Wait, don’t jump out of the plane after all! (an alternate view on fear)

Everybody’s talking about confronting your fear head-on and jumping out of planes. What to make of someone advising the opposite?

How to cure your daily boredom headache

For each of us, it comes down to being a cog/zombie or figuring out who we are and who we want to become, then becoming that. Nobody wants to write, or read, or live Tales from the Rut.

How to do something big

Is there something you’ve always wanted to do? Something grand and ambitions? Maybe you’ve always wanted to write a book, or build an airplane, or hike the Appalachian Trail. It’s huge, life-changing even, and you’ve known for a long time that you want to do it, but you haven’t done it. Here’s how to change that.

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 […]

The #1 stumbling block for smart people (and how everyone can avoid it)

A lot of people think intelligence, or innate talent, is responsible for success. It seems to make sense, right? But actually, that’s not quite true. It’s the people who keep growing that come up with the best ideas and are willing to take the risk of trying something new. There […]

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 […]

Fighting The "Perfection" Disease

Way too many people are so busy being perfect-on-the-outside plastic shell people, we’re afraid to face the realities of our lives, let alone admit them to others. Here’s the thing: if you never let people see the real you, you can never have a deep relationship with anyone.