To become better you must create. Creating and consuming have a fundamental difference. It’s easier to read a short story than a novel. It’s also easier to create a short story than a novel. What is easy is not always best. You grow more from creation than consumption. It’s more rewarding. Creating something new forces … [Read more…]
When you’re dealing with people, and even with yourself, listen to the underlying emotion and not just the statements. The TV show House has a fascinating scene that stuck with me and I think you can apply to your life. House was sitting in a room with a boy that’s saying odd things. The boy … [Read more…]
Peter Thiel wrote an interesting article on the End of the Future. His main point is that the future does not automatically improve. To make things happen you have to actually struggle. Sitting back will stop the innovation. The War of Art talks about the battle having to be fought anew everyday. This is something … [Read more…]
Stand by yourself and look in. Can you see how the things irritating you are not the bottom line? The bottom line is that your happiness is dependent on how you respond, not what you’re responding to. Between the sensation and how you react is a space. Sometimes it’s a tiny space, like if you … [Read more…]
Feeling bad is a terrible motivator. Don’t be pressured by your own mind. In my experience a pull toward good is much more effective than a push from bad. Don’t beat yourself up. It’s easy to do when pain is wrecking your creativity. You’ll look for problems rather than benefits. The urgent will seem overly … [Read more…]
A wise man once said, “So much thinking is self-fulfilling prophesy.” I think this is true. Look at the placebo, where you take a pill that doesn’t actually change your body chemistry, but you believe it will. That belief changes your brain and your brain heals your body. Another wise one said, “The most important … [Read more…]
I wonder how to actually improve your character. It’s been said that if you lose everything and keep your character, you’re doing well. If all you really have is your outlook on life, you better make sure it’s a good one. I don’t know if you can easily break apart and redefine your character. The … [Read more…]
A few days ago I watched a very interesting document on Nova called Dogs Decoded. It was about wolves and humans coming to cooperate. Something I didn’t realize was that wolves are social meat-eaters that hunt in daylight and humans were social meat-eaters that hunt in daylight. Apparently there are very few animals that have … [Read more…]
If you can be content in this very moment without doing anything else, you have great strength. When you allow yourself to live in this moment, without needing things to be “done” or “changed”, you can muster a power that no fear or anger can affect. Your desires for how you think things should be … [Read more…]
What do you want to see grow? This cuts to the heart of action. You can be a creative human in the 21st century. You can produce art and joy for others. What to do depends on what you want to grow. You have more real power than any king of the past. With a … [Read more…]