On one of my favorite Q & A shows, Lori, a long-time watcher, asks for advice. Like most of us who are ambitious, she suffers from a widespread malady- heart-breaking disappointment at the revelation that her dreams aren’t manifesting in the way she wants: “I’m clear on my goals and take daily action toward my … Continue reading
When Cheryl Strayed was 33, she sat in a hushed cabin in the Massachusetts woods to write “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail,” the book that would eventually earn her dazzling literary success and worldwide acclaim. She, of course, had no way of knowing that her memoir would go on to sell … Continue reading
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
“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
“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
“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 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
“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
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
According to Julia Cameron, author of smash hit The Artist’s Way, there are two kinds of people: innovators and conservers. As artists, we are most often innovators: we create and invent, experiment and explore. Those who work with our work-agents, managers, publishers, gallery owners, curators, producers- are conservers. As Cameron maintains, “conservers focus not on the … Continue reading
The Blank-Faced Confidante 