Jason

I used to be so smug about not being a meth head.Kim and I have been watching the series Breaking Bad, about a mild-mannered high school science teacher with a cancer diagnosis who gradually descends into a life of crime as a ruthless player in the local methamphetamine drug trade. Good times.The psychology behind the choices that the characters make and consequences that come from them are fascinating, not to mention the look into the dark underbelly of the drug economy. During scenes that show people in the deepest throes of addiction, I’ve noticed myself judging the junkies.How stupid could a person be? What did they think would happen? What a loser...But I've come to consider that perhaps we are all addicted to something.Drugs and alcohol are the most obvious, along with porn, gambling, food, and tobacco. But we can also be addicted to attention, validation, drama, status, and even busyness.For example, I often find myself caught keeping up on the news. I browse my go-to sites and …

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What does it mean to graduate?It’s an accomplishment, a milestone that marks the completion of one part of a journey. Our common understanding of it usually involves an academic degree or diploma.But too often, it’s also just the end. Full stop.About a quarter of American adults (24%) say they haven’t read a book in whole or in part in the past year, whether in print, electronic or audio form. Other research shows that 47% of Americans didn't take all of their vacation time last year and 21% "left more than five vacation days on the table." That's time that could have been enjoying a new experience or exploring another city, state or country for the first time. Too often we associate learning as something we have to endure, and that it happens in certain places (schools and universities), and at certain times (also known as the “school year”). But learning is not something that stops during the summer, or after you walk across the stage with a funny hat to receive a diploma. A rich, …

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I received an email from a young man looking for advice. He recently graduated from the “comfort blanket of college and chucked towards the open jaws of real life.” He was hoping to receive some advice for young people in his situation to make the world outside not seem so threatening and overwhelming.The first step is to understand that although the world can be very overwhelming and threatening, it is also amazing and magical and overflowing with opportunity.The problem is that when confronted with uncertainty and overwhelm, most people hide under the false security of the status quo. We believe that if we get in line, do what we're told, and play by the rules, everything will be ok. But that life only seems safe. Trusting the outcome of your story to someone else?Now that's risky.My advice to young adults is to start chasing that dream now and stay the course. It will be hard, yes, but it only gets harder later. You have the advantage of naïveté and passion and low overhead and very …

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I recently had a speaking engagement in Pittsburgh. While there, I was able to visit the Heinz History Center, where they have a collection of props and set pieces from the television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, including King Friday’s Castle and X the Owl’s tree. Like many, I have been greatly impacted by the work and life of Fred Rogers. As we perused the gift shop, I was looking for a magnet to add to my big yellow tool chest in my studio. There were a number of options to choose from, each featuring different sentiments. The one I was most drawn to, and ultimately bought, was a pink one that said, “I like you just the way you are.” Although there were others I liked better in terms of design, I felt like this one had the message I most need to hear.I consider myself a confident person, but I often find myself focusing on the areas I fall short, wishing I was more this or more that. Sometimes I wish I was a bit more extroverted.I definitely wish I was handier …

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If you’ve ever been to one of my speaking programs, there's a good chance you’ve seen me share this artwork.Recently, a person came up to me after a talk, and under her breath, sheepishly admitted, “I’m sorry, but they’re still weeds to me.”I thought that was interesting, especially because I never actually said they weren’t. Dandelions are, at least horticulturally speaking, weeds. But they are also, according to most four-year-olds, wishes. (And flowers for Mom.)The thing is, challenges are like weeds. Once a challenge has sprung up in your life, pretending that it doesn’t exist doesn’t make it true. A field of dandelions may very well represent a million weeds, but it can also represent a million wishes. It's both. The power comes in deciding which viewpoint you choose to adopt. The key word is CHOOSE.Basically, that’s what my book, A Chance of Awesome, is all about. It’s not about living in a magical fairy land pretending our problems don’t exist. (I’ve found that usually only …

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