photo by Aaron Burden via Unsplash “So… what do you want to be when you grow up?” my Dad asked, as the hospital door gasped closed behind us and the cold air of the parking garage blasted into my face. I was sore from hours laying on the waiting room floor coloring, but I grinned…

From previous experience, you may have noticed how tree trunks are generally NOT supposed to bend over sideways…. Yesterday, I was out in the dark at 6 AM, shivering in the snow, whacking my apple trees with a broom. “Seriously you guys,” I scolded them. “You didn’t see this coming?” It was first snow. Most…

photo by Ayush Bhoyar via Unsplash In a dim back alley in Beijing, my step father was clutching the $1000 in his wallet, grimacing, as we strained to see the three 1800s coins a tattered man was holding out to us. If they were real, they would be worth $50,000. If they were fake, nothing.…

Making yourself “do hard things” is prerequisite for every cool thing you want in life. But humans are weird, and making ourselves do things is often unreasonably difficult. The writer knows she needs to write, but finds herself procrastinating exactly when it matters. The business owner knows this sales call could make cash flow for…

by Smithsonian/ Henry Ossawa Tanner ca. 1913 via Unsplash One of the biggest problems with “Just DO It!” advice is aim. What on Earth are you supposed to “just do?” A choice is required, an assessing of the field. Aim. If you are choosing a niche, a topic, a product, a career, a relationship. Choosing…