This is what you need to create

Uninterrupted time is the fodder for creativity. As yeast is to bread, solitude is to the creative process—essential. Without the quiet moments and lingering stillness, words that move us wouldn’t be as moving, paintings that stir us wouldn’t be as stirring, inventions that help us wouldn’t be as helpful. Creation best happens in the quiet…More

An important thing I learned from being laughed at

Everyone laughed, and I was the butt of the joke. I hated it. But I realized something about life.  A group of us sat around a large circular dining table, and a newly married couple started talking about how they met. It was a great story with surprising twists and turns. And then a guy…More

You can conquer the fear of embarrassment

The fear of embarrassment is powerful, but it doesn’t have to overpower us. But sometimes it does. I know all about that. An episode of a TV show kept me from blogging. Let me explain. Billions, a show on Showtime, has a scene where two characters were talking about another person who got fired from…More

Improve your life one day at a time

We all want to get better, reach our goals, live better lives. But getting there is so freaking hard. When we think about growing a business, getting healthy, getting a promotion, saving for retirement, etc. it can feel daunting, overwhelming. And no matter how much we don’t want to, we can end up quitting. But…More

I had no idea midlife could feel like this

Another birthday came and went, and I’m solidly over the hill. But I don’t feel that way.  In my thirties, I used to fear being forty. I dreaded it like one dreads a root canal. And it hovered over me like a black cloud. Probably the unknown was the cause for so much fear in…More

What is it like starting a blog?

Starting a blog is stupid-hard. It’s kind of like cooking an elaborate meal every week, hoping someone will show up to join you, but then no one does. It’s always just you eating that food you worked so hard to make—alone. Slaving over a piece of writing doesn’t mean anyone will ever read it. And…More