7 Things That Inspire, Educate, and Encourage Me

I've been enjoying Tim Ferriss's “5-Bullet Friday” emails. If you don't receive that weekly email, you should sign up for it here.

Today I'm experimenting with my own variation of this idea, which I'm dubbing “7-Link Saturday”. Here goes…

1. Music That Inspires Me – Jesus Culture, featuring Kim Walker-Smith, Unstoppable Love

 

2. Video That Encourages Me – André Rieu & His Johann Strauss Orchestra performing “And The Waltz Goes On” in Maastricht. A Waltz composed by Sir Anthony Hopkins. Watch Sir Anthony's face.

 

3. Video(s) That Educate Me. The Story Grid video series by Shawn Coyne… required for all Storytellers, whether you write novels, screenplays, or ad copy.

“The Story Grid is a tool developed by editor Shawn Coyne to analyze stories and provide helpful editorial comments. It's like a CT Scan that takes a photo of the global story and tells the editor or writer what is working, what is not, and what must be done to make what works better and fix what's not.”

The Story Grid Book

4. Speaking of Storytelling

One of my photography mentors, Mason Marsh, has this amazing portrait and story about Ben Moon on his blog:

That post is worth reading in and of itself. It was through Mason's post that I learned about the powerful short film Ben released earlier this year. It brought me to tears. Yet it left me celebrating life. (It's about a dog named Denali. You have been warned.)

 

5. Great Blog Post. If you missed it, my friend Mike Kim published an amazing post this week called “Why You Must Attain Rising Star Status (And How To Do It)” 

6. Fantastic Podcast. Michael Hyatt published one of my favorite episodes of his podcast (“This Is Your Life” ) this week, called “How To Wreck Your Future: 5 Hidden Dangers of a Pessimism Addiction”.

7. Steve “SJ” Scott's 8-book Summer Sale. Steve is a prolific e-book author, and this week he's offering 8 of his books at 99 cents each! A couple of them are co-authored by my friend Rebecca Livermore. Check out the sale here.

The books that are available as part of this deal:

  • 10-Minute Declutter: The Stress-Free Habit for Simplifying Your Home
  • Master Evernote: The Unofficial Guide to Organizing Your Life with Evernote (Plus 75 Ideas for Getting Started)
  • The Daily Entrepreneur: 33 Success Habits for Small Business Owners, Freelancers and Aspiring 9-to-5 Escape Artists
  • Level Up Your Day: How to Maximize the 6 Essential Areas of Your Daily Routine
  • 23 Anti-Procrastination Habits: How to Stop Being Lazy and Overcome Your Procrastination
  • Daily Inbox Zero: 9 Proven Steps to Eliminate Email Overload
  • Writing Habit Mastery – How to Write 2,000 Words a Day and Forever Cure Writer’s Block
  • 115 Productivity Apps to Maximize Your Time: Apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire and PC/iOS Desktop Computers

Okay, I Blew It

This was my first 7-Bullet Saturday (and maybe my last – let me know if you'd like to continue getting these each week), and I went way overboard. Next time (if there is a “next time”) I'll keep it to 7 links. Maybe.

Enjoy your weekend.

Ray Edwards is a world-renowned copywriter and communications strategist, writing for some of the most powerful voices in leadership and business including New York Times bestselling authors Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul) and Tony Robbins. Ray is a sought-after speaker and author, hosts a popular weekly podcast, and blogs at RayEdwards.com.