The final zoo on the epic #Notarule Tour was in Sioux Falls South Dakota. We got to plug into a literacy program at the Great Plains Zoo in which Jason was the guest author.

He got to share some stories from Penguins Can’t Fly, then read the crowd an owl book, introducing screech owls as “rule breakers!”

Then we got to unveil the rule-breaking animal guest, Aries the screech owl. You’d assume it’s a baby because it’s little… nope! You’d assume it is loud because of it’s name… nope! Or that it even screeches… nope! This owl is breaking rules left and right, as his head turns 270 degrees!!

Our kiddos in the audience…

Afterwards we busted out the washable markers and ugly cookies!

Thou shalt not draw on yourself. #notarule

Lovingly drawing mustaches!

Dress up fun!

Now that’s one ugly cookie – woo hoo!

Thou shalt not have facial hair as a child. #notarule

What a sweet rule breaker!

Nice ‘stache!!!

A creative application of cheese puffs!

Ugly cookies!!

Ben’s had a lot of practice this summer!

Bugle nose.

Lucy managed the ugly cookie station like a pro!

Ben managed the dress-up station.

So great seeing Escape Adulthood Summit alumni, Carrie, and her super fun family!!

What a good sport!

Marty, of course!

Later we found the real penguins!

Post book tour zoo fun.

Lucy’s favorite animal!

Ginny being brave:

A Penguins Can’t Fly sighting…can you spot it?

Marty in concrete!

Thanks to the Great Plains Zoo and all the folks who came out and had fun with us. What a great day!

We were excited to spend a beautiful Sunday at Como Zoo in St. Paul Minnesota to help promote Penguins Can’t Fly and encourage people to break rules that don’t exist. Especially popular at this stop was the opportunity for parents to draw on their children:

It’s fun being permission granters!

And the results were pretty spectacular: 

Of course, the ugly cookies were also a big hit, as usual.

The fun part is trying to get the frosting colors to look as ugly as possible.

Superfan Bill shows off his work of art…

The most challenging thing is trying to figure out how many cookies to bring.

This batch didn’t take long to disappear. After running out of cookies, some kids took it upon themselves to break another rule and decorate their plates!

Our friend Teresa stopped by for some hula hooping fun. She brought some extras, and had we been outside, we would have been able to let folks go for a spin. As such, it was a little too crowded for that…it was the only real disappointment of the day.

Lots of old friends stopped by, including Cristy and her merry band of friends.

Cristy (in the blue t-shirt) is the one who kindly gifted us with the handmade stuffed Marty that has been accompanying us on the tour:

As always, it was so great to connect with fans and meet some new ones!

Ben plotting out which animals to see first after this “book tour is over.”

Proud to be a rule breaker!

Dress up insanity…

Another great day!

Thanks to the Como Zoo team for the great hospitality and fun day!

The photos above are some of our favorites, with locations like Green Bay, Louisville, Duluth, McDonald’s Hamburger University and even Metropolis (the hometown of Superman!) represented.

As fun as it is for me to hide these prints all over the place, I’d love to offer YOU the chance to get in on the fun! Would you like to Hide Marty? Here’s the drill:

1. Email me if you want to play, with the subject: Operation Hide Marty. (Please include a snail mail address in your inquiry.)
2. I will send you a signed and numbered print to hide in a public place somewhere in your neck of the woods.
3. Once you’ve hidden it, send me a “clue” photo that gives people an idea of where to look.
4. We’ll post your clue and if someone finds the print and shares a photo of themselves with it online, we’ll send that person a free signed copy of the book!

This is an exercise in tinkering, so we’ll partner with the first 12 entries and see how it goes. Wanna participate? Email me!

The #Notarule Tour has taken us to some interesting locations. A bookstore, of course, but also some zoos, ice cream parlors, and an old bank. It’s been a fun chance to experiment, and one of the most “experimental” stops was St. Charles, Illinois.

That’s where we had our first ever house party.

It all came about after all of the locations we had in mind for the Chicagoland area fell through (mostly due to store owners with Adultitis). After one with a full-blown case treated my wife rudely, I took to Facebook to vent. And Beth, who had attended an Escape Adulthood Summit with her husband Chad, offered to host us. At her house.

After confirming she was serious, Kim and I mulled it over. We decided that “Book tour stops shalt not take place in people’s homes” was definitely #notarule. We have long been fans of house concerts, in which traveling songwriters perform for a few dozen people in someone’s living room. Kim and I have been to a few in Madison, and the cozy, intimate setting is super cool. Intrigued by the idea of putting our own twist on it (no one would want to hear me sing, that’s for sure), we decided to give it a shot.

We ended up with about 15 adults, and some children as well, who entertained themselves outside and downstairs. The group was split between the living room and the dining room, and I spoke from the foyer, which joined the two rooms.

I was able to tell some stories from and about Penguins Can’t Fly, and answered questions about the creative process. We also gave everyone the chance to bring something for “Show & Tell,” which was my favorite part. Here a woman named Lauren shares her epic toy keychain collection!

Everyone who wanted to got a chance to take center stage and share their thing. Then we got into a fun discussion about rules…like which ones people were most fond of breaking, and which ones gave them the biggest challenge.

We gave everyone a “goodie bag” in the form of a custom Adultitis First Aid Kit, filled with fun stuff for escaping adulthood.

We had a little table set up with books and artwork for people who wanted to bring a souvenir home…

…or have their book defaced. :)

Of course, many of the activities from our standard tour stops were also incorporated, including the “Thou Shalt Act Thine Age” photo booth…

…and the chance to decorate ugly cookies (and wear fake mustaches).

Regrettably, we never got a picture with our gracious hosts, Beth and Chad, even though we really enjoyed chatting with them after the party about life, family, and big dreams. Here’s one from the archives of the duo having fun at the 2013 Escape Adulthood Summit.

We had a lot of fun and learned some things too, which is a good thing because we’d like to do more of these in the future. In fact, here’s something to think about: If you think it might be fun to host one of these, you totally can! We put together a free guide that gives you everything you need to know. It’s not very hard and it’s a ton of fun.

If you’d like US to be a part of it, feel free to invite us! Although we can’t make any promises, who knows? We may already be traveling to your neck of the woods and perhaps we can arrange to sync our schedules. At the very least, Kim and I are open to creating a custom welcome video that you can share with your guests. If you have any ideas, we are open to hearing them! Email us!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Ice cream parlors are among the best Adultitis Hospitals, and we recently visited two as part of our epic #Notarule Tour.

The first was at Pied Piper Creamery in Nashville, Tennessee. This cool place was in a neat little neighborhood and featured some creative flavors, such as “Trailer Trash,” which is Vanilla with Oreo, Twix, Butterfinger, Nestle Crunch, Snickers, M&Ms, and Reese’s Pieces. Lucy was a big fan of that one. I really enjoyed my choice: “Oatmeal Raisin in the Sun.”

Not only was it a beautiful night for hanging out, but we got to reconnect with old friends, and meet new ones, too. It was also cool to meet some people in real life that we’ve been connected with for years online!

I think Ginny was just happy to be out of her car seat.

Our other stop was in Zionsville, Indiana, just outside of Indianapolis. The Scoop is one of the most adorable little ice cream parlors there ever was. Loved their sign, too!

The kids had fun on the rocking chairs on the big front porch, a centerpiece designed to harken back to the slower-paced days of yesteryear.

It was great meeting Alice and Steve, who pulled up in this classic beauty! (Vintage filter added for effect.)

Great to see our dear friend, Michele, who gave us the tip about this sweet shop.

So nice to meet Lisa, who maintains a labyrinth nearby (another type of Adultitis Hospital.)

The Tiller family posed for this silly photo that Adultitis was none too happy about!

Sprinkle-coated shout-out to our great hosts and all the people who came out to say hi and buy a book or print!

Is the #Notarule Tour Coming to a city near you? Find out here.

[ This article by Kim Krueger (featuring photographs by Hillary Schave) first appeared in the August 2015 issue of Brava Magazine. You can see the full spread here. ]

Diagnosis: Adultitis
Kim and Jason Kotecki Have the Cure

When I meet Kim and Jason Kotecki, they are cozied up in a corner booth at Manna Café, on Madison’s East Side, wearing simple T-shirts: hers a vintage grey and covered in charming “Where the Wild Things Are” characters; his a royal purple, with a cuddly looking skunk and the words “Adulthood Stinks.”

In front of Kim sits the pumpkin chocolate chip muffin we’d already bonded about over email. (Manna has “dangerously good homemade pastries—MMM!” she had warned. And she was right.)

Kim had closed each of her emails to me with the signature “Smiles & Shenanigans,” and I could already see that it suited her perfectly: She’s one of those people whose smiles went straight to her eyes. If you’ve ever offered a child a Popsicle and watched her eyes light up—that’s Kim. Jason’s eyes are equally kind, with that faraway thought- fulness that dreamers and deep thinkers tend to have.

Right away, both of them feel like old friends, to the point where our first handshakes feel almost too formal. Like hugs, or at least some hearty high-fives, would make sense.

PICTURE THAT: WHAT IF WE ALL KICKED OFF BUSINESS MEETINGS WITH A ROUSING ROUND OF HIGH-FIVES?

In fact, it’s exactly the kind of question the Koteckis have been asking for years. Kim and Jason have built a successful career around helping people escape what they call “Adultitis”–literally a “swelling of the adult.” Though it’s an affliction that’s technically made up, there’s no denying that we live in a culture riddled with it.

SYMPTOMS INCLUDE A DISTINCT LACK OF ZEST FOR LIFE, WITH MODERATE TO EXTREMELY HIGH STRESS LEVELS AND A GENERAL FEAR OF CHANGE. PATIENTS APPEAR CHRONICALLY DULL, EVEN “ZOMBIE-LIKE,” WITH THE MOST SEVERE CASES ALMOST COMPLETELY UNABLE TO SMILE. Their happiest moments exist mostly in fuzzy memories, before the burdens of everyday adulthood set in—jobs, bills, kids, needs, wants, expectations, disappoint- ments, regrets.

Yes, it’s all a little tongue-in-cheek, but the underlying reality is painfully through way too many shoulds and have to’s, with nowhere near enough cans and want to’s.

So what can we do about it?

The Koteckis might suggest putting on a fun T-shirt. Playing hooky. Eating the frosting off your doughnut and leaving the rest. Celebrating when there’s nothing to celebrate. Dancing in your car (even—or especially—when people can see you). Wearing pajamas in public. Doing nothing on purpose.

In short: acting like kids, because they might just be on to something.

Officially, Jason is an artist, speaker and writer. With enormous support from Kim, kindergarten teacher turned event coordinator/client relations manager (aka “Little Miss Details”), he travels the country speaking about Adultitis and how to battle it. He’s written and illustrated several books on the topic, and also offers an assortment of thoughtful, whimsical prints, T-shirts and other fun products on the couple’s website, escapeadulthood.com.

(Oh, and the Koteckis are also raising three kids under the age of 7.)

But Jason has another title he finds even more apropos for his day job: He’s a professional “reminderer.”

“I try to get the elephant out of the room for people who might have their arms crossed, like ‘what is this guy going to tell us?’” he explains. “Quite literally, I’m probably not going to say anything is that we’re so often in day-to-day survival mode, we don’t think about some of that stuff we knew so well when we were kids.”

Jason’s other unofficial role: permission granter. “It’s weird—it’s like people are just waiting for someone to give them permission to go after their dreams; to be themselves; to not take themselves too seriously.”

+ TIPS FOR ENTREPRENEURS

1. Try tinkering. If it goes well, do more. If it doesn’t, you can easily step back.
2. Instead of knowing all the steps, just know the next one.
3. Find (or create) the intersection of what you’re good at, what you enjoy and what people will pay for.
4. Invest in your personal growth, but pay for what you’re not good at.
5. Learn from others who are a few steps ahead of you, and help those who are a few steps behind.
6. Find people who believe in you.
7. Practice living with less, and get cozy with debt.
8. Know your push point. Where is the absolute threshold for stopping?
9. Be willing to go down wrong roads.
10. Don’t take it all so personally.
11. Instead of seeing failure as a waste of time or money, look for what it makes possible.
12. Just go one more day.

When he speaks to corporate audiences, he reminds managers that they, too, can be permission granters. But, really, that empowerment could extend even further: to friends, family members, co-workers—almost anyone you cross paths with.

Because in Jason’s experience, it doesn’t matter who the person giving the permission is. “I mean, who am I?” he jokes. “I’m just some dude on stage. But that’s cool, if that’s what it takes.”

The conversation reminds me of a print I’d seen in the Kotecki’s online shop, The Lemonade Stand. One of Jason’s original illustrations, it features a box of chocolates with one chocolate having sprouted arms and legs—walking proudly and triumphantly away from the box. The caption was: “Pick Yourself.”

As successful entrepreneurs, Kim and Jason exemplify the Pick Yourself mindset. They don’t sit around waiting for opportunities — they create them. They pick themselves, and they refuse to be put back in the box.

Of course, it’s all much harder than it sounds.

“People look at our life and see the freedom that we have, and all the good things about it,” says Jason. “But what they don’t realize is that getting here was hard. It was a lot of throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what would stick. Constant fear of bankruptcy, long hours, lots of debt, living in an apartment… .”

“We talk about [the business] being our MBA student loan that was just trial and error — like, oh! That didn’t work.” Kim, ever the optimist, giggles as she talks. “Fifteen years of overnight success!”

Jason’s entrepreneurial journey began in high school, when he had his first boring job at a car dealership. He hated it, because, he says, “you’re supposed to hate your job when you’re a teenager, right?”

But what surprised him was that he wasn’t the only one. The full-time mechanics seemed to have the same attitude about work. “And I was like: This is your job,” he says. “this is your life. Why are you here, if you hate it so much?”

So teenaged Jason made a promise to himself. He’d do whatever it took to make sure he was doing something he loved. He studied art in college, with his eye on a job as a staff illustrator post-graduation. But by the time he got his diploma, he found that the majority of his dream jobs had gone freelance.

Today, the couple jokes about Jason being “unemployable,” but they say it with gratitude. As Kim says, “we wear it like a badge of honor now.” Because sometimes, it’s not until a door closes that you can clearly see the even better door next to it.

Finally, I had to ask the inevitable question: What’s it like being in business together as a (gasp!) married couple?

Kim was ready for it. “That’s the number one question we always get. And then they do this under their breath—” she hides her mouth behind her hand—“‘I would kill him!’”

They talk about the importance of communicating effectively; playing to each other’s strengths and skills, and (of course) having fun. But really, what makes it work is the same formula that makes any business relationship work.

As Jason puts it: “Like any job you’re in, it just works better if you have respect for the people you’re working with, if you’re working on something that matters, if you feel a combined sense of mission and if you’re rewarded for your efforts.”

His wife puts the cherry on top: “That just happens to be the relationship we have.”

The Kotecki’s top piece of advice for entrepreneur hopefuls?

“Tinker.” Jason pauses, letting the word hang in the air for a beat. “Just start on the side, do small things. If you like it, do more. Maybe you’ll never make money at it.” What? I feel my bubble deflate, just a little bit, until he goes on. “But I tend to think that’s a self-limiting belief. We have a friend who blows bubbles for a living.”

+ ENTREPRENEUR EXERCISE

The secret sauce for entrepreneurship is identifying the unique combination of skills you bring to the table, along with the specific lens you have to translate it all into something that adds value to society. How can you find your skill set and lens?

TRY THIS:

1. Think about your
role models (people or brands). Chances are that the things you admire in them are also in you.

2. Instead of writing down their names, write down traits or words you associate with each one.

3. Step back and look at the unique combination of words you’ve come up with. You’re probably describing your best self.

4. Go be that person.

These days, Jason’s doing 50 to 60 speaking events a year, each of them meticulaously coordinated by Kim. This fall, he’ll speak at Madison’s DreamBank. He also has a brand new book out: “Penguins Can’t Fly (+39 Other Rules That Don’t Exist),” which includes 40 deliciously tongue-in-cheek life rules, including “Thou Shalt Hate Mondays” and “Thou shalt brag about how busy thou art.”

The couple’s next adventure? An 18-day cross-country road trip/book tour with all three kids.

Yes, they know it’s insane.

“We’re kind of doing it because it’s insane,” Kim says, laughing. “Almost to prove it to ourselves—that we’re not bound by expectations.”

I’m already more than convinced.

The Madison stop for the #Notarule Tour was held on Saturday, in conjunction with the beloved Art Fair on the Square, and it was a huge success! We originally wanted to hold it at the local zoo near the penguin exhibit, but like many zoos we ran in to, they weren’t that interested. As fate would have it, the exact morning we got a thumbs down from the zoo is the same day we stumbled into the Dream Bank for the first time.

The Dream Bank is a neat community space sponsored by American Family Insurance. It’s in an old, renovated bank, and they offer all kinds of free community programs, from small business seminars to Pinterest parties. It was love at first site, and we started a relationship that not only includes this Tour stop, but a bunch of presentations Kim and I will be putting on in the next year.

It was such a perfect space for our message, many people commented how they couldn’t tell where their stuff ended and ours began.

Taking advantage of Art Fair on the Square and the fact that my book is chock full of artwork, we made this event part art show, part book signing, part rule-breaking extravaganza.

There were plenty of familiar faces and lots of new ones, as well. A lot of folks who stopped by saw the article in the Wisconsin State Journal or heard the interview on Wisconsin Public Radio.

We were excited to have NBC show up to do a little feature that ended up on the 10:00 news (as seen above). The reporter came during the only real lull in activity, which worked out well, as it gave us a chance to talk without having to make too many people wait.

Of course, we had the ugly cookie decorating station:

This is my friend Teresa. We’ve known each other since high school.

She is actually the person who introduced me and Kim. In fact, way back in 1995, we scheduled a time for the three of us to meet for ice cream and Teresa was way late, which allowed for Kim and I to have a long talk and get to know each other. The rest, as they say, is history. So, if it weren’t for Teresa, it’s probable that none of this Escape Adulthood stuff would have ever happened!

She was a good sport and agreed to let me draw a mustache on her for the TV camera.

The footage didn’t show up in the final clip, but she wore her new-found facial hair proudly!

My friend John came out with his family all the way from Indiana. I went to art school with John, and we’ve had lots of good times together.

My friend Jason and his family are in the middle of a cross-country road trip in their new RV. They totally went out of their way to be able to join in on the festivities. It was a great surprise to see them!

Here’s Tony, my new best friend. He came with his wife Jo to help us out. Tony took the money, and Jo took a lot of the photos seen here (look for the gal in the purple hair).

This is my agent Michelle. She is just the best. I know all authors probably say that, but it’s only because they’ve never worked with Michelle!

The Ingalls clan came bearing a gift…

…and then did a great job of breaking the rule, “Markers shalt only be used on paper.”

And everyone seemed have fun NOT acting their age by taking fun photos wearing silly props.

Even our youngest Ginny got into the action!

Our friend Geoff is a busy speaker who brings joy to so many people. He couldn’t be in Madison, but he sent us this amazing video he made to show us he was there in spirit. It definitely brought a tear to our eyes!

Thanks to American Family Insurance, the Dream Bank, and all of the people who came out to play with us. You helped make it a truly special and memorable day!

Have you read Penguins Can’t Fly yet? If yes, please leave a review on Amazon.com. If not…what are you waiting for?! Learn more here.

In the whirlwind that has been the launch of Penguins Can’t Fly, I have had the great privilege of being the guest on some neat radio shows and podcasts. I wanted to share a few I haven’t already blogged about. They are definitely worth a listen if you are interested in hearing tips about fighting Adultitis, finding balance, and having more fun.

The shot above was from an interview I did on The Joy Cardin Show on Wisconsin Public Radio. The neat part about this experience (besides meeting Joy!) was the opportunity to be live and take calls from listeners. The hour went fast, and we covered a LOT of rules that don’t exist.

I was also recently on Elise Gets Crafty. I first heard about Elise a year or so ago, and although I am not exactly her target audience, I have enjoyed following her blog and podcast. She does a great job of sharing the behind-the-scenes process of her small business, and her podcast is a great resource for creative people of all types. Plus, her Get to Work Book is fantastic. I am totally getting the 2016 version.

My friend Craig Price has a show called Reality Check. I met Craig in New York a few years ago at a National Speakers Association conference. Some folks might wonder why we get along so well, considering he is known for embracing negativity, while I am usually labeled as very optimistic. But I would describe Craig as a “sunny pessimist.” He does a great job of showing us how negativity is useful. And he has a heart of gold. And he’s a dang good photographer. This interview covers a lot of unusual ground, including how I make my art, a confession from me about Stormtrooper armor, and why Craig’s wife makes him sleep on certain sides of the bed at hotels. And I made this title art for the episode!

The #Notarule Tour is a curious cavalcade of unusual events united in the purpose of helping you break rules that don’t exist. Fueled by the message of my new book, this is one unconventional book tour, with stops at all kinds of unexpected places.

We’re taking advantage of the great opportunity to experiment, and we’re really having fun with it. We just had our first stop at a zoo, and in the next week, we have two more unique events going down.

The first is this Saturday in Madison from 1:30 – 3:30 pm at the Dream Bank across from the State Capitol. In conjunction with Madison’s beloved Art Fair on the Square, this is part art show, part book signing, part interactive experience featuring ugly cookie decorating! This is our big hometown release party, and we couldn’t be more excited about it! Get details here.

The second is happening on Monday, July 13, in St. Charles, Illinois. Bummed out that we couldn’t secure a spot at Cookie Dough Creations in Naperville, we had a superfan throw out the idea that she and her family would be willing to host a stop at their home. After verifying that she was in fact serious, we figured, “what the heck!” and are excited to invite you to an Escape Adulthood House Party! All are welcome, but we can only accommodate a total of 50 people for this intimate evening gathering. Learn more about the event and how to RSVP here.

For more tour stops, visit https://escapeadulthood.com/blog/2015-notarule-tour

Anyway, please check out what she has going on, and enjoy this fun video conversation about rules, Adultitis, and my new book, Penguins Can’t Fly +39 Other Rules That Don’t Exist.

Upon our arrival, we were excited to be stationed directly across from the penguin exhibit. Fitting.

It was a beautiful evening, and we had a steady stream of folks stop by to say hi. We even sold a nice stack of books!

As advertised, we had a bunch of fun rule-breaking activity stations for people to enjoy. Ben used the special coloring pages I made to demonstrate that contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to color inside the lines.

We also have a jar of free scrunchies next to a sign with the rule, “Only children shalt wear pigtails.” Definitely #notarule.

The “Thou Shalt Act Thine Age” station featured a bunch of silly props for dressing up and taking fun photos. That was a hit for kids of all ages.

But the top attraction, not surprisingly, was the ugly cookie decorating station. Because cookies don’t have to look beautiful. And they most certainly CAN have cheese balls on them, if you like.

Oh, and here is the young man who found the signed print I hid for the Find Marty Art Drop.

It was behind a bench near the penguin exhibit. Not only did he get to keep the print, but he earned a signed book, too!

Thanks to everyone who came out, as well as NEW Zoo & Adventure Park for hosting us! Can’t wait for the next one.

Wondering if we’ll be in your neck of the woods soon? Check out the official tour page.

Today I wanted to start by sharing something that has the potential to scare off half my readers who aren’t already aware of this little fact: I am Catholic.

I can promise you that am not interested in converting anyone to anything, and there will not be a sales pitch for cleaning products at the end. I just wanted to share where I’m coming from and relay a neat story. However, please be advised that the Internet is a big place and you’re free to surf elsewhere if you are uncomfortable hearing viewpoints that may be different from your own.

Whether it be good, bad, or ugly, it is impossible to not have a opinion of the Catholic Church. I certainly have had my share over the years, with many being in the bad or ugly category. Most of the issues I have (and I suspect I am not alone) are with the actual PEOPLE in the Church. They can be idiots. Stubborn, misguided, hypocritical idiots.

Then again, so can I. And so too were all twelve of Jesus’ best friends, at times.

But I like to think we are blessed idiots. Every last one of us, Catholic or not.

I have long been a fan of the rich history and beautiful traditions of the Church, especially after I have taken the time to push past the stereotypes and learn about the origins and meanings behind them. In the last few years, I’ve developed a particular fondness for Mary.

You know, Jesus’ mom.

Lots of people think Catholics worship Mary. We actually don’t. (We “venerate,” which is different.) But there is no doubt, we do love us some Mary. Just like Jesus did. Because she is the best human example of what it truly means to love God. And also, JESUS’ MOM. We often ask for her support in our prayers because Jesus has a habit of listening to her.

Again, blessed idiots have a way of using big words like “venerate,” and otherwise complicating something that is not that complicated: Mary is one heck of a role model and someone I like having on my team.

Ok, so on to the story.

A few years ago, two friends introduced Kim and I to a book called “33 Days to Morning Glory.” The subtitle is “A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration.” At first I was skeptical. Marian Consecration?! Will this involve altars and the bloodshed of young goats?

Unfortunately, it did not. It is, however, an invitation to to basically declare, “Ok Mary. I officially want you to be on my team. I want you to help me be more like Jesus. Let’s do something awesome together.”

Something like that.

So Kim and I went through the book with our friends. And on my 37th birthday, I consecrated myself to Mary. Again, there were no swords, giant stone altars, or goblets filled with blood. Sadly.

Then interesting things started to happen. Exactly two months later, we discovered Kim was pregnant with our third child. Although it was unplanned and unexpected, it was NOT an immaculate conception. I’m pretty sure I was there for the magical moment, but I may have blacked out for part of it.

In May, a book agent came out of nowhere and asked (it sounds weird to say begged, but Michelle would probably use that word) if she could represent me. After meeting with her and discovering what a good chemistry we had, I said yes. And thus began the journey to signing our first book deal with a major New York publisher. A year later, also in May, was when we officially secured a deal with St. Martin’s Press to bring Penguins Can’t Fly to the world.

Now in the Catholic Church, May is considered the official month of Mary. You know, like how States have official State birds and flowers and stuff? So Mary has her own month. And just like the wood violet is the official state flower of Wisconsin, the rose is the official flower of Mary.

So get this: We finalized the book deal in May, after connecting with the book agent the previous May. And the editor at St. Martin’s who I’d be working with was named…Rose.

Meanwhile, our daughter was born a few days before Christmas in 2013, and we named her Virginia Rose, the first names of our paternal grandmothers, and two names with links to the virgin Mary.

Shortly after we signed the book deal, Kim and I decided we officially wanted to shoot for the New York Times Bestseller list. (Although no one knows exactly HOW books are selected for The List, as they are not based solely on actual sales numbers, there are a lot of different strategies you need to employ to give yourself a shot, all of which usually mean you will make less money that you would otherwise.) We were driving home to see our dads for Father’s Day, and we made the deciscion. We both knew there was no way we could do it on our own, so we turned to someone we thought could help. I decided to dedicate the book to Mary (if you have it, you now know which Mary I was referring to on the dedication page). Starting on Father’s Day in 2014, we have each said a Rosary every single day, asking Mary to help us in this quest.

For those of you unaware, the Rosary is a series of prayers said by old ladies.

I kid, I kid.

But seriously, I had previously not been a big fan of saying the Rosary, mostly because it is so rote and rigid. After all, I’m an artist, man; I like things that are new and fresh and different. Routine can be so…boring. But it was a perfect way to show I was serious about this, because it was a sacrifice. There were many days when I put it off and put it off, and at the end of the night, something that would normally take less than 15 minutes took about an hour because I kept drifting off to sleep mid-Hail Mary.

Brutal. Over the year, however, I began to appreciate its meditative qualities, and look forward to those quiet times apart from the crazy busyness of daily life. And along the way, there were lots of signs — many being very personal — that seemed to indicate that Mary and her son were indeed at work.

I made connections with people who endorsed and helped promote the book that I never would have had contact with otherwise. Pre-orders were so good that St. Martin’s Press had to order a second print run of the book BEFORE it even launched. Barnes & Noble currently has orders in for book that they can’t get fulfilled. We just got word that the confirmed sell-through rate of the initial print run is 75%. (Sell-through is the number of books printed that are actually sold.) My editor told us that the average sell-through rate for most books — for their entire lifetime on shelves — is 60%. The remaining 40% is typically returned and destroyed. There usually is no second print run.

Now when it comes to bestseller lists, all of the weeks or months of pre-orders count for the first week. We knew all along, that this would be our best shot. Leading up to launch week, things were going so well, we had a good chance. Plus, we had Mary on our side.

Make no mistake, we didn’t sit around waiting for miracles to happen. We followed the advice of St. Ignatius, who said, “Work as if everything depended on you; pray is if everything depended on God.” We hustled our butts off and we prayed like cloistered nuns.

Last night, we learned that we didn’t make it.

It would appear that this is where the story ends. We failed. Mary let us down. Our faith is a sham.

I’m guessing you’ve had at least one experience in your life where you prayed and prayed for something. Maybe you were even confident your prayer would be answered. But in the end, the thing you hoped would come to pass doesn’t. It just…doesn’t.

The question is, what do you do then? Do you turn angry and bitter, shaking your fists at God? That’s a common response, and certainly understandable. Make no mistake: I am sad and disappointed. But I also believe that real faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

There have already been numerous accounts of people whom, upon receiving the book, immediately turn around and order multiple copies to give to others. We have always pegged this book as one you recommend to people, and although we narrowly missed the big lists in our launch week, there are indicators that this book has the makings of a perennial bestseller.

And so, call me delusional, but I don’t see this as an end. I see it as a “to be continued.”

If you don’t have a few “to be continued” moments in your story, where the outcome is uncertain, you are not stretching yourself enough and your dreams are too small.

A story where Frodo gets a ring, lollygags through fields of daisies and tulips, and saves the world by easily destroying said ring in the fires from whence it was forged, would be a very boring story. Completely lacking in sequel potential, to be sure.

Kim and I, we’ve been at this too long, and have too many UNanswered prayers for which we are already immensely grateful, to not believe that God doesn’t have something even greater planned. We believe Mary is still working on our behalf, even though we can’t always see the evidence with our own eyes. Because that’s what Faith is all about, Charlie Brown.

Faith is Indiana Jones, stepping out into nothingness, onto an invisible bridge that doesn’t appear to exist.

No, this isn’t the end. The momentum for this book is only beginning to build.

I don’t know what’s next. But I know it’s just about to get good.

P.S. Of course, there are a TON of people to thank for the early success of this book. If you have purchased a book, or many copies of the book, or have done anything to spread the word about it with your friends, families, and sworn enemies, THANK YOU. Thank you for being a part of this story.

Well, today is the day! My book, Penguins Can’t Fly, officially launches into the world!

Perhaps you’re wondering, “What does an author do on launch day?”

More on that in a sec, but first, a little housekeeping. Thank you for putting up with all the onslaught about this book. Many people have praised us for our effort, but I am sure there are others who have been driven away. So…if you’re still here, I am grateful! Sometimes, when you really believe in something, it’s worth putting everything you have into it. I’d rather have a few unsubscribes than a sackful of regret that I didn’t do enough.

So, if you have not already bought the book, today is the BEST day to do it. Get it here. Or here. Or here.

It’s also a great day to tell the world about it on your favorite social media platform. Or, you know, in real life. Amazon reviews matter, so I appreciate if you could share a few honest thoughts about the book here.

So…what DOES an author do on launch day?

It’s a good question, and one I don’t know the answer to. I’ve never had a real launch day before. I suspect that many authors sit by their computer, frantically checking Amazon numbers, reading reviews, or sending out emails in a last-ditch attempt to get the word out.

Not me.

I am passionate about this book, but I am sick of asking people to buy it. (At least for a while.) And as an artist, it kind of terrifies me to read what people think of it. I hope they love it, of course, but one negative review from some nincompoop tends to offset a hundred good ones. Someday I will grow thicker skin. It probably won’t be today. As far as the numbers? They will be what they will be. I’ve done my best to make a really great book. It is now out in the world and hopefully people will buy it and like it enough to share it with others.

And so here is what I am planning on doing today.

I am going to spend time in prayer, giving the book back to God. I will tell Him what He already knows, which is that He can do with it whatever he wants. Then I am going to an art museum to see beautiful things and seek inspiration for making beautiful things. After that, I am going to spend time in my studio, making new art, which is something I’ve done too little of in the last few months. Then I am going to dress up in a suit and take my wife out for a nice dinner to celebrate. I will order steak. And finally, Kim and I will host a live party on Facebook, where we will answer questions, give things away, and hang out with some of my favorite people on the face of the Earth. (I hope you will join us!)

Then I will fall asleep, knowing that whatever happens, I will have done my best.

Of course, I will keep you up to date with how the book is doing, and I’m looking forward to sharing more adventures from the #Notarule Tour, but I will be going on an “asking sabbatical” after today.

Next week, we’ll resume our normal schedule, with posts that are less about me and more about you.

Thanks for reading. And thanks for cheering us on.

One highlight was that there were representatives from each of the first three Escape Adulthood Summits on hand, including these three (and a few others who didn’t make this photo):

Besides the opportunity to buy Penguins Can’t Fly before its official release date, attendees were also encouraged to engage in a variety of rule-breaking activities, including decorating ugly cookies (notice the penguin shape!):

We think the caterers did a great job of mixing up some of the ugliest frosting we’ve ever seen. And the sprinkles reminded us of kitty litter – perfect! We added Cheese Balls and Bugles to help take the ugliness to new levels.

The first “Find Marty Art Drop” also happened on Saturday. The photo below is a clue to where I hid a limited edition signed and numbered print, with a little Marty attached to it. I have not gotten word yet on who officially found it, but I checked the spot a few hours later and confirmed that the print was definitely claimed. If you want to be the first to hear about future clues, make sure you’re following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Here are some other fun pics from the day. Thanks to everyone who was able to come out and make it such a fun event. And a special thanks to Eileen at the Book Mouse for hosting us! (She still has a few signed copies left, so if you’re in the neighborhood, stop by to grab one!)

To learn more about where the #Notarule Tour is heading next, click here.

The picture above is from 2002, eight months after 9/11. I was focused on my comic strip back then and was three years away from the start of my speaking career. We were in New York City for the first time to walk the National Stationery Show. While there, we met a licensing agent who agreed to represent my Kim & Jason artwork. It was so exciting, and it felt like such a big break. It amounted to a handful of small deals, mostly overseas (I think they made some sort of photo album in Japan), but it didn’t really make the dent we’d hoped for.

That was thirteen years ago.

Since then, there have been many little breaks that felt like they might have been bigger. For several years, we flirted with bankruptcy as we scraped and clawed our way to a business model that could sustain itself. There were many tear-filled nights when we wondered if we were crazy. And there was that two-day craft show in which we sold a grand total of four greeting cards for a whopping sum of $7.92 (after which we drained our profit and drowned our sorrows with a $35 meal at Outback.)

Time and time again, we’ve encountered numerous opportunities that seemed like the “big break” we were waiting for. Some crashed and burned into a heap of soldering failure. Many, although falling fall short of our vivid imaginations, blossomed into a sturdy enough bridge that kept us moving forward.

Through it all, Kim and I developed some tough skin. Some might say jaded. But you can only have your high hopes dashed so many times before you start protecting yourself by downgrading your dreams.

And this is why, before this moment, we haven’t told many people about our dream of this book — the one coming out a week from Tuesday — becoming a New York Times bestseller. Because we’ve been down this road before. It’s embarrassing to put your dream out there and have it not come true with everyone watching. It’s easier to not get your hopes up.

But my friend, who experienced years of frustration and heartache before finally adopting her two kids, recently told Kim, “It hurts the same whether you get your hopes up or not.”

So yes, I do want this book to become a bestseller.

Not so I can be rich and famous, but so that this message — the message we’ve risked everything for — can finally reach the audience it deserves. We don’t have the money for a fancy publicist, we aren’t connected to A-list bloggers, and our tribe is relatively small.

But it IS a tribe that cares. The heartfelt emails, encouraging comments, and warm hugs have sustained us over the years, giving us the confidence that were were on the right track.

Truly, we wouldn’t be here without you.

If there is any chance of making “The List” it will require no small amount of help from you. Without getting into specifics and making this long post even longer, the formula for getting on it is a lot like voodoo. It doesn’t actually measure the true number of books sold, and some argue it is crooked and unfair. A lot depends on who else releases a book the same time, but we were told that selling 5,000 copies in one week gives us a reasonable shot of making it. The good news is that although all numbers reset back to zero each week, pre-orders for a book all count toward the first week’s sales.

Right now, we are at about 3,000. Honestly, that seems as tantalizingly close as it does to a million miles away. Especially since even getting to 5,000 doesn’t bring any guarantees.

But I know I would regret not sharing this dream and these numbers with you. We have to try, even if it is scary going public like this.

If you’ve read this far, you may be wondering how you can help. Here are a few:

1) Obviously, buying the book is a big one, and the more the better. You may have already done this, but if not, now is the time. For a few more days, we still have our packages online for 5, 10, 25, and 100 books. Lots of people are buying multiple copies to use as gifts for friends, clients, customers, or employees.

2) Support our Thunderclap campaign by saying “yes” to posting a one-time message about the book on Facebook or Twitter. It’s free and easy, but will create a powerful wave of attention on launch day. Here’s the link: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/27704-help-marty-fly

3) Please leave an honest review on Amazon.com or Goodreads when you you finally get the book in your hands. It is HUGE for social proof.

4) Finally, just share this book and the message with people you think need to hear about it, whether it’s your boss, the president of an association you belong to, or the neighbor down the street. Blog posts, newsletters, Facebook updates and tweets are all appreciated. Here’s a link to some handy tools and graphics to help you out.

In closing, I just want to thank you for the support. I feel like all I am doing is asking all the time, and I can’t wait for the dust to settle down so I can just go back to giving.

Seriously, thank you.

I made the comment about not wanting to be “rich and famous” earlier. The truth is, I already feel like the richest guy in the world and I know that I am loved, which is better than fame any day.

Thanks for fueling me and Kim with your words and deeds.

Now let’s go give Adultitis everything we’ve got.

Writing, designing, and illustrating Penguins Can’t Fly was easy and fun, at least compared to the marketing, promoting, and selling part of the process. Since the beginning, I knew that the bulk of the latter was on us, not the publisher. This is something that few authors grasp.

You see, with all the books that they publish, there are only so many resources a publisher can put behind a first-time author. (Technically, I am not a first-time author, with four books and several thousands of copies sold, but I AM a rookie when it comes to the traditional publishing game.) St. Martin’s has invested a considerable amount of money in making this a full-color, hardcover book, and for that, I’m super grateful.

Since the day we signed the contract, Kim and I have known that creativity is our number one asset when it comes to promoting this book. Especially since we don’t have a ton of A-List blogger friends or a boatload of money to invest in marketing.

A few months ago, one of the women on our marketing team sent us a list of potential bookstores where she could arrange book signings. Although you might consider book signings to be exciting and glamourous, I can assure you that unless you are already famous or have a relatively large online following, they look something like this: you are sitting at a table with a stack of your books. What seems like a thousand people walk by without even a glance. One person stops, picks up your book, puts it down, and walks away, without a single word. Another person stops to ask you where the bathroom is. Finally, another person stops and buys a book. This person is either a) your mom or b) your dad.

So yeah, sign me up for a few weeks of that. Not.

In any case, when you write a book about breaking rules that don’t exist, you kind of put a bit of pressure on yourself to not do things the way they are always done.

And so it was with great excitement when Kim and I came up with an idea that we thought was really novel. Since the book is titled “Penguins Can’t Fly,” what if we did our book signings at zoos? And what if instead of making the event about us, we made it into a fun event that focused on the guests, and featured a bunch of immersive Activity Stations that were inspired by rules from the book?

We envision things like:

• Thou Shalt Act Thine Age: We’ll have a photo booth area with a big picture frame, silly props, and (hopefully) a Marty the Penguin mascot with a red balloon to pose for photos.
• Thy Christmas Cookies Shalt Look Like Christmas Cookies: a supply of penguin-shaped sugar cookies, frosting, and other accouterments will be on hand and guests will be encouraged to decorate their own cookies as ugly as possible.
• Thou Shalt Not Draw on Thy Children: Parents will be given permission to draw on their children with washable markers.
• Thou Shalt Only Wear Thy Wedding Dress on Thy Wedding Day: Anyone who comes to the zoo in their wedding dress will get a signed print and be entered to win a really cool grand prize.

It’s a perfect way to connect with the target market of the book. Each zoo could run sales through their own book store, so they would receive all proceeds from the event, in addition to having something that would enhance the experience of their guests. We, in turn, would have something unique to pitch to the media, and our family would get to spend our summer visiting a bunch of great zoos (which is a favorite pastime of ours).

I know I am biased, but it seems like a win-win scenario for everyone involved.

I am happy to say that there are a handful of zoos that quickly saw the vision and immediately jumped on board. So the Escape Adulthood Zoo Tour is happening. The only question (besides how we will pay for it) is how extensive it will be.

You guys, Kim and I had no idea how hard of a sell this would be.

Although it’s common knowledge that all the animals at zoos are in enclosures, I am saddened to say that many of the humans running them are in cages, imprisoned by Adultitis.

You would not believe some of the responses we’ve gotten back. Our hometown zoo wanted to charge us $1,000 for the use of two folding tables. One guy turned us down, saying, “We don’t really do this sort of thing.” (Really? You don’t say. That’s kind of the whole point…) Another woman literally said, “As a rule, we don’t host events with outsiders.” (Ha! “As a RULE!” And she said this without the least bit of irony.)

Kim and I keep telling ourselves that all this rejection will make for a better story later, but right now, I can’t lie. It’s really hard. Every no is like a punch in the gut, an invitation to wonder if we really are just delusional.

Frankly, this is a feeling you’d think we’d have gotten used to, fifteen years into this journey.

Nope. It’s still hard. In some ways, this seems harder. Maybe it’s because there’s so much at stake, maybe it’s because we see the vision so clearly that it’s difficult to imagine how anyone could not be excited by it.

Perhaps we are just not selling it right (we keep tweaking our pitch based on the feedback we’ve been getting). Perhaps it is just not as terrific an idea as we think. Or perhaps this is just another painful example of just how prevalent Adultitis is in our society.

There are countless people who are too conditioned to play by the rules, too used to doing what they’re told, and too afraid to take a chance on something new and different.

We are heartened by the brave zoos who have already signed on to partner with us, eager to create something special for their guests. It is our goal to make sure their communities know how lucky they are to have these forward-thinking, Adultitis-fighting advocates in their midst. We hope that we will be able to visit a zoo near you. We’ll keep you posted.

I just wanted to share this to give you an inside look at what’s going on behind the scenes of the marketing of this book. But I also hope it’s a good reminder to you that changing the world, no matter how small a corner of it, is never easy.

All you can do is have faith, keep tinkering, and refuse to give up.

First of all, anyone who orders at least one book from anywhere can email their receipt to penguins@escapeadulthood.com and get a special e-Book containing five bonus rules that didn’t make the original cut, a Permission to Break The Rules Coupon book, access to the video of one of my 70-minute speaking programs, and a cache of digital wallpaper. (Details here.)

Wondering what you could possibly do with all those books?

You could just give them out to strangers on a random street corner or build a little fort for your Lego minifigs, but here are some more practical suggestions:

1. Use them as client gifts.
2. Give them to people you’d like to become clients.
3. Reward employees for being awesome.
4. Give one to your boss for extra brownie points.
5. Use them as end-of-the-year gifts for your kids’ teachers or coaches.
6. Gift them to the people who make your life better, such as your postman, pastor, chiropractor, hairdresser, yoga instructor, or barista, or butler.
7. Start an epic book club with your friends.
8. Send them to all of your grown children or grandkids.
9. Help fight Adultitis by randomly giving one to the person sitting next to you on the bus, train, or plane.
10. Use them as favors for a grown-up’s birthday party.
11. Include them in care packages you send to long-distance friends or relatives.
12. Finish your Christmas shopping in April.
13. Graduation gifts!
14. Raffle prizes!
15. Housewarming gifts!
16. Silent auction items!
17. Host or hostess gifts!
18. Donate them to your town’s Little Free Library.
19. Put one in every room of your house to fight Adultitis at a moment’s notice.
20. Share it with your super famous celebrity friend and ask him or her to tweet about it.

You can order books here. Thanks for your support!

[ This is an excerpt from Penguins Can’t Fly +39 Other Rules That Don’t Exist, a beautiful and inspiring book that will help you uncover and break the so-called rules that could be holding you back from a life of awesome. Get it here! ]

Moms everywhere seem to be united in their desire to make sure that if we leave the house, we do so with clean underpants.

In case we get into an accident. Naturally.

Because if you get into an accident, and you are rushed to the hospital, and the emergency workers are required to remove your underwear, and they discover that your tighty-whiteys are not as white as they should be, your mother will be notified immediately about her automatic induction into the Bad Mom Hall of Shame.

Or so I gather.

“Did you hear Linda’s boy was in an accident?”

“Yes, it’s all over the news. I guess he’s okay, but I heard from somebody who knows somebody that his underwear wasn’t clean.”

“What a shame. You know, I always had my doubts about that family.”

Once I was in Grand Junction, Colorado, to speak at a conference for early childhood professionals. I got into a discussion with a lady from Denver who told me of a memorable drive through the mountains a year earlier. She was driving along, and out of nowhere, a massive boulder tumbled down the mountain and crashed right in front of her car. It was so enormous, she could feel the ground shake upon impact. Yikes. Fortunately, it didn’t land on her car, and no one was injured.

So why interrupt the discussion about this important “rule” involving underwear with a tale of a giant rock?

Simple. If I’m driving down the road, minding my own business, and a multiton boulder lands a few feet from my vehicle, if I had clean underwear BEFORE the incident, I sincerely doubt they’d remain as such AFTER the incident.

In fact, if I was involved in ANY serious accident that required an emergency trip to a hospital in which people other than me were removing my underwear, I think it’s safe to say that they’d be in a similar state of squalor.

Which leads me to conclude that wearing clean underpants, although the preferred way to go, is not as crucial as our mothers would have us believe.

Perhaps the better rule to follow would be to watch for falling rocks.

[ This is an excerpt from Penguins Can’t Fly +39 Other Rules That Don’t Exist, a beautiful and inspiring book that will help you uncover and break the so-called rules that could be holding you back from a life of awesome. Get it here! ]

[ This is an excerpt from Penguins Can’t Fly +39 Other Rules That Don’t Exist, a beautiful and inspiring book that will help you uncover and break the so-called rules that could be holding you back from a life of awesome. Get it here! ]

“I do have dreams, but I try to keep them realistic.”

No one likes to admit they don’t have dreams. But no one likes to be called a fool, either. Or worse yet, a failure. After all, the bigger you dream, the more likely you are to fail. Claiming to have realistic dreams makes you sound smart. It gives the impression that you’re going places, likely to succeed, and are not to be sidetracked chasing any childish, crackpot schemes. But one of those words is terribly problematic.

The word “realistic.”

Who’s to say what’s realistic or not?

Do we really believe that Orville and Wilbur Wright were deemed “realistic” by their fellow townsfolk while they used their bicycle repair shop profits to try and build the world’s first “flying machine”?

After all, in 1902 (just ONE year before the Wright Brothers’ great success), Lord Kelvin—the otherwise brilliant dude who determined the correct value of absolute zero as approximately –273.15 degrees Celsius—said, “No aeroplane will ever be practically successful.”

And just fifty-eight years after the Wright Brothers’ breakthrough, was President John F. Kennedy being “realistic” in 1961 when he declared that America would send a man to the Moon by the end of the decade? (By the way, the first handheld pocket calculator would not be invented until five years after Kennedy’s speech.)

Meanwhile, is it “realistic” today to think that we will ever find a cure for AIDS or autism or Alzheimer’s disease?

When it comes to dreams, this world is suffering from a bigness deficiency. I don’t think there’s anybody alive who is dreaming too big. In fact, I’m not even sure it’s possible. I don’t need studies about how much of our brain capacity goes unused to tell me about the potential of mankind. Just look at examples. Whether it’s the invention of the artificial heart, or the guy who climbed Mount Everest blind, or the inspiring examples of Holocaust survivors. We are created to do things that don’t, at first glance, seem very realistic.

If a dream is realistic, it’s not really a dream. It’s a to-do.

If you want to be realistic, be realistic about your fears. After all, most of the things you worry about will never happen. But when it comes to your dreams, leave realism at home. At least at the beginning.

No matter how big you think you’re dreaming, it’s not big enough. A good dream has to be kind of crazy. And improbable.

“Big dreams create the magic that stir men’s souls to greatness.”—Bill McCartney

If you’re going to dream, you might as well dream big. And if you’re ever accused of dreaming too big, then you can rest assured that you’re on the right track. Just pretend you’re a long lost member of the Wright clan.

Don’t worry about being realistic. And be very, very cautious about what you label as “impossible.”

For as John Andrew Holmes wisely said, “Never tell a young person that something cannot be done. God may have been waiting centuries for somebody ignorant enough of the impossible to do that thing.”

The book doesn’t officially come out until June 23rd, but you can read the first few chapters of Penguins Can’t Fly +39 Other Rules That Don’t Exist right now. For free.

When we were kids, we were winning at life. But as we got older, Adultitis began to set in, and we got inundated with a bunch of rules that don’t exist. Things like “act your age,” “hide your wrinkles,” and “hate Mondays.” Following these so-called rules is a terrific way to stress you out, sap your energy, and ensure a boring life. But there’s a better way.

This book, which is packed with pages of my full-color art, uncovers some of the most useless rules so you can shift perspective and start seeing the world with wonder once again.

Download the fun-sized version now.

It’s time to stop living by someone else’s rules.