“I would especially like to recourt the Muse of poetry, who ran off with the mailman four years ago, and drops me only a scribbled postcard from time to time.” – John Updike Do you wait for inspiration, or do you go after the muse? Some argue that inspiration can’t be coaxed – that it comes when it’s damn good and ready. If you’re a writer, software developer, designer, artist, or other professional whose work relies on your creative inspirations, waiting may not be an option. You can’t passively eye the beautiful... More »
Plumb: adjective: At right angles to the horizon or to level ground: perpendicular, upright, vertical. So many things in life can knock you out of plumb. As you roll on, focused on your life, along comes some crazy thing that slams you – and suddenly you find yourself askew. Many traditions of meditative practice use the term “centered” to describe the state of presence, peace, and stillness. Another that I have found useful is that of being plumb. When something is plumb, it’s in perfect alignment – inline, perpendicular to the ground.... More »
23 Shares Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere. – Glenn Turner We all worry. The same wonderful tools our brain uses to imagine new innovations and solve complex problems, also has a habit of looking for trouble – even when it may not exist. Mid-terms, budget overruns, bug counts, first dates, performance anxiety – worry likes to stick its nose into every aspect of our lives. No matter how silly or unlikely a scenario may seem, it is very real to you. Many... More »
33 Shares One of the biggest reasons people have problems succeeding in life is they don’t show up. You can’t complain about a party, if you didn’t even go. They get an invitation every day to this party, but instead of showing up, they complain from afar on how they’ll never be able to go. Success is what happens when you stumble on an opportunity, and your 100% there to catch it. Floundering through life, never really showing up, is a sure-fire way to stay trapped in the doldrums of an unfulfilling life. Making... More »
12 Shares There are lots of methods and techniques for making decisions. One of the most commonly used is the pros versus cons list or risks versus rewards. This type of list helps make a clear distinction about what benefits a choice offers, and also what you have to lose. To make it easy, I put together a basic spreadsheet that I use to quickly show how the rewards measure up to the risks, and vice versa. When you have a decision to make, begin by listing all the rewards the choice offers, then... More »
A lot has been written about personal daily cycles – such as biorhythms (which has its skeptics), circadian rhythms, and ultradian rhythms. No matter where you stand on how much is science and how much is schlock – we’ve all experienced different levels of energy and sharp-mindedness throughout the day. Personally I don’t care if it’s a body clock, psychological, or the cycles of the moon and stars – I know at certain times during my workday I’m better at certain tasks. By tracking and knowing what those cycles are, you can... More »
2.4K Shares “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” – Albert Einstein “Everything you see or hear or experience in any way at all is specific to you. You create a universe by perceiving it, so everything in the universe you perceive is specific to you.” – Douglas Adams Take a minute to scan your surroundings. Are you in a familiar place or somewhere new? Stop reading this, and just look around you. Pick out an object, maybe something you hadn’t noticed before, and focus your attention on it. If you... More »
