Hey joebadmo - thanks for your thoughtful comment! I realize that I have skipped some of that backstory and it makes people read my thoughts on selling/self-promotion with more wariness.

I hope to write more about this in my next post in the series (Why Smart People Suck at Selling) but basically I was a nice, energetic and shy child to the point of being bullied. Part of my shift in thinking was learning to stand up for myself and realizing that I was responsible for getting what I wanted out of life -- and that the best way to do that was to help other people get what THEY want.

Anyways, more on that later. Thanks for your thoughts.