal her idea and scale using print and direct mail
At the time, no one in marketing believed in the telephone book… Names aren’t ordered by common interest. Lists built using it would never be lucrative.
For a list to be lucrative, everyone in that list must have some interest in common – some problem in common.
Then, you create a product solving that problem, and you’ve got a winner.
But, you see, there IS a common interest amongst people in the phone book… family history.
And, people on a given page of the phone book DO have something in common… a last name.
So, most people on a given page are, at least somewhat, interested in the history of a common name.
Gary’s mailing list came prebuilt…
And, the best part?
Each letter could be personally addressed to Mr. or Mrs. So and So.
Anyway, Gary had to run a number of tests before finding his winner. And, for example, he made this discovery: the rarer a name, the better the response.
Still, the campaign had to be worthwhile, so his goal was to find a name attributed to 7,500 people in the US. Profits could be made at 15,000, but 7,500 was ideal.
Macdonald was one of those names…
Here’s the letter:
coat of arms letter
We could talk about this letter all night, but here are just 8 of Gary’s psychology hacks:
The letterhead
This wasn’t the address of Gary Halbert…
No… Bath, Ohio has a population of 9,500 – an innocent, small town.
Gary used this house as a hub for his new business.
He hired “little old ladies” to work there too… Again, how innocent.
When people called, they wouldn’t be met by some professional, well-dressed sales rep. And, when they visited, “Mrs. Nancy” was always away, seeing family.
You should notice too that he didn’t choose something like Main Street or Corporation Avenue.
And “Road?” That had to be spelled out. “Rd.” would sound too rushed, right?
Dear Mr. Macdonald
How many people do you know named Mr. Macdonald? Not many, I’d imagine.
I’ll tell you what I CAN imagine… No Mr. Macdonald is going to have the impression that this was mailed from someone making $300,000/day.
Why would anyone mail in bulk to a list of Macdonalds? That’s just inefficient.
If his name were Smith, it might be a different story… but I guarantee Mr. Macdonald has never received a personally addressed, promotional letter.
Yeah, he’d read… especially when his name appears 4 times throughout the 361-word letter.
Every time he sees the name, he’s drawn in closer.
Nancy L. Halbert
“My husband and I discovered this while doing some research for some friends of ours…”
Already, the tone is so inviting…
Gary was NOT close to his wife. He very seldom said anything positive about her, but all he needed was her name.
Who’s more likely to be interested in family history and heirlooms – someone named Gary, or someone named Nancy? Male or female?
“My wife and I…” or, “my husband and I…” Which would get the better response from Mr. Macdonald?
He even signs her name like an old lady with shaky hands…
Simplicity
The letter certainly wasn’t written by some tight-assed executive… or even someone who writes letters often.
No, this was sent under special circumstances.
Whoever wrote this doesn’t spend much time writing, at all.
Too many prepositions.
Too many repeated words.
Long, unplanned sentences.
No auditory flow.
I’ve even spotted a couple typos.
…Certainly not written by a copywriter.
It truly sounds written by an honest old woman, just trying to pay for her hobby.
Scarcity
“The report so delighted our friends that we have had a few extra copies made…”
“If you are interested, please let us know right away as our supply is pretty slim.”
Well, we know Nancy doesn’t have the need for a warehouse. In fact, she probably only has a couple copies left by the time Mr. Macdonald receives this letter.
Better respond soon!
No “act now’s” to be found here… Remember, Nancy doesn’t know a thing about marketing.
Qualifying buyers
You won’t make a killing, selling a $2 product by mail… but you CAN build a list – a list of proven buyers who are interested in family history.
And, Gary’d mail this list regularly with new offers.
In fact, a few days after the report, Mr. Macdonald would’ve received a follow-up letter. And, in that letter, he’d be asked whether he liked the report, AND whether he’d be interested in (quite an expensive) wall-mounted plaque…
You’ll notice he says explicitly, the report looks great, framed and mounted on a wall. But, of course, he knows most us Americans are too lazy to frame it ourselves.
…Why not upsell Mr. Macdonald on a beautifully painted, wall-mounted plaque?
The initial letter just got him in the door.
Trust
“…For some friends of ours.”
The question, at the beginning, intrigues Mr. Macdonald. The 2nd paragraph builds trust.
How kind of Nancy and her husband to take the time and research their friends’ names. And, they even have the heart to reach out to me, a complete stranger, and offer the same kindness?
Gary says there are 3 reasons why people don’t buy:
They don’t want what you’re selling.
They can’t afford what you’re selling.
They don’t trust you as a salesman.
The first two are rather hard to overcome… but the 3rd is easy, and should always be overcome.
I don’t know about you, but I already trust Nancy after just the 2nd paragraph.
And, she reinforces that bond using her ignorance of marketing psychology… She doesn’t sound like a salesman, at all.
Hell, it doesn’t even sound like she’s trying to turn a profit.
Nancy spent quite a lot of time researching
Even knowing this letter is full of lies, I can see little old Mrs. Nancy slaving away in a library, piles of books on her desk, digging frantically to discover the history of her dear friends’ names.
“…Coat-of-arms in ancient heraldic archives more than seven centuries ago?”
She spent all that time learning the name’s meaning, its origin, the original family motto, and its place in history.
How thorough…
And, ALL of this work was done specifically for someone with the rare name of Macdonald.
I don’t know about you but, if I were Mr. Macdonald, I’d buy.
So, what to we do with this letter?
I’d recommend swiping it.
Use it to model future campaigns…
As a matter of fact, I’m writing a letter for a local lawn care business now. And I’m modeling Gary’s approach.
I’m picking one name in the Valdosta area, and writing up a personalized letter from the wife of the man who owns the lawn care business.
It’ll be educational – the pre-autumn “must do’s” for going into winter with a healthy lawn and why it’s important.
At the bottom, I’ll offer a free lawn analysis and quote, along with “my husband’s” phone number.
Great application. I’m working my own version. Thank you, Robert.
So many circles of communication,
layers upon layers of etiquette,
we learn how to navigate how to acquire,
apply, share, listen to intently, and
try to catch words and ideas sometimes as
wistful and elusive as the path of a swirling butterfly.
once lost, never to be found again…
moments in time are such unless captured.
Bubble Language School 