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A more resilient confidence
When you put your confidence in external events—such as results or outcomes—you are also setting it up to be shaken by disturbances, setbacks, and rejections. While it might feel more exciting—high highs, low lows—this type of confidence is less resilient. One minute, your stock is up and you feel like you can take over the…
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The 12-year-old author
One of my favorite authors, Gordon Korman, started his writing career when he was 12. I recently found out how. He found a publisher’s address on the back of one of their books. He mailed his manuscript to them, and it was accepted. He didn’t have an agent. The book was published when Gordon was…
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Make your place interesting
If you want to do interesting things in your town or city, you’ll need to do homework. You might be signing up for local newsletters, checking out event calendars, or just walking around and observing. If there isn’t anything that’s interesting, your homework will be to start an event. There will always be people looking…
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New Material on Creative Odyssey
When I meet my friend Hamza to record our podcast, New Material, I’m usually sitting at a desk with a podcast mic. A few months ago, Hamza and I joined Emil Drud at his podcast, Creative Odyssey. (I’d mentioned this episode here, and previously joined Emil here!) It was a beautiful day outside, so I…
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Two practical approaches to focus
The survival approach: Choose the best option available, while you’re looking for your ideal option. Do whatever it takes to survive. There’s a Chinese saying, 騎牛搵馬, which translates to, “Ride a cow until you find a horse.” Seth Godin writes the second rule in The Bootstrapper Bible, “Things get better. But first, youʼve got to…
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How many steps ahead?
Thinking one step ahead is generally a good idea. When you anticipate what will happen, you can prepare a response. Most people will not think a step ahead, so you’re in a good position by doing this simple planning. Two steps ahead can be helpful as well, if you want to get ahead of the…
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Reality vs. possibility
I recently moved out of NYC. The way I was set up there simply wasn’t working. For example, by the time I wrapped up work, I felt depleted, without the energy to respond to a city that was calling out. Just a week after leaving, and wrapping up my job, the possibilities are starting to…
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Art about art
On a recent visit to the Art Gallery of Ontario, I came across J.L. Gérôme’s “The Antique Pottery Painter,” which was accompanied by this statement: Artists often have the ability to make us believe their paintings are real. Gérôme mastered and exploited this quality, using the incredibly smooth surface we see here to challenge our…