It’s a natural human tendency to compare ourselves to others, especially to people who are in the same field we’re in. Comparison isn’t necessarily a bad thing if it leads us to discover areas where we can improve. But when it shifts into envy or jealousy, that’s a problem. I often attend the annual convention for the National Speakers Association. I always have to brace myself for the “must be nice” game. In the speaker world, it goes like this: Of course he gets booked all the time, he’s a former NBA player. Must be nice. She’s got so many connections from working all …
You & Improved
Do You Know the Real Reason They Made Stonehenge?
I remember the painting critiques back in art school. After spending several weeks working on our masterpieces, we’d all sit in a circle and explain what our paintings were about. Someone would inevitably say their piece was a postmodern reaction to the phycological impact of the industrial revolution that caused existential dread. To me it looked like a canvas with some paint sloppily applied. It did seem like the students who were better at making “serious" art got better grades. (Or perhaps they were just better at explaining why their art was serious.) Perhaps this is why, after making …
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More Cowbell Please
Somehow, the television show Saturday Night Live took a lowly old cowbell and turned it into a pop culture phenomenon.The famous skit imagines a studio session with the band Blue Oyster Cult recording their hit song “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” Christopher Walken, as “rock legend” Bruce Dickinson (“the cock of the walk, baby!”), singles out the little-used percussion instrument, played by Will Ferrell. Hilarity ensues as Dickinson urges the band to highlight the cowbell in the song. Now the script was funny, and Walken and the other actors nailed their performances. But what is most …
The Most Important Step to Achieving a Dream…
...is the next one. How do you eat an elephant?I’m not sure what elephants taste like, or why you’d ever want to eat one, but the answer, of course, is one bite at a time. (Mustard is optional, but a little enthusiasm never hurts.)The same instructions apply when it comes to accomplishing a big dream: One bite at a time.Tinkering embodies this spirit perfectly. Tinkering implies baby steps, not grand gestures: a little of this, a little of that.I've accomplished some of my biggest dreams in the past few years. They were all accomplished with a healthy dose of tinkering, taking one baby step …
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Why We Fall Prey to Adultitis
If you wear dress socks to a Zoom meeting.If you think the dictionary should be made into a movie.If you were disappointed to learn that Fifty Shades of Gray was NOT a home decor manual.These are signs that you might have Adultitis. We like to have fun with it, but Adultitis is no joke. No one would willingly drink poison guaranteed to destroy their health, strain their relationships, and sap the joy from their life. But that's exactly what Adultitis does, and yet, most adults are infected with some form of it. Why? How do we get stuck in its vile clutches when it's obviously preferred to …
Now for the Fun Part: An Open Letter to Grads
Hello, graduate. Congratulations on your accomplishments and a job well done!Now for the fun part.You’ve made it this far by following directions, filling in little circles, asking for permission, standing in line, and raising your hand before speaking up. The instructions have been clear: do this (take these classes, write this paper, complete this assignment) and get this (pass the course, earn a recommendation, receive a degree.) You got to this point by following the rules. Now that you’ve graduated, it’s time to start breaking some. Make no mistake, the work is …
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I Got a Rock
In the immortal words of a trick-or-treating Charlie Brown...I got a rock.It wasn't just any rock, mind you; it was a kindness rock. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, people hand-paint ordinary rocks with inspirational or encouraging messages and leave them in a public place for someone to find. This particular one was shaped a bit like a heart, painted red, and included the words, "Love you." I found it on a walk, near the lakeside bench where I like to sit. I immediately recognized what it was, but completely resisted the idea that it could actually be intended for me. After all, …
The Fears and Aspirations of a Paint Tube
This is not a medieval torture device. But it is one of my favorite new studio tools. It has one job, and that's to squeeze all the paint from the tube. And it does it very well. After using it a few times, I can finally rest assured that from this day forth, I will get my money's worth out of every tube of paint I buy.A flattened, used-up paint tube is quite a contrast to a fresh one.There is something about brand new tubes of paint that makes artists giddy. Fresh and unspoiled, they are loaded with potential and brimming with exhilarating possibilities.On the other hand, the used-up tube …
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How to Be More Playful
I am friends with clowns.I don't mean in the proverbial sense. I mean people who paint their faces, wear red noses, and ride in Volkswagon Beetles with thirty-seven of their closest friends.I guess that's an occupational hazard when you decide to fight Adultitis for a living.I know some folks have a thing against clowns, but the ones I know – the real ones – are true Adultitis Fighters. They are compassionate souls who are all about bringing more light and empathy into the world. I can get behind a mission like that.Although our missions are in lock-step, clowns go about accomplishing it …
How to Avoid Becoming a Slave to Your To-Do List
Hello, my name is Jason, and I'm a crossoffaholic.Have you ever done something that wasn’t on your to-do list, and after you completed it, wrote it down just so you could immediately cross it off?Me too. All the time. It's not weird at all.The truth is, we experience a dopamine hit – a happy little chemical reaction – any time we accomplish something, which is the reason crossing things off our to-do list makes us feel good. (Also, I may or may not believe I won't get credit if I don't write it down.)In general, I am a fan of to-do lists. They help keep me organized. And writing things down …
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