According to organizational psychologist Adam Grant, the most inventive, innovative people have what most of us believe are “bad” habits: they procrastinate, they experience fear and doubt, they even have horrible ideas. But it is because of these “bad” habits-not in spite of them-that creative people have breakthroughs. 1. Bad habit #1: They procrastinate Ever … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: January 2018
The Physics of Motivation
“BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!” my annoying alarm clock blared. 6 am and it was time to go to the gym…at least the time I was supposed to go to the gym. For over a year, I had been going to the gym diligently 3x a week no matter what. Now when gym day rolls around, I find myself … Continue reading
The Fallacy of Dreams: Why Maybe Will Get You Nowhere
“Maybe I’ll go back to school…” “Maybe I’ll get my teaching credential…” “Maybe I’ll move to San Francisco…” If you’re like me, you know “maybe” intimately like a friend. Though “maybe” introduces a realm of possibility, the conditional form is also non-committal: it negates the responsibility for action. I might write; I might sing. … Continue reading
Accepting What Is…
“For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain”- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow When we’re dissatisfied or unhappy, our first impulse is to struggle. We believe fighting our circumstances will somehow make them better. But struggle is the source of our greatest turmoil. The more we resist-instead of … Continue reading
Risk = Danger + Possibility
Risk means… danger of failing looking stupid feeling stupid embarrassing yourself making yourself known being vulnerable having a panic attack stumbling falling fucking up or possibility of succeeding looking awesome/fabulous/brilliant feeling awesome/fabulous/brilliant realizing just how silly and baseless all your fears were in the 1st place feeling stronger feeling a billion times more confident stumbling … Continue reading
The Real vs. Theoretical Self: How to Stop Getting Drunk on Other People’s Visions for You
“To be mature you have to realize what you value most. It is extraordinary to discover that comparatively few people reach this level of maturity. They seem never to have paused to consider what has value for them. They spend great effort and sometimes make great sacrifices for values that, fundamentally, meet no real needs of … Continue reading
How to Conquer Failure
Most of us conduct our lives in a certain way simply because we are afraid of failure. We stay in our futile, miserable jobs because to leave would mean to take a risk and possibly invite defeat. We stay with the wrong person, in the wrong city, at the wrong job because to do anything differently … Continue reading