The Night Before Christmas REMIX (An ode to the bloggers who helped me change my life in 2009)

In: entrepreneur

17 Dec 2009

There is an unwritten rule that bloggers write some sort of recap post toward the end of the year. And overall, 2009 has been a big year for me. I started working for myself and have built a roster of great clients that I feel privileged to work with. And I have big things planned for the new year that I’m excited about.

This path to self-employment has been helped along by a bunch of talented authors and bloggers from around the web. Since they helped me make some life changes, I decided to dedicate my “end of the year reflection” blog post to them, to help spread the word and introduce others to their work. At first I was just going to share a list, but then decided to try something a little more original.

So here is the classic poem The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, remixed as an ode to the bloggers who helped me change my life this year. Enjoy!

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS REMIX

‘Twas the night before Christmas, working from my house,
Reading websites and blogs, clicking through with my mouse.
Self-proclaimed “gurus” were anything but rare,
But a few helpful experts were truly found there.

They introduced ideas in the things they have said,
And the words they have written have stuck in my head.
Business success doesn’t just fall in your lap,
But together they laid out a plan and a map.

Zen Habits tells of life simple, not fatter,
And to focus on the things that really do matter.
Don’t just look for ways to make cash,
But find ways to clear life of unneeded trash.

Pam Slim used to work to help companies glow,
By helping employees continue to grow.
But when she saw it all fell on deaf ears,
Escape was the route she helped make appear.

With a passport and flights that took him out to the sticks,
Chris showed us all of his cool travel tricks.
“Don’t conform!” he often and loudly would claim,
To live like all others would be a real shame!

Tim Ferriss tells stories with a devilish grin,
With business and tango and travel mixed in.
Forget about selling products in a mall,
Online business can serve a niche that’s quite small.

Jonathan used to be a real stressed-out guy,
But then he got sick and asked himself why.
He followed his passion and that’s when he knew,
Career Renegades can design their lifestyle anew.

Ramit Sethi has heard every spending goof,
And offers advice and then shows the proof,
That plan when you’re young, and you’ll be bound,
To retire with finances that are cushy and sound.

Then there’s Seth Godin, striped socks on his foot,
He’s been sharing for years, and plans to stay put.
By being remarkable and straying from the pack,
Your business will grow and then stay in the black.
Calling marketers liars sounded quite scary,
And it sounded like customers should always be wary,
But it was the importance of stories that we all should know,
And he showed how to use them like a marketing pro.

Chris Brogan never has nothing to tweet,
And he preaches that brands should be nice, should be sweet.
Trust is important, and you should write from your belly,
Being authentic will make your brand sticky like jelly!

Guy Kawasaki has books on my shelf,
And they have helped me decide to work for myself.
“How to Change the World” I have always read,
And I thank him for all the smart things he’s said.

Getting Real has totally changed the way that I work,
And helped create projects that don’t drive me berserk.
As 37Signals expands and it grows,
They help push the limits, and keep us on our toes.

As the economy led to employment dismissals,
And security blew up like it was hit by some missiles,
These bloggers helped share a future that’s bright,
Start a business that’s small, and sleep great at night!

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Tweets that mention The Night Before Christmas REMIX (An ode to the bloggers who helped me change my life in 2009) | Websterism - Big Ideas. Small Budgets. -- Topsy.com

December 17th, 2009 at 7:00 PM

[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jonathan Fields, Mark C. Webster. Mark C. Webster said: The Night Before Christmas REMIX (An ode to the bloggers who helped me change my life in 2009) http://bit.ly/90H7u8 […]

Mark Webster

About Mark Webster

One of the Co-Founders of SideTour, former TechStar (NYC Summer 2011), ex-NBA'er, and past TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon Winner.