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“If you can’t have religion, there are big absences that you have to find somewhere else.” The word religion means “to link back.” Forget about gods or churches or temples or prayers. Religion is the organizing principle, the iron rod at the center of our lives, that everything else links back to. We don’t need to believe in god, we need to have a system for refilling our reservoir of meaning….

“Loss, theft, damage or mysterious disappearance.” In the personal property world, that’s what they call comprehensive coverage. I learned that when I bought insurance for my fiancee’s engagement ring. Turns out, the most common claim filed by women who lose expensive jewelry is “mysterious disappearances.” Such a great phrase. I imagine a committee of 1950’s insurance executives sitting around a table, smoking heavily, trying to coin a term for this phenomenon. And then…

“I wish there was something wrong with you so this would be easier.” That’s how my friend Wendy described her first time firing an employee. She said it tore her up inside because the guy was so talented. Makes total sense. Humans hate playing the role of the heartbreaker. There’s something in our blood that’s averse to inflicting emotional pain upon others. And when we know we’re about to devastate…

“When you gamble on yourself, it’s an asset you understand.” The last time I gambled, I won a hundred bucks on blackjack. Later that night, I got a speeding ticket for the same amount. Pretty much ended my career as a card player. And then I started a business. Which meant I had to gamble on myself. Completely different ball game. Now, I could control the dice. Now, I…

“Surrendering birthed amazing things.” Don’t you just love the moment when you relax into your vulnerabilities and accept life as a perpetual series of happy coincidences? So peaceful. So otherworldly. Letting go is such sweet sacrement. Inspired by a podcast about Tig Notaro’s battle with cancer.“It’s hard to face change alone.” My whole thing about change is, once life becomes different, I adapt quickly. But until then, until the…

“It gives me a craftsman’s pleasure.” I am forever attached to the poignant scraps that flow through life. At any given moment, ideas flock to me like iron fillings drawn to a magnet. From every source imaginable. And the next thing I know, I’m borrowing energy from the ideas themselves, riding on little waves on language, completely tuning out the rest of the world, lost in my linguistic vortex until…

“I do not believe in unscrambling scrambled eggs.” Every time somebody asks me how I did something, part of me wants to slap them upside the head. I don’t know. I never know. That’s why it’s art. We should never feel obligated to explain our process. First, it cheapens the product. Once you know how the magic trick is done, you lose all of the effect. Second, it corrupts the…

“Why can’t people do everything the way I do it?” Comedian Jimmy Pardo summarizes the crux of every therapy session on the planet. Good book title. Isn’t that what drives us all mad? Isn’t that the baseline of every argument in history? People pleading to each other, “Why can’t you be more like me?” A deeper understanding about that fundamental dilema would answer most of our questions about human behavior. Which reminds me….

“The gradual shifting from promotion motivation.” Happiness evolves as we do. As we get older, certain activities, pursuits or experiences that held meaning for us five years ago may seem pointless to us today. For example, part of me that wishes I still enjoyed going to movies alone. But most of me knows there are a dozen better ways to spend two hours of my life. Especially when I have…

“Make the rest of your life happy.” What good is an blossoming career if you have nobody to share it with? What good is a ton of money if you’re too stressed to spend it? What good is an impressive client list if you don’t have a decent friend list? Those are some of the mistakes I made by being too focused on my career. Turns out, happiness doesn’t…