If you’ve ever seen the movie “Jerry Maguire”, then you remember the scene early on where Tom Cruise’s character has an epiphany. In the middle of the night, he starts rethinking his entire approach to business and crafts his Manifesto of sorts.

And, he prints off dozens of copies and distributes it to every person in his company overnight for them to read.

The next morning, he sees that his manifesto of sorts shook the status quo of his company.

He loses everything, but it was the start of him holding onto what he knew was worth fighting for.

What’s your Manifesto? What’s the line in the sand you’re willing to draw and say, “This is what we can’t stop thinking about and is so important to us that it’s the hill we’re willing to die on.”

Our team at Keynote Content helps clients create their Manifesto. This becomes their guiding lens as a speaker, coach, or consultant for how they want to show up in the world around them.

If you’re ready to draw a line in the sand for your industry, if you’re fired up and want the world to know what matters to you, then send me an email [email protected] to start a conversation today.

Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to the Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

How many half-done manuscripts are sitting on your computer? How many unfinished drafts are waiting in your drafts folder for your blog? How many unreturned emails are waiting for you to say “Yes!” to a great opportunity for your business?

Each of these are collecting the proverbial dust - they’re just waiting for you or someone else to come by and either put them out of their misery or complete them.

Finish what you started. That one book you wanted to be 60,000 words long and it’s only at 40,000 words? It’s okay if you wrap up your book at 40,000 words. You can publish now and always add onto your book later.

Whatever’s holding you back, whether it’s self-doubt, procrastination, or just plain laziness, block out time this week to just get it done. Ignore the unimportant for even a few hours and get it done.

You will feel a sense of accomplishment knowing that one draft that’s been collecting dust is now free to be shared with the world around you.

What’s one thing you’ve been working on for far too long that you can finish and launch this week? That’s your mission: get it done!

Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to the Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

There’s a poster on my office wall that I look at every morning. It’s Teddy Roosevelt’s speech called “The Man In the Arena”.

Roosevelt highlights the one who risks it all, who actually gets in the arena of life and dares to live and experience great achievement.

Towards the end of the speech, Roosevelt makes the contrast of the person in the arena with the ones who mock his failures, the ones sitting in the seats.

They haven’t risked anything. These are the ones Roosevelt calls the “cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

There are people in your life who are ready to mock your message.

They range from family members who don’t understand what you’re doing to complete strangers online who you will never meet in person and don’t know a thing about you.

These are the cold and timid souls in your life. They don’t know what it’s like to write a book. They don’t know how hard it can be to fill a mastermind group.

And, for many of them, they never will know that success or the taste of failure because they’re too scared to get out of their seats and step into the arena to risk it all for the sake of creating something extraordinary.

Why would any of us give them any of our time? We’re too busy fighting for what we know to be good and true and right and worth pursuing in life.

Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to the Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

One of the most gripping sonnets of poetry I’ve ever encountered is from Walt Whitman’s poem entitled “O Me! O Life!”

It’s in this poem that Whitman poses the question of what good is life, what is this great purpose for us as humans to toil and tread in this life.

And the answer, “That you are here—that life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.”

Today is about your contribution to the world around us. What is the verse you are writing with your message, your books, your talks, your training, and your content?

Life is far too short and far too fragile for us to simply make money. It is our sacred responsibility to make an intellectual contribution to the world around us.

What is your verse? What is the lasting contribution that those around you recognize as your great gift? And, how do you add even more meaning to those around you?

That is your verse. That is your legacy. This is your extraordinary moment of impact, and I can’t wait to see what you do next.

Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to the Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

I once heard the most valuable treasure isn’t in a museum. It isn’t in a bank or a vault or a safe somewhere.

The most valuable treasures in the world are buried in the graveyard. It’s where some of the best ideas, most innovative solutions, and most insightful perspectives are buried because they were never shared.

This week is about breaking free from whatever may be holding you back. I want you to be inspired, even ignited in your mission to share a powerful message with people who need to hear what you have to say.

It can be intimidating, even scary to share a new idea. What if people don’t like it? What if someone even hates it and tells you they hate it?

So what? If you feel a message burning in your body that you know can help someone have a better life, then you have a tremendous responsibility to share that message.

Your message may end up being what saves a couple’s marriage or an entrepreneur’s business or a loved one’s life.

One of the most selfish acts is not sharing ideas we know have potential. Let your audience decide who needs to hear your message. It’s your job to make sure your message doesn’t become just another piece of buried treasure. 

Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to the Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

Fact: question-based content will only continue to grow in popularity over the next few years. How do we know? Three names: Alexa, Siri, and Google Home.

As more voice-activated devices are introduced to homes and offices around the world, searches in the form of a question will become the search style of choice for many users.

Your audience has so many questions, questions that you as a subject matter expert in your industry have a great opportunity to answer.

So, where do you find those questions? You need to go where your target market is already spending their time.

Over the next few days, I’m going to share ideas on how to find and answer your target market’s questions on specific platforms, like LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Quora, Twitter, and more.

You will learn platform-specific tips and techniques for how to answer questions better than anyone else for your target market.

For now though, make it a great day!

Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to the Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

This is a good PSA: for anyone who still records their video with their phone straight up and down instead of holding it sideways, your videos aren’t as good as they could be.

When was the last time you saw a TV where the height was greater than the width? They don’t exist.

Think about how our eyes are laid out: they’re side by side, horizontal, not vertical.

Horizontal videos are easier for all of us to experience.

There’s a good chance you already know this about videos and you only record videos holding your screen so it’s horizontal. Thank you for not recording vertical videos.

For others, this may be a well-timed PSA. If you want to grow your influence using videos, always make sure your videos are horizontal, not vertical.

And, make sure you tell your friends to do the same. Thank you, and make it a great day.

Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to the Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

A recent survey by the Altimeter Group shows that short-form video is the best performing content in 2019.

What qualifies as short-form video? It’s specifically videos that are two minutes or less in duration.

There usually is little to no prep work for many short-form videos, and the production capabilities are greater now than ever before with smartphone video resolution.

In fact, I film most of my short-form videos using my iPhone recording in 4K quality.

Chances are you have that same capability with your phone. So, grab out your phone today, take 30 seconds to think about what you want to say, and record yourself sharing one big idea in two minutes or less.

It doesn’t have to be perfect; just make it’s authentically you. And then, share that video with your crowd.

Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to the Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

We are all in the business of selling promises. Whenever someone buys your book, downloads your podcast, likes your message, or starts following you, they’re buying a promise.

Even if you never even use the words “guarantee” or “promise”, there’s still an underlying promise. It’s the promise that you have the insight, expertise, and method to help them reach a new reality after trusting you with their money, time, and attention.

People don’t buy products; they buy promises, they buy experiences, they buy feelings.

What’s the promise you want to make with your audience today? Write it out, read it out loud, and ask yourself two questions:

Is this a promise people are excited to buy from me?

If so, am I capable of delivering on this promise without compromising my integrity?

You need to be able to answer “Yes!” to both of these questions. If so, that’s a promise that can change the world.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

There’s a French term that stopped me in my  tracks the first time I heard it translated into English. 

It’s the term raison d’etre (ray-zon deh-treh). It means “the most important reason or purpose for someone or something's existence.” This is the core purpose for why you were even born in the first place.

You’ve probably heard someone say, “I was born to do this.” or “I was made for this moment.”

Those moments happen when you realize you have a unique opportunity in this life. You’re already a miracle since you’re one of several billion sperm cells than swam the fastest. That realization alone should give you the inspiration you need not to play it safe with your message.

So, what’s the real message you need to share with the world around you? What’s the moment made for you to change the world? This is your raison d’etre, your opportunity to do what you were born to do.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”