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It’s safer, but not real
It’s not what you dream It’s the life you build. There’s something very seductive about dreams and aspirations. They cost nothing, and untested you are never wrong. They feel good to talk about. Online, they get you likes and a sense of identity without any of the effort of actually doing something; without the risk…
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Starve them
Don’t feed the trolls. – Austin Kleon You know who they are. The energy vampires who routinely create a context of negativity and fear, leaving you depleted after you engage with them. Some likely live within your larger circle. Create boundaries, don’t feed them. Keep your interactions neutral, factual, and brief. No emotional hooks, venting,…
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What changed?
Self-help books compete for shelf-space and eyeballs. Countless titles account for billions of dollars in yearly sales. The industry grows in part because only a small percentage of motivated readers finish a self-help book and an even smaller percentage follow its recommendations. They’re on to the next book before they’re done with the last. Change…
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Completion is its own competency
It’s not a lesser cousin of intelligence. We need both smart people and quiet builders – that’s how empires are built. Resourcefulness is intelligence too; applied to people, time, and real problems – beyond just abstractions. Ideas without follow-through go nowhere. Execution without ideas goes nowhere in particular. Generating ideas and fulfilling them don’t compete,…
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Exclusion as environment
We want our world to be predictable and safe, and we design a comfortable lifestyle, a refuge to ensure both – our own personal HOA. What protects us can also keep us small. Over time the refuge becomes a prison. It doesn’t announce itself. It happens gradually. We avoid or exclude one uncomfortable thing, then…
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Within your line of sight
Clarity comes from elimination. Remove until only intent remains. – Armin Hoffman Clarity is less about insight and more about eliminating what’s clouding your line of sight. Too many possessions and mental clutter come to mind, but there is more. Hold on to what continues to serve a purpose and advance your true intent; let…