You Don't Have to Like Doing What You Love
Some days, when I feel like I’m stuck spinning my wheels in a ditch of disillusion, I’m reminded of this famously misattributed quote:. “The definition of ‘insanity’ is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” — You Pick.
Read full storyStagnation in a Crowd is Worse than Solitude on the Move
I used to think that being surrounded by likeminded people was always a good thing. It absolutely can be, to an extent. When you feel as if you’ve found “your people,” life starts to feel a bit less overwhelming simply due to the proximity of those familiar faces. You can find support in others, comfort in friends, and peace among the people you care about most. But this isn’t about the benefits of friendship, it’s about the hazards of stagnation that same comfort presents.
Read full storyAccept Who You Are' Can Be Toxic Advice
In a world slowly becoming more and more governed by the idea that how you identify yourself is paramount, there has emerged also the notion that every person, no matter how ludicrous their personal claims of identity, is already somehow perfect in who they currently are at any given moment.
Read full storyWhat Heroin Taught Me About Habit-Forming
A pocket of my past deserves a little more credit than I’m normally willing to give it. It’s not something I’m eagerly forthcoming about, but it’s played a big part in both the benefits and detriments I experience to this day due to that old life.
Read full storyOur Dual Nature: The Strength of Embracing Your Feminine as a Man
“Acting like a f****t isn’t going to get you laid,” my coworker said to me, laughing. A term sadly still heard in the hushed tones of insecure guys trying to put others down for normal behavior.
Read full storyStop Being Afraid of Spotlight Moments
So many of us claim to want to stand out from the crowd, but when the time comes for the blinding light of attention to shine directly on us, we freeze. We cower, we sweat, we shake, we choke on our words, forget to breathe, or worse yet, we run away.
Read full storyIf You Want to Make Money Writing, Just Don't Think About Pink Elephants
Someone tells you to not to think of something for ten seconds, and what instantly floods your mind?. Our savanna-stomping pink-trunked pals are merely a crowd favorite, but it works for just about anything.
Read full storyYour Cleverness is Spoiling Your Creativity
The other day I was reading an interview in The Hollywood Reporter with Noah Hawley, the writer and creator of the FX series Fargo(a fantastic series which you should definitely check out if you haven’t already, but if you want to and haven’t yet, that link does contain spoilers).
Read full storyThe 4 Essential Signs You're Outgrowing Your Anger
I was angry the other day. Really angry. In fact, I was downright pissed. You see, I bought a used car about a month ago. I got a really good deal on it and it runs and looks great. Little to no maintenance required as of yet.
Read full storyThe Sneaky Side-Effect of Choosing Your Own Path
It’s natural to want to be accepted by others. It’s also natural to want to stand out as unique. But it’s a fine line to walk between holding onto your individuality and feeling like part of a collective. Too far in either direction and you’ll either lose touch with others, or lose touch with yourself.
Read full storyWhat it Means to Live the Predicament of Your Incarnation
No, I’m not talking about re-incarnation. That’s definitely a conversation for another time, though. I’m talking about this incarnation. You, with pixelated epiphanies flooding your eyes at this very moment.
Read full storyWhat Not to Do With Your Inspiration
I’ve noticed I have a bad habit I fall into when I start feeling the first tingles of inspiration. As soon as my motivation peaks, and I’m drawn into the act of creation once again, I have the tendency to aim that piping hot insight in a direction it wasn’t meant to go.
Read full storyWhy Progression is Always Followed by Regression
There’s an idea I was talking about with a friend the other day. Something that I had considered to myself before but hadn’t ever really talked through it out loud. It goes something like this:
Read full storyStop Talking About Your Ideas
I’m going to stop sharing my ideas with people. Not that everyone should, or that it’s always a bad thing, but the more often you share your ideas with other people, the less often you’re actually going to follow through on them. At least, that’s been the case for me.
Read full storyHow Your Attachment to Expectation can Change Your Life
When I first moved to California, I didn’t do it with any real plan in mind. All I knew was that I needed a change, a big one, to shake my life out of the rut that it was in.
Read full storyThe Reason Your Advice Just Won't Get Through to Some People
People give advice too much. Way too many people think they know way too many things about the world and don’t hesitate from expounding their dime store wisdom to any passerby with an open earhole. Raving rebels and righteous ramblers alike.
Read full storyYour Writing Voice Should Be a Combination of the Best Parts of Yourself
Writing about finding your writing voice is strange. It’s like shopping for shoes for strangers. I don’t know your size, or style, or preferred amount of arch support, so who am I to tell you what to wear? Do you like laces or slip-ons? Are you a steel toe or a sharp heel? A flip-flop or a slipper? Maybe you’re a croc, or you like Velcro — in which case I’m not sure I can help you as you’re clearly not one for taking advice… All I can really do is put a few pairs in a pile and let you see what the options are.
Read full storyThe Pull Between Peace and Productivity
During this year of staying reluctantly stationary with none but ourselves to keep us company, it’s easy to understand how some of us weren’t adapting to life pressing the Slo-Mo button so unexpectedly.
Read full storyHow to Not Lose Interest in Things so Quickly
Learning how to wait is a really essential skill to have. Not waiting to take action, but waiting to see results. I see and hear so often people talk about jobs they’ve quit, or friends that gave up a hobby, or opportunities brushed aside before anything mentionable even occurs. It’s a shame to hear about because you think you always want the best for people, but they have their own journey and maybe whatever the thing was that they quit just wasn’t meant to be a part of it. It’s hard to say.
Read full storyThe Reason You're Not Sticking to Your Plans
As I sit here staring into this white void, patiently waiting for some sort of other-worldly jolt of electric inspiration, I can’t help but think about how often so many of us must find ourselves in this precarious situation.
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