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"New Taylor Swift" just had an epic reunion... with every Old Taylor ever.
Earlier this week, Taylor Swift released Look What You Made Me Do, the first single from her upcoming album, Reputation. And what's absolutely clear... is that no one gets it. Taylor Swift's New Single "Look What You Made Me Do" Is the ULTIMATE Example of A/B Testing8/25/2017
When I did my master's research on adult playfulness and leisure skill development, I spent, like, forever trying to recruit 60 people to participate in a study. Then I entered the startup world and learned about CRM (customer relationship management) software, marketing automation -- and even just A/B testing (sometimes called split testing), which is when you compare two versions of a web page (or marketing email, or whatever) to see which one performs better. This allows you to maximize your reach and chances of success by making data-driven decisions.
And this is exactly what Taylor Swift has done with her new single, Look What You Made Me Do.
Sometimes, spaces look playful... but you can't actually play in them. image: reddit
Don't get me wrong. I love ball pits as much as the next guy. I spent pretty much every afternoon of my childhood at Chuck E. Cheese (and, unlike kids today, I actually got to run around and play by myself while the parents drank pitchers of beer). I'm all about play, and I'm stoked that so many Silicon Valley startups want ball pits. But here's the thing: many designers and office managers think their job is complete once they've got that ball pit installed. Creating a playful office space requires more than that.
"It is a happy talent to know how to play," Ralph Waldo Emerson once said.
He was exactly right. According to my master's research, playfulness isn't a trait -- it's a skill. But due to the ubiquity of technology (read: passive entertainment) and high-achieving childhoods, many young adults have yet to develop their leisure skills. The fact that they're making less money and are more likely to have debt than ever doesn't help.
So you've been asked to give a speech, talk, or assembly. And you want it to be memorable. You want your audience to think -- to feel something. To question their entire worldview, perhaps.
Now you just need a topic. Skip the boring cliches. No one wants to hear you talk about abortion, the death penalty, gun rights, or minimum wage. These are huge and broad topics, and you're not an expert. You'll put your audience straight to sleep.
This week, I bared my soul in the semifinals of Mars Studios' songwriting contest... and I lost. But I had a wonderful time competing, and I got some helpful feedback from the judges.
And, due to the lyrics of one of my songs, I was reminded of the most hilarious review anyone's ever written on Amazon.
I'll come right out and say it: I'm not sure how I even made it to the semis. It's not that I don't have confidence -- I do (#ChooseBeautiful). It's more that every single songwriter in the first round was incredibly talented.
But regardless of how it happened, it happened. I progressed to the next round -- and I was incredibly lucky to have two good friends drive all the way to Capitola from Mountain View to cheer me on. (Maybe that's what I'll write my next song about! I'll call it "Over the Hill," or, "Basically Long Distance," or something.)
In the last week, I've heard three different people claim that comparing yourself to others is somehow bad -- one even did it in a comment on my recent post, 3 Scientifically Proven Ways to STOP Caring What Others Think About You and Live a Happier Life.
But here's the thing. Comparing yourself to others, done correctly, is probably the best way to learn, improve, and build up your own confidence. Here's why:
Humans tend not to be logical and consistent, which is why, as a blogger, I make it a point to follow my own advice.
Therefore, after writing 4 Reasons You Suck at Self-Expression, And What You Can Do About It, I decided to... be more self-expressive? I've since played originals at four open mics -- and it's totally, super fun! |
About the Author
Eva is a content specialist with a passion for play, travel... and a little bit of girl power. Read more >
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