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“You must practice seeing yourself with a little distance, cultivating the ability to get out of your own head. Detachment is a sort of natural ego antidote. It’s easy to be emotionally invested and infatuated with your own work. Any and every narcissist can do that. What is rare is not raw talent, skill, orContinue reading “The Ego Cuts Both Ways”

“When my brother and I were growing up, my father would encourage us to fail. We’d sit around the dinner table and he’d ask, “What did you guys fail at this week?” If we had nothing to tell him, he’d be disappointed. The logic seems counterintuitive, but it worked beautifully. He knew that many peopleContinue reading “Failmore”

“You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength.” -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations “There are no failures–just experiences and your reactions to hem.” -Tom Krause “Human beings are capable of worry and rumination: we can take a minor thing, blow it up in our heads, run through it overContinue reading “Resiliency”

“Neugebauer’s notes to actors often take the form of questions. David Cromer, who played a bluff, sometimes bumbling character in The Waverly Gallery, recalled “a phrase she used all the time: ‘Does that resonate with you?’ ” He observed, “It gives you permission to respond.” Her ability to incorporate unstinting input may be why peopleContinue reading “It Must Be Their “Aha!””

Two questions to ask if you really want to cut to the chase… The first has to do with sales. Ask your potential customer person the following: “Is there anything I can say or do that would get you to say yes to my offer?” The second has to do with advice. If you seekContinue reading “Cutting To The Chase”

“True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.” -Socrates Perhaps the reason you’re unwilling to step forward and take a stand or make your art, isn’t because you lack courage. Perhaps it’s because you lack wisdom. True wisdom. The kind thatContinue reading “True Wisdom”

The Master doesn’t talk, he acts.When his work is done,the people say, “Amazing: we did it, all by ourselves!” -Tao Te Ching by Lao-Tzu (Stephen Mitchell translation) “When the mind is free of any thought or judgment, it is still and acts like a mirror. Then and only then can we know things as theyContinue reading “They Have To Experience It”

“The fool, with all his other faults, has this also—he is always getting ready to live.” -Seneca “And don’t go expecting Plato’s Republic; be satisfied with even the smallest progress, and treat the outcome of it all as unimportant.” -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations “Well-being is realized by small steps, but is truly no small thing.” -Zeno “ThinkContinue reading “Just Start And Complete Something”

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” -James Clear, book Atomic Habits If you seek affirmation about whether you should do the thing in your head… Instead of just telling someone (ideally a trusted confidant) your idea, show them your plan. Your work plan.Continue reading “Show Them Your Plan”

Simple and easy are not the same thing. In fact, the simpler something is to understand, the harder someone worked to make it that way.