Category: Life
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Record, rewrite, rehearse
The next time you prepare for a job interview (or sales call, important meeting, etc.), take a few minutes to recall previous job interviews and note the common questions. Anticipate some new upcoming questions and write them down. Record yourself answering each question out loud. Listen to your answers. How does each answer sound? What…
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Some nice quotes
Dylan O’Sullivan posts some really great classic work into his X feed (I believe he runs the Infinite Books one as well). Here are some that have been rattling around my brain: C.S. Lewis: No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current…
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Progress in restraint
Earlier this year, I decided to make “restraint” the one-word theme of the year. I wouldn’t call it fun, however there’s no doubt it has made my life richer. Here are five notes on how it’s going: Some more observations related to restraint:
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5 pieces I re-read recently
I recently pulled up some of my old work to re-read, either because the ideas came up in conversation or were related to something that I was thinking about or feeling. They were great reminders for me, and maybe they’ll be helpful for you too: The work needs to be enough: A creative manifesto: “To…
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Shoot your shot
When actor and former NFL linebacker Terry Crews was a senior in high school, he played on the basketball team. During a practice session, he had an open shot and his coach yelled at him for not passing it to the team’s star player, Craig. When Terry tried explaining himself, his coach stopped practice and…
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Liberating rules vs. governing rules
In my early 20s, I found myself getting easily distracted by social media. So I introduced a rule into my life, which was to check social media only after 6pm. That particular rule was great, because it freed me from the possibility of getting a quick, thin, reward. I was free to be more present,…
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What’s right vs. who’s right
Shane Parrish was talking to a woman who was one of two candidates to become the next CEO in her organization. She approached him with a difficult problem that the organization faced, and her proposed solution. It would work, but it would be complicated and risky to execute. She also told him there was another…
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The Scallenge
Sometimes, you see somebody doing something on TV, and you think, “I can probably do that better.” That’s what some people thought when they saw Brian Scalabrine play in the NBA. So Brian issued a challenge, known as The Scallenge, where people could apply to play against him. Four players, each with NCAA Division I…
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Tuning the guitar
Before you can play a guitar, you’ll need to check its strings to see if they’re in tune first. Guitar strings go out of tune for all sorts of reasons—new strings may need time to break in and settle into their proper tension, playing the guitar changes the temperature of the wood and strings, the…
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Read your old journals
Writing a journal is nice, but it’s just as rewarding—maybe even moreso—to go back and read it. It’ll give you hints—or direct advice—when you feel confused. I highly recommend adding your own old journals to your reading list. One helpful technique is to combine sources—for example, you can look at a journal entry from 10…