The secret to a more interesting life

Amelia Earhart said “When a great adventure is offered, you don’t refuse it.” And then Chris Guillebeau quoted her. When two of my heroes speak, I definitely take notice. Adventure is important and too often neglected in our lives. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut or even just […]

How unhappiness works–and how to beat it

Pop quiz: only one question and it’s multiple choice. What would make me happy? a) winning the lottery b) my loved ones truly appreciating me c) a lifetime supply of chocolate d) my neocortex Happiness, and unhappiness, are actually pretty simple, but they’re not caused by circumstances like most people […]

Five simple steps to making your dreams come true

A few weeks back, I wrote a post about big dreams. Dreams are important—they can give us direction and hope, something to work toward. If you don’t know what you want to do, check out that post for a few suggestions on figuring it out. But dreams can only take […]

Cynicism and changing the world

Yesterday’s post generated some really great discussion about optimism. This is a subject with a lot of strong opinions! Most people wrote very thoughtful and interesting insights, but what struck me was the tone of scorn in a few of the pessimists’ comments, and the slight defensiveness in a few […]

How to find your passion

Do you ever wonder what you’re really doing here on this planet, or more accurately, what you’re supposed to be doing? Do you envy the people who just seem to know, and are already doing what they’re clearly meant to do? There aren’t a lot, but they’re out there. They […]