The Swagger News

Looking for a mental coach? Whatever works.

He corners me right before my speech.

"You know" he says, "I don't believe in this mental coaching stuff. It's all BULLSHIT." 

He's not hostile. In fact, he's smiling. 

Wow. 

Never had that happen before. Not once in twenty years. 

For now, though, it's SHOWTIME. 

I go out and do my Swagger thing. Nobody throws beer bottles. One guy leaves during a break. The rest stay and listen. Many actively participate. I have a really, really good time.

Are you skeptical of mental coaches? 

Sometimes your skepticism may be justified. If any coach tells you he has 'the secret' or a 'quick fix', or that it'll be 'easy', he's lying. Avoid him and his snake oil. 

But he is few and far between.

The overwhelming majority of coaches are dedicated, ethical, and caring professionals. We understand that our methods only work if you, our client, are completely honest with yourself and with us. If you don't confront your issues with honesty, Swagger will never work. 

To Mr. BULLSHIT man I say this: if you have no need for coaching, that's absolutely fine. If you are successful doing it your way, more power to you. 

Whatever works, pal.

For those of you who do seek support, encouragement, stimulation, honesty, love, challenge, confrontation, conversation, friendship, and success, you've got my number. May your Swaggers be blinding. 

with LOVE, 

Dave

To see a little video of me coaching, click here. 

An Artist with Swagger: Aafke Romeijn's Stella Must Die!

I’m stuck in traffic again, which is normal because I drive a lot. My radio says we’re gonna be here a while. All around me, the gentle hum of engines and road rage simmer. I turn on the CD player.

 “This is for everyone who has ever been worried…” Aafke sings on ‘I Stretch the Dark’.

 “This is for everyone who has ever been hurried…”

 Usually, when stuck in traffic, I suffer from musical Attention Deficit Disorder; forever jumping from song to song, artist to artist, listening but not really hearing.

 But Aafke’s “whispering, dark, and gloomy” words cut right to the bone. I am transfixed.

 The hopeless frustration of my traffic jam melts away. I can’t even see the man next to me, in his BMW, slamming his open palms on the steering wheel. No, I have a companion to get me through this. Her name is Stella, and I can already tell she’s gonna kick my ass.

 Stella Must Die!, Aafke Romeijn's (pronounced Ahv-ka Ro-mine) self-released debut, is not for the faint of heart. Twelve songs of love and its delicious melange of emotion: hate, envy, infatuation, compassion, obsession, and, ultimately, violence.

 I could tell you the musicianship, composition, and arrangements on Stella Must Die! are impeccable. After all, Romeijn is conservatory trained and her fellow musicians have undeniable chops as well.

 I could tell you the lyrics, written in English - Aafke’s second language, are so poignant and brutally honest that they display a wisdom far beyond Romeijn’s mere 24 years.

 I could tell you the cover art is both teasingly sexy and slightly troubling, particularly when combined with the violently suggestive album title.

 I could tell you this, and it would be true.

 But it misses the point.

Stella Must Die! is, above all, a love story. And if you’ve ever been touched by the addictive crush of love, Romeijn’s crafty songs will move you.

At the same time, this is not an album suited for a day at the beach. Or a dinner party. Or a mellow Sunday morning. No way. It is operatic and dramatic. Theatrical and extravagant. It demands your attention. It requires you to push away the never-ending distractions of your 21^st century life and LISTEN.

 When you do, you’ll glimpse the soul of an artist, Aafke Romeijn, with the courage to swim the messy, terrifying and shamelessly human seas of her heart.

 As she sings on ‘Stella I’, the album’s opening track, “We’re in love and it’s gonna destroy us both”.  That’s right lovers, this is our siren call. Consider yourself warned.

Buy Stella Must Die! here.

Come to Aafke's album release party on 26 January 2012. Check for info here.

To get my posts in your inbox every Friday click here.

Are you passionate about your work?

The essence of Swagger is: let love drive your business. Without love, we won't make it through the tough times. Instead, when faced with adversity, we'll quit. The cycles of our particular market are important. Our network is important. Our skills are important. But all of that, in my opinion, is trumped by the love we nurture for our chosen path. 

Answer these questions:

 

 If you answered yes to 6 or more of those questions, you are passionate about your work. I'm happy for you. 

If not, please hear me out: the reason you're not passionate about your work is because you've resigned yourself to a 'safe' job.  You're afraid. What are you afraid of? Fear of poverty. Fear of embarrassment. Fear of success. 

Some of you may say, "but I'm just not passionate about anything." Yes. You. Are. Look again. It's there. You're a human being - you have no choice but to create and creation is driven by passion. 

The good news? You can turn it around. I can coach you to design your life in such a way that your passion, your true love in life, gets priority. Both my One Year Swagger Program and the Private Intensive One Day Boost, will get you to start pursuing your passion in the real world.

Click here to mail me for an intake. It's free of charge or obligation, and takes less than an hour. If you're interested but don't live in Holland, I also do Swagger sessions on Skype.

And remember, on this Swagger Friday, the only good reason to do anything is LOVE. 

Why 'I can't' equals 'I won't'.

For Dutch Christmas (called 'Sinterklaas') I'm given the hard cover version of Steve Jobs biography. It's a massive block of paper. I could kill a man with its girth. A few nights later, I notice the book is hard to read in bed. It's too clunky. In a 21st century twist of fate, I see my Kindle lying peacefully on the bedside table. It's tantalizingly calling out my name, "David, put down that dinosaur. Come to me. You can read me without breaking your wrists" 

In less time than it takes to say "Steve Jobs", I grab my Kindle and buy the ebook. It's the same book, I remind you, that lies heavily on my chest as I push the two buttons required to make my digital purchase. 

The future, dear friends, is here.

As much as I love my gargantuan hard cover, to ogle it, fondle it, to admire the workmanship, I will not get into bed with it. But my Kindle, clean lined and featherweight as she is, will follow me everywhere. Safe to say, I will never again be purchasing an IKEA bookshelf.

But this plot thickens. For I am not just a passionate reader. I'm also a writer. 

For the better part of two years, I've written a book in the traditional manner: I conceived it, wrote it, shopped it for a publisher, found a publisher, and then went back and forth for months and months hammering out the final version (which is STILL ongoing). I'm eternally grateful for my publisher's belief in my work, as well as the risk they're taking.  

But my experience has taught me a valuable lesson: the traditional writer|publisher paradigm is in grave danger. In fact it is potentially D-E-C-E-A-S-E-D. 

Self publishing, that's my mantra for 2012. 

There's one catch: technology.

Here's where 'I can't' meets 'I won't'. I decided long ago that I can't do digital. I decided I'm an analogue dude. 

Wrong. Hollow excuse.

Of course I can. Anybody can. If you're 'smart' enough to read this post, you can handle the basics of anything out there. 

The truth is: I just won't|wouldn't. 

But if I truly want to be an independent coach|artist|business owner, I gotta learn the tech: Photoshop, ePUB, CSS, iMovie, Garage Band, Final Draft. Not to mention the obligatory Twitter etc. Freedom only comes with the ability to utilize the technology. Arrivederci analogue. 

Step one: my first ever computer course. I sit at a wooden table, my Mac perched in front of me. Dorus, the digital maestro, will guide us through the software minefield that is Photoshop.

By the first coffee break I've become uncharacteristically quiet. The massive mountain of information has crushed my brain. Dorus sneaks frequent glances in my direction, making sure I've not slipped into a coma. 

Slowly but surely I find my footing, but it ain't easy. Watching Snooki get drunk on Jersey Shore is easy. Learning Photoshop, and the rest of the digital media ilk, is hard. It demands lots of concentration, patience, and calm. 

As this year begins, be aware of your own 'I can't' vs 'I won't' trap. Don't fall in. Find a coach. Find a teacher. Find a course. Stop making excuses and go do it. When you do, your Swagger will be blinding. 

Welcome to 2012 comrades.