Category: Unfinished Thoughts

The Crowd Pays To See The Amateur Fail

J Cleveland Payne Leave a comment

You are more likely to get heckled by a random drunk in the audience on open mic night than you would as a headliner for a national tour.


You may be just as funny in both situations, even if much less polished, but as a rookie trying to make a name for yourself, you are more open to attacks from the crowd than an established star.

You become more open again as a star in decline. As a has been. As a washed-up version of a main eventer.

This is because people pay to see the star succeed (i.e., entertain them) and pay to see a comic trying to get their footing or keep what they have left fail. Watching people struggle is just as entertaining as watching them succeed, in a sick twisted sense.

Have you noticed this on you way up, or down? Email me at jclevelandpayne@gmail.com and we can go deeper.

Asking How & Why

J Cleveland Payne Leave a comment

It is not the best indicator of success, but a person who makes a habit of asking these two based questions show that they have a desire for something more significant for the world or themselves.

The two questions are ‘how’ and ‘why,’ and they are surprisingly interchangeable.

Personal example: I could ask these questions both ways regarding my lack of success in gaining traction as an online influencer.

One way is to ask, ‘How did that person earn the response they are receiving,’ followed by ‘Why are my efforts not getting a similar result?’

Or, I could ask, ‘Why did that person earn the response they are receiving,’ followed by ‘How can I get a similar result?’

Asking these questions shows intercultural curiosity. A want or need to know more, and a want or need to do better as a result.

Most of the asking is internal, as in, you’re asking these questions of yourself, whether in your head or out loud (I won’t judge. This scenario is the driver for your path to success. This will push you to take up the real work of real research. Those who ask these questions want to figure out the how of the why (or why of the how).

But if you ask these out loud in earshot of others (still not judging), or purposely ask these to another person who you think might have an answer, you’re initiating a conversation that could lead you a step closer to your clue to greatness. Or not.

I have asked these questions about just about everything for just about my entire life. And yes, people get annoyed very quickly.

But those who don’t get annoyed will gladly offer insight. Some of it will work, most of it will not. All of it should be welcome.

Have I Bought Your Book?

J Cleveland Payne Leave a comment

I am a sort of a troll when it comes to people creating products and trying to become better entrepreneurs, on the internet or otherwise. If the price is right, I’ll often buy a book or course from a person who’s information just happens to flash across my monitor. I recently placed an order for designer chocolates from a friend of my wife’s, because, it was Tuesday?

About half the time I will make the effort to offer up reviews and referrals. Honestly, I buy so much random stuff that I see first-hand accounts of just how poorly produced much of the material released online is. Because it is simple and inexpensive to create a product, many simple minded and cheap people think they have a shot of making a quick buck, and will take a shot.

If this is you, as in taking a shot at a quick buck with shoddy material, well, then more power to you. If you can get away with it, and your conscience is cool with it, then who am I to convince you otherwise. If your moral compass is a little closer to pointing to truth, then I know you are as frustrated as I am that there is so much bad material out there. It’s hard enough to compete with being good enough to rank with the good stuff, but the fight for eyeballs and shelf space with the millions of subpar products out there is discouraging.

Can I offer any solace to your pain? No.

What can I offer? A sympathetic ear. A shoulder to lean. A potential business or accountability partner.

And maybe a person with a little spare time what used it to voice a thought floating around in your head.

Whatever I can offer, I hope I can help. And I’m still buying plenty of books, programs, and products. At my own risk.

Tell Your Story (Someone Will Listen)

J Cleveland Payne Leave a comment

Someone out there needs to hear your story. Unfortunately, that does not mean your story is worthy of becoming a bestselling novel that gets optioned for a summer blockbuster movie. That’s what keeps most people from putting the words to paper to preserve their stories in their purest forms (from their most recent memories) for the world to share and future generations to savor. Because most of the world won’t put forth the effort to share them, and the future generations will probably not care.

But there is someone out there that needs to hear your story. Your particular story. They may not be famous or influential, but the words that spin a tale of your life, with fear and faults, and successes and celebrations, are destined to be told to someone or a few some ones.

As I work to help people ‘master their message,’ formulating their stories to present to mass audiences, I look at my own life and my own story, and the frustration that more people don’t seem as interested in my life as I happen to be. I have an interesting life. More real than any B-list actor trying to keep their fame alive and mortgage paid by living a semi-scripted life on a Reality TV show. Few people care about the details of my life, and fewer want to hear me tell it to them as a way to be entertained on a Friday night.

My story may not be the greatest ever told, but I intend to make sure it is told with as much splendor as I can muster every time my daughter hears it. And every time I get the chance to share a few tales of my experiences, I give a performance as clear and concise as possible. Because I have learned one thing from listening to so many stories in my lifetime, and now training others to share their stories over the past decade. You never know what tidbit of information or what sound bite of advice is going to resonate with other people. You never know what small shred of your story someone else will actually remember. I know I am surprised by the bits as pieces of stories I have heard that I actually retain.

So save your complaints about a lack of an audience. There is an audience. There is always an audience. Craft your words. Master your message. Tell your story to anyone who will sit still long enough to listen. Keep telling your story as they stand up and walk away. Someone will listen. And someone needs to hear it.

Tell Your Story (Someone Will Listen)

J Cleveland Payne Leave a comment

Someone out there needs to hear your story. Unfortunately, that does not mean your story is worthy of becoming a bestselling novel that gets optioned into a summer blockbuster movie. That’s what keeps most people from putting the words to paper to preserve their stories in their purest forms (from their most recent memories) for the world to share and future generations to savor. Because most of the world won’t put forth the effort to share them, and the future generations will probably not care.

But there is someone out there that needs to hear your story. Your particular story. They may not be famous or influential, but the words that spin a tale of your life, with fear and faults, and successes and celebrations, are destined to be told to someone, or a few some ones.

As I work to help people ‘master their message,’ formulating their stories to present to mass audiences, I look at my own life and my own story, and the frustration that more people don’t seem as interested in my life as I happen to be. I have an interesting life. More real than any B-list actor trying to keep their fame alive and mortgage paid by living an semi-scripted life on a TV reality show. Yet few people care about the details of my life, and fewer want to hear me tell it to them as a way to be entertained on a Friday night.

My story may not be the greatest ever told, but I intend to make sure it is told with as much splendor as can be mustered every time my daughter hears it. And every time I get the chance to share a few tales of my past experience, I give a performance as clear and concise as possible. Because I have learned on thing from listening to so many stories in my lifetime, and now training others to share their stories over the past decade. You never know what tidbit of information or what sound bite of advice is going to resonate in other people. You never know what small shred of your story someone else will actually remember. I know I am surprised by the bits as pieces of stories I have heard that I actually retain.

So save your complains about a lack of an audience. There is an audience. There is always an audience. Craft your words. Master your message. Tell your story to anyone who will sit still long enough to listen. Keep telling your story as they stand up and walk away. Someone will listen. And someone needs to hear it.