Today is the day when millions of Americans are required to submit their tax returns to the IRS. While many have to work 5 to 6 months into the year in order to break even on their tax liability, many more don’t even realize just how much they’re paying in taxes. For those who are working in the 9-to-5 corporate world with very little tax relief, there is a better way.

Have you considered taking your passion and turning it into a business? With a legitimate business playing to your strengths, you can increase your income, reduce your tax burden while gaining tax advantages and — most importantly – work in a field that you are absolutely crazy about.

So what are you crazy about? What’s business ideas have you been harboring for many, many years? Are you interested in providing a service, creating a product or embracing a long-term passion?

Here’s what I recommend. First, write a list of the things that you are good at doing or creating. Second, write a list of the things that you would do for free. (After all if you would do it for free, you certainly do it for money.) Third, read the following books, “48 Days to the Work You Love,” by Dan Miller and “Crush It! How to Cash In on Your Passion,” by Gary Vaynerchuk. These books will help you identify your passions and how to monetize them.

Of course, as you begin a legitimate business that produces income, you can reduce your tax burden by writing off legitimate expenses. For more information regarding taxes, please consult a competent tax professional or research the many resources online.

Today is Tax Day. You can use this day to declare the American Dream for yourself and finally launch that new business or capitalize on that “big idea” you’ve stowed away. Not only can you gain some tax advantages, you can embrace a new opportunity that will help you capitalize on your strengths and passions, make extra (or replacement) income and live your life to the fullest degree.

Enter Rebecca Black and her dark horse party tune, “Friday:”

Official Rebecca Black "Friday" video on YouTube

Only three weeks ago, Rebecca Black was an unknown 13-year old girl with a dream of musical fame. Little did she know that a scathing review of her song would raise her from obscurity and turn her into a household name. The unrelenting criticism of her trite lyrics and the jarring Auto Tune vocal effects added fuel to the fire.

And what a fire it was. As the flame grew hotter, it turned into a wildfire… a viral phenomenon… a Brainworm™.

A Brainworm™ is a viral parasite that’s virtual in nature. It can begin as an innocent ditty that propagates into a song that you cannot get out of your head. Like it or not, “Friday” and its cheesy hook snagged us all.

Even the late night talk show hosts weren’t excluded from Black’s allure. She was featured on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” where she describes her rapid rise to fame–first tears and now joy:

Rebecca Black appears on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno on March 22, 2011

Furthering the proof that the Brainworm™ was propagating, Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert sang a hiliarious rendition of “Friday” to raise money for DonersChoose.org. Although the heralded event took place on April 1st, it was no joke. They raised more than twice their goal and reproduced the song in a huge production filled with balloons, confetti, a beekeeper and a Yeti. Even Taylor Hicks chimed in with true soul:

Stephen Colbert sings "Friday" with The Roots on Late Night with "Jimmy Fallon"

According to Wikipedia, Black says that she will be working on her debut album and is being courted by songwriters and record companies. With better songs, Rebecca Black can sell records. She now has the name recognition which is 99.99% of the battle to mainstream success.

It began virally with a “bad” song. Virally it has reached immortality. Congratulations Rebecca Black to your new found success!

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_black

http://www.rebeccablackonline.com/

http://twitter.com/msrebeccablack

He even had a butler and a sidekick—and a few billion dollars to boot.

He’s Batman.

Over the decades, we’ve seen Batman portrayed by several actors. In the ‘60’s we had Adam West. In the ‘70’s, Batman was a Saturday morning cartoon. In the 80’s Michael Keaton shaped the character for a new generation. In the 90’s, a failed mash-up of Val Kilmer and George Clooney still commanded the big screen. During the first decade of the “two thousands,” Christian Bale reinvented the Dark Knight in a brilliant, blockbuster fashion.

Considering that I am now in my early 40’s, Adam West was my first influential Batman. (No, I actually watched him in reruns in the ‘70’s, because Batman was off of the air before I was even born!) Quirky, yet intelligent, the Adam West Batman was a victorious crime fighter with his purple leotards, shiny cape and pointy-eared cowl. His bright yellow utility belt stowed a seemingly endless cache of tools to handle any scenario. In the 70’s cartoon form, his grandeur remained true, further fueling my imagination.

iStockphoto

While a budding youngling, many an afternoon was spent emulating my super hero role model. My lucid imagination would bring to life many crime fighting scenarios. Just like Batman, I was always victorious in the end. I always had my sidekick with me. My younger brother, a neighbor friend or a cousin typically portrayed Robin in remarkable fashion—the Dynamic Duo, as it were.

Like for any 7- or 8-year old boy during the mid-70’s, an ordinary bath towel made a formidable superhero cape. Held fast with a clothespin, the towel would flap in the breeze as I sped my Batbike at top speeds down the boulevard. With two feet on the pedals, my bicycle could double as Batman’s motorcycle or even the Batmobile, ready to face mortal danger.

It’s amazing how a young boy can be invincible against the foe. Armed with just a bath towel, this caped crusader was ready to take on the world.

Fast forward about 30 years or so. Is the boy, now a man, still invincible? Does the boy, now a man, have the intelligence to outwit the most devious of archenemies? Does the boy, now a man, still have access to the vast array of tools donned in the ultimate utility belt?

As an adult, many a man—or even a woman who grew up idolizing Wonder Woman—found himself fully immersed in life. Consumed by the obligations of career, business and “busyness,” it is easy to quell the excitement, energy and optimism found in the days of our youth. Daily distractions take us further and further away from the central tenets that fuel our creativity. Just because we have to “grow up,” doesn’t mean that we have to give up our imagination.

Batman’s tools—not super speed, super strength or a genetic mutation—made him a force. They turned a mortal man into a super hero. It’s all in the gadgets, the vehicles and the unrelenting spirit utilizing them.

So what’s in your utility belt? What creative ideas are you harboring? Do you have an idea that you want to take to market? Are you an artist, a singer or an author seeking for a way to celebrate your spark? In all actuality, it only takes a towel, a clothespin and creativity to bring these things to life.

Charlie Sheen: "I'm a winner"

It was reported on Monday that actor Charlie Sheen was fired from “Two and a Half Men.” As seen from his rants over the weekend, Charlie has provided plenty of fodder for late night comedians, Saturday Night Live, posts on Twitter and Facebook and also covered extensively by the mainstream media.

Charlie has positioned himself as a “winner” in a recent ABC News interview. Considering the recent events of his firing, is he really a winner? I don’t think so.

So who wins in this Charlie Sheen debacle? Is it CBS? No. Is it Charlie Sheen? No. What about the production crew, writers and staff members that work every week on the production of “Two and a Half Men?” No, everybody loses.

Well, let me take that back. The only group that wins are late night comedians talk shows and other entertainment specialist covering this Charlie Sheen debacle.

This blog post was dictated using the free Dragon Dictation on iPhone app.

Ben & Jerry's Late Night Snack

During last night’s episode of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, ice cream moguls Ben & Jerry unveiled their newest flavor Late Night Snack.

Consisting of a base of trade-safe vanilla ice cream, the decadence is truly immersed in the form of fudge covered potato chips—perfect for those who can’t decide between sweet or salty while watching Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.

The unveiling of the ice cream flavor was a particular significance as it marked the second anniversary of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.

I’ve always been a fan of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. Some of my favorite flavors are Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey. In all honesty, I’m really looking forward to trying out Late Night Snack.

Bravo Ben & Jerry! Well done!

This blog post was dictated using Dragon Dictation on iPhone.

“Really?” as in “oh, no you didn’t,” or “what’s up with that?” One could insert “WTF,” but I typically try to avoid hints of vulgarity. After all, there are plenty of clever adjectives that deserve their place in the sun, if implemented properly.

So what was the offending ad? (Not that I was actually offended.)

The Krystal Burger

The ad begins with two men eating Krystal Burgers—you know those small square burgers with a beef patty as thin as a nickel. They appear to be eating while outdoors, looking a little sweaty, a little shiny. They also appear to be wearing shirts that resemble a Holstein print. The one man says to the other man, “Do you feel guilty?” The second man answers in the negative. Then they stand up and say, “Let’s go back to work.”

And then the punch line is delivered in its visual satire.

Here is the recent Krystal television commercial:

As you can see in the video, they are wearing Holstein cow costumes, spoofing the famously successful Chick-fil-A cow billboards. Here’s a photo of the decade-old Chick-fil-A billboard:

With no disrespect to Weird Al Yankovich, it’s a spoof about food. But is it a Brainworm?™ No, I don’t think so.

Super Bowl XLV lived up to its promise of a memorable clash of the titans. The World Champion Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers, each with a storied history of memorable wins, slug it out in a game for the ages. Each team dominated different quarters with the most dominating team edging it out for a win showing a great game from start to finish for the average spectator.

During the big game, Social Media marketers and advertising aficionados were providing the play-by-play through the Twitter hashtag, #BrandBowl. As the Super Bowl ads were broadcasted, participants in the Brand Bowl offered their color commentary on the creative elements and branding genius, if any.

The good, the bad, and the ugly were revealed during the big game. Most of the ads simply were average in creativity and message, but a few standouts were very compelling. A few were simply bad—very bad.

So here’s my personal picks of the top three Super Bowl ads:

1)      Volkswagen—The Force. This by far is the best Super Bowl commercial of 2011. A young boy dressed up as Darth Vader is trying to use his imagined Jedi powers to move objects like the treadmill, the dog, and his sandwich to no avail. The dad comes home with a new Volkswagen Passat. The young Darth tries to do a Jedi mind trick on the car while the dad chirps the car with the remote totally surprising the boy—probably to the point of wondering if his attempts to use The Force actually worked. This is a very clever and sweet ad—very high on the emotional factor. The concept was creative and original with beautiful cinematography. I was particularly amazed at how the young actor could convey expressions and emotions through a Darth Vader mask. The pantomiming skills surely were exceptional in accomplishing the task of telling a story. Volkwagen closed the ad with the Das Auto slogan reinforcing the position of German manufacturing.

2)      Volkwagen—Fast Beetle. In my opinion, this commercial for the new Volkwagen Beetle is among the best of the best, ever. The ad shows a computer animated beetle adorned with racing stripes racing through the forest, leaping over fauna to the amazement of various other bugs like praying mantis, ants and centipedes. The most amazing fact is that Volkwagen doesn’t even show the redesigned 2012 Beetle. VW alludes to the sleek new design by comparing the bug’s profile to the new car’s silhouette in the final frames. Considering that the sleek redesign is considered to be controversial by many Beetle enthusiasts, the theme of the redesign is branding genius by Volkswagen.

Video courtesy of Spot Bowl

3)      Bridgestone—Carma (Friendly Beaver). Many times, commercials will use animated animals and random happenings to create a catchy ad, although many fall short on delivering the brand. Not so with this Bridgestone spot with a friendly beaver securing the Number 3 spot in the Best Super Bowl Ads of 2011. A guy is driving along on a rural road on a clear day when a beaver crosses his path. The computer generated beaver is shown waving his arms frantically to signal the driver to stop and not hit him. The car swerves in time to miss and the beaver signals his gratitude. The next scene is a rainy night, six months later, and a tree falls in the road in front of the same driver and car. The driver applies the brakes and stops just in time. Bewildered, the driver gets out and looks to the left in the direction of the tree stump to find the same beaver that had just cut down the tree. The driver looks ahead and notices that the bridge had just washed away a few moments earlier. All is realized when the beaver bumps his fist to his chest, signaling that he is grateful for the driver stopping six months earlier. The driver bumps his own fist in acknowledgement. Karma… spelled “carma” for the spot. The Bridgestone brand signifies the quality of the tires in hazardous situations. Very creative and memorable.

Video courtesy of Spot Bowl

Resources: #BrandBowl, #SuperBowlAds

View all of the spots here, courtesy of Spot Bowl. http://spotbowl.com/

Be sure to check back later. I will be updating this blog with the worst of the Super Bowl ads.

Doritos - A guy has to feed his roommate’s goldfish and water the plant while out of town. He forgets to do his commissioned chores so they die on him. Just before the roommate returns, he crumbles Doritos in to the fish bowl, the fish comes back to life. He fertilizes the plant with Doritos and the plant comes back to life. He accidentally knocks over the urn on the mantle spilling ashes everywhere. Doritos crumbs get mixed with the ashes so he sweep them up together. Roommate comes back home and says “Grandpa, you’re back!”  Grandpa is sitting on the couch with the roommate. Clever!

Volkwagen Passat - This one has been circulating over the Social Networks the past few days. If you haven’t seen it, a young boy dressed up as Darth Vader is trying to use his imagined Jedi powers to move objects like the treadmill, the dog, and his sandwich to no avail. The dad comes home with a new Passat. The young Darth tries to do a Jedi mind trick on the car while the dad chirps the car with the remote totally surprising the boy. Very clever and sweet!

CarMax -  Guy goes to CarMax to buy a car. He says “I feel like a kid in a candy store,” which starts a chain reaction of events of similar fate. A kid in a candy store says he feels like a geek at a robot convention. A geek at a robot convention says that he feels like a mermaid at a swim meet. A mermaid at the swim meet says that she feels like a wrestler at a folding chair factory. While getting hit by a chair, a wrestler says that he feels like an acrobat at a mattress store. The acrobat says while flipping on a mattress that she feels like a customer at CarMax. A clever round of events all within 30 seconds!

After the game, I will be completing my blog highlighting the best Super Bowl ads of 2011. Also, I will be crowning the Brainworm Trophy to the best ad. Be sure to check back on Monday!

Now time for the second half!

Related post: What is a Brainworm?

Most of us are aware of Murray’s character Phil Conners reliving February 2nd over and over in a endless loop. With the exception of him and his actions, the townspeople do the same thing over and over with predictability—after all, it’s the same day. However it’s not the day’s events that the movie is focused upon; it’s the redemption of Phil Conners to become a better person.

Phil Conners gets a do-over—many in fact, until he gets it right.

Fortunately, life in the real world does not allow us to be trapped in a feedback loop. The mental torture would be overwhelming as demonstrated by Murray’s character attempting suicide on several occasions, only to wake up again on, yes, February 2nd. But we do get a chance to “get it right.” A mulligan, if you will.

So on this Groundhog Day, consider a do-over for yourself. What would you like to change in your life? Do you need to reaffirm your New Year’s resolution? Are you looking to rebuild damaged relationships or improve yourself as a person? Are you mullin’ for a mulligan?

Spend a few minutes today to look inside yourself to assess these questions. Take a coffee break in solitude or take a brisk walk. Turn off the iPod and reflect in the splendor of silence. Take some notes or journal your thoughts. And then, as in the golfing term “mulligan,” take a do-over.

Links

Here’s my 2010 Groundhog Day article»