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Beliefs are just guesses based on incomplete evidence. They’re thoughts we’re in the habit of thinking. Things we actively keep reindoctrinating ourselves with. That’s why the opposite of belief isn’t disbelief, it’s experience. Because no matter how skillfully we construct our precious little mythologies to help us deal with the unknowable, eventually life takes the wind out of us and reality comes crashing in. Can you think of memorable…

The primary obstacle to expanding our creative life is way we view ourselves. The actual language we use to describe the work that we do. For the first two decades of my career as an artist, referring to myself with specific words like writer and performer and entrepreneur and agency creative and startup employee, those labels really mattered to me. And they served me quite well. But once afternoon,…

When we’re young, we assume that being disagreeable leads to ostracism and loneliness. As a result. we quickly learn to align our feelings and opinions with those around us as a survival tactic. Which works to a certain extent when we’re children. Especially if the people around us are angry and yelling and we don’t want to add fuel to the fire. But as adults, if we have not…

Making things is not only the most natural way for me to engage with the world, but it’s also the most useful way for me to cope with the heartbreak of the world. Because no matter how utterly incomprehensible and overwhelming the reality of life gets, art is still the most satisfying way for me to be at peace with the madness. Rollins famously said that music is what…

Most video games offer something called unlockable content. Through various achievements or codes, players can access everything from a single weapon to a secret character to enhanced graphics to a tidal wave of sorcery and swords. For those who play regularly, unlocking content absolutely transforms the gaming experience. The genuine exploration is enjoyable, the discovery process is rewarding, and every time something new gets introduced, it feels like you…

Onion reporters recently found that nine of every ten purchases from small businesses are driven by a customer’s guilt at exiting the store without buying anything. According to their research, ninety percent of all transactions at independently owned shops throughout the nation are motivated solely by intense pangs of guilt experienced after making eye contact with the owner and realizing you’ll have to walk past her at the register before you…

Rogers first developed the concept of unconditional positive regard for his psychotherapy clients in the fifties. It’s defined as the basic acceptance and support of a person regardless of what they say or do. The encouraging part is, we don’t have to pay two hundred dollars an hour to benefit from this experience. Each of us can deepen our sense of awe for our own existence. We can learn…

The label of my chamomile tea claims that the taste is like landing gently on a carpet of rose petals and lemongrass, weightlessly waiting to be steeped into a cup of serenity. Compliments to that marketing copywriter. Who knew tea bags were so eloquent? But as enjoyable as chamomile is, it’s still not a sustainable strategy for promoting calmness. Some research has shown modest benefits of the herb. Like the one study that helped sleep…

The pandemic has been economically devastating, but here’s one of the glaring upsides to our society’s transition to a more remote workforce. Individuals and organizations were suddenly required to eliminate millions of non value added activities from their daily existence: Attending wasteful, boring meetings. Planning expensive and exhausting events. Enduring stressful and uncomfortable travel. Managing annoying and absurd office concerns. All gone in an instant. When you do the…

Legacy is people pleasing for the afterlife. If we’re so focused on making sure that people are still staying our name after we’re gone, then we’re not champion, we’re codependents. If we’re so insecure about our own value that we need a pat on the back, a word of praise and a nod of approval from people who aren’t even born yet, then we are not living today. And…