Finding Resilience in Hiking
I’ve never been an outdoorsy type. Despite being in Boy Scouts, I don’t like camping. I’ve never gotten into sports, and when my school had Field Day in the 5th grade, I stayed inside...
Category: Self-Improvement
Thoughts on self-improvement and the creative process
The Joy of Boredom
My entire life, I’ve always tried to avoid being bored. It’s an unpleasant feeling, something to avoid. But nowadays, boredom has become increasingly scarce. Our smart phones make it easy for us to be...
Early Morning Writing
When I first started this blog, I committed to doing three posts a week. They weren’t necessarily good posts by my current standards, but I was doing it. In the last few years I’ve...
Fear of Heights on a Ropes Course
Recently, my work had a “Staff Appreciation Day” with team-building exercises. Our entire staff went to a place that specializes in corporate team-building events. We started the morning off with some simple ice breakers,...
Finding Meaning in a Secular World
Is it possible to find meaning in life when you don’t believe in God? Many people believe they were put on this earth for a purpose, whether that’s being a parent, worker, athlete, artist,...
The Tyranny of the Should
I started seeing a therapist for depression recently. (I’m loath to admit such a thing publicly, but I think it’s important that we tackle the stigma against mental illness.) Last week, I mentioned that...
My Former Hero: Scott Adams
I was a big fan of “Dilbert” as a teenager. With its minimalist artwork and focus on office and technology jokes, it was utterly unlike the other comics in the newspaper. Soon I found...
Reinvent Yourself Often
On the day of my college graduation, my parents gave me a greeting card. I don’t recall what the card said. I don’t even recall all the words may parents wrote. But three words...
Working Out with a Personal Trainer
I’ve been working out with a personal trainer for over a year and a half now. My progress has been slow and difficult, but I’m impressed with the results. When I got a new...
The Oatmeal on Inspiration
I’m a big fan of The Oatmeal, an online webcomic/blog by artist Matthew Inman. It’s a hilarious website with original comics. It’s not a regular webcomic like xkcd, but more of a random assortment...
