The Blog

What is “hopium?”*

Hopium is a portmanteau (blend of words to create a new term) of the words “hope” and “opium” used to describe a fictional drug to help one stay hopeful in times of stress.

But relying on hopium is as dangerous as the drug embedded within its...

It's really challenging to get done what needs to be done to make a better living while making a bigger difference.

I find this especially challenging as an independent freelancer and solopreneur.

However, I've learned that you can get more done in the same amount of time or...

We live in a world that appears to reward certainty.

“Confidence is belief in yourself. Certainty is belief in your beliefs.”—Kevin Ashton, How to Fly a Horse

You don’t have to look too long, hard, or far to witness powerful people prospering from certainty about...

What do you want?

I mean, what do you really, really want?

That’s a wicked question (and wicked questions are hard to answer because the answer evolves as you move through randomness and time).

And how you move through randomness (AKA uncertainty) and time matters. It...

Do you ever feel like your wheels are spinning but not getting any closer to where you want to be?

I sure do.

Quite often, actually.

And my usual response is to try to do more (and try to do it all faster).

What about you?

Here's the thing. Usually, I'm packing more sh*t into the car and stepping...

Humans are enamored with complexity.

We’re creatures who love to add more.

Why?

The undisciplined pursuit of more provides seductive dopamine hits that feel good in the short term.

Although this robs you of the time and energy needed for the long-term pursuit of what you really want.

...

I’ve struggled to maintain my weight within a healthy range all my life.

This morning I stepped on the scale and was eighteen pounds over my “ideal” weight.

What should I do?

Reduce my caloric intake?

Increase my water consumption?

Add more movement to my day?

Order one of the...

What are decisions for?

Reasoning from first principles, it might be a good idea to start with what a decision is.

Decision comes from the Latin decidere, the roots of de (off) and caedere (kill).

To  decide is, therefore, to kill off.

Kill off what?

Well, for one thing, when you make and...

To reason from first principles is to distill a problem to its essential elements by asking powerful questions to uncover fundamental truths.

This approach helps us separate facts from assumptions to build better solutions from the ground up.

For instance, when I was a musician and decided to...

Sometimes I act like an *ss. I bet you do too.

Why is that?

Human beings crave certainty.

The problem is that almost everything is uncertain.

Human beings are also storytelling creatures.

We make sense of ourselves, our situations, and each other through narrative.

Our love of certainty and...

What do you want to get better at? Where in your life would you like to be better?

It helps to begin with why you want to get better and where you want to improve.

Thriving and prosperous difference-makers know that intention and integrity matter. 

Getting better at something that...

Making progress in your pursuit of making a better living while you make a bigger difference requires making decisions and taking action.

Of course, it helps to make deliberate decisions (ones that are weighed and considered) and to take action with intention and integrity.

It also helps if you...