What are Morning Rituals? Within self-improvement communities, the concept of the “morning ritual” has spread like wildfire. Everyone wants to know how the world’s most successful, most productive individuals start their days. The idea of a morning ritual is: A set of activities that serves as a launchpad into your day, empowering you to be your very best The exact same set of activities (routine) every day that minimizes the decisions necessary to get through the start of your day. Read More...

When I encourage people to write publicly, to publish something, one of the most common objections I hear is: Well…I don’t have anything new to say… To this, I have two responses: Yes. You do. It doesn’t matter. Why You Have Something Original To Say There has been no moment in the universe precisely like this one, and there will never be another like it. No matter how unoriginal your circumstance may seem, there is something original about the moment that you are living in. Read More...

I’m writing this post for myself right now, and not as a particular tutorial. But this is something I struggle with a lot, and it occurred to me that maybe I could think through it on the page. I struggle with writing personal essays. Not the short story variety, but usually in a short bio capacity. Resumes are a good example. Any sort of school application essay is also a common one. Read More...

Do you ever look at someone online and think: “Wow, they’ve got it good.” “I’ll never be a real <writer/developer/manager/leader> like them.” “I’ve been doing this for 5 years…does this feeling of inadequacy ever go away??” Impostor Syndrome There are many terms for this, but one facet I’ll focus on is the one called impostor syndrome. Even if you’ve been doing something for a while, maybe you have not been doing it as long as some of the leaders in the field. Read More...

I often hear the phrase “bias for action” as a positive trait. I don’t disagree. When choosing between taking action, or not, I strive to be someone who takes action. After all, taking action is one of the best ways to learn. Results do not come to those who choose to do nothing. Any trait that is overexpressed has its flaws. The downside of being overly action-oriented is impulsivity. Incidentally, that fits me quite well. Read More...

Writing does a lot of things for me, and I suspect for a lot of people. It can help me work through problems. It can be therapeutic. It also allows us to examine things from different points of view. In itself, this is powerful. Taking the perspectives others may have can help us recognize blind spots. It can help us understand and empathize with others. But today, I am thinking about a very specific type of perspective: the level from which we observe events. Read More...

Sometimes I feel down. I am not where I want to be yet. And the answer to that is: systems vs. goals. This is a step forward, but it’s not everything. Let’s take a look at Systems vs. Goals first. Systems vs. Goals I came across this reading Scott Adams (the creator of Dilbert) and James Clear (Atomic Habits), though the idea itself is not new. Let’s say you want to get in better shape. Read More...

Yesterday’s writing prompt was about the backdrop details, and thinking about what you take for granted. The things you don’t notice that enable you to do what you need to do. Pick some routine event or activity from today. Step back and try to take an objective look at this narrative. What are you taking for granted? What allows this routine to take place the way it does? BONUS: Tie-in what you take for granted with a perspective of gratitude. Read More...

When I listen to a story, I try to make a mental map of the threads at play. It is how the mind naturally tries to follow along. When I am paying full attention, that is. In our daily lives, however, our minds generally gravitate whatever it is that needs attention. For example, if you are a new driver, and you are not yet comfortable with the mechanics of operating a motor vehicle, your mind will actively be more focused on pushing the right pedals to the right depth, ensuring the shifter is in the right position, and your steering motions will be jerky and a little too deliberate. Read More...

I only play to win. I’ll do it, but it has to be perfect. Ever find yourself thinking something like that? I remember reading about Apple and the culture that Steve Jobs built. They strive for perfection. In our culture, we idolize perfection, flawlessness, high-performance, exacting results. It’s not necessarily bad to strive for these things. The question is how you get there. But what does perfection actually mean in the context of the highly fluid environment we live in? Read More...