Try a new kind of coffee. Call an old friend who might hold a grudge. Tell your spouse something you’ve held back for years.

We are all too comfortable in our own skins. We think we know the nooks and crannies of our souls because we stopped looking for . . . → Read More: Take the jump]]> Take a jump. Any jump.

Try a new kind of coffee. Call an old friend who might hold a grudge. Tell your spouse something you’ve held back for years.

We are all too comfortable in our own skins. We think we know the nooks and crannies of our souls because we stopped looking for new ones.

It’s time to shake it up.

How do you ever expect to live a life worth living if you won’t explore the life you’ve already got?

You won’t remember it later

The person you are talking to can wait.

Saying “I should write that down” does not count.

Last month, I discovered that a group of people had set . . . → Read More: Haters gonna hate]]> When I was in college, my engineer friends turned me on to a web comic called XKCD. It’s mainly about math and science, but it’s surprisingly sweet and easily accessible. It’s humor is genuine and rich, satirizing our human foibles with a smile.

Last month, I discovered that a group of people had set up a website entirely for the purpose of tearing the author of the comic down. They claim they were are offering critique, but their comments are simply hurtful and ugly, displaying only disdain for the work of another human being.

Remember always that this is the world in which we live. It is literally impossible to produce something without engendering a sense of hatred in someone.

Yet, you should also remember that the hatred is meaningless. It isn’t about you or your creations. It is a reaction to the threat you’ve created, the idea that each and every person has the potential to produce something meaningful.

Haters are gonna hate. Don’t let them shake your resolve.

Get out there and stretch a bit. Leave your home turf and visit a networking event, conference, or even Internet forum . . . → Read More: Press the flesh]]> Social media gives the impression that you’re interacting with others, but it has the potential to create an echo chamber. You believe you’ve reached new people, but you are only talking to yourself.

Get out there and stretch a bit. Leave your home turf and visit a networking event, conference, or even Internet forum that you do not control.

You’ve got to press the flesh a bit to get out the word. Even if that flesh is still digital.

But it can’t grow without a little loneliness. It can’t expand to fill its own potential until you schedule enough time off from the day to day to get to the bottom of your . . . → Read More: Loneliness]]> Your vision demands interactions. It wants you to sell it, to push it, and to proclaim it at every opportunity.

But it can’t grow without a little loneliness. It can’t expand to fill its own potential until you schedule enough time off from the day to day to get to the bottom of your own thoughts.

In short, you’ve got to push past the discomfort. You have to resist the urge to reach out to someone and spend time truly alone with your vision.

It deserves your full attention.

There is no reason to do anything . . . → Read More: There is no excuse]]> Over the last few years, the number of resources available over the internet has skyrocketed. Today, we have access to amazing amounts of knowledge that can catapult us to the forefront of any field we want to lead. We can snap our fingers and make magic happen.

There is no reason to do anything less than your best work. There is no reason to sit in your cave and wait for the world to stop changing.

It’s time to make something happen. There is no excuse.

Church is supposed to immerse you in a community of supporters, advocate for a specific faith-based worldview, and help you make sense of what it all means.

Which one are you at? Are you sure?

When you’re one paycheck away from losing everything you have, the wolves at the door are whole lot more menacing. When you take a chance, even by going to school or applying to a new job, you feel as if you are . . . → Read More: The security of poverty]]> Poor people have something they don’t want to lose: their entire lives.

When you’re one paycheck away from losing everything you have, the wolves at the door are whole lot more menacing. When you take a chance, even by going to school or applying to a new job, you feel as if you are literally risking everything.

This, in turn, makes the poverty you know appealing. You have enough to eat, enough to put a roof over your head, and enough to get by. When one of the alternatives is worse than the bad situation you’re already in, taking risks just seems crazy.

But the security of poverty is an illusion. It’s a way of making yourself happy with the things you already have at the cost of the things you might have.

Even if you think you know it all, you’re going to miss the fine nuances that required your presence at the meeting.

Sometimes you don’t really have a choice. You’ve got other stuff on your brain, and the meeting you’re stuck in is 99% wasted time.

But don’t think that you can . . . → Read More: How to tune out without missing a thing]]> You can’t.

Even if you think you know it all, you’re going to miss the fine nuances that required your presence at the meeting.

Sometimes you don’t really have a choice. You’ve got other stuff on your brain, and the meeting you’re stuck in is 99% wasted time.

But don’t think that you can stop paying attention and still catch that last 1% that matters.

Not intentionally, of course, but such is the life of a teacher. Every time we give a test or assign a paper, we doom a legion of the elderly to untimely, unfortunate deaths.

I think the saddest part about the tales of woe students bring me is how . . . → Read More: Spare me the story]]> I’ve killed my share of grandmothers.

Not intentionally, of course, but such is the life of a teacher. Every time we give a test or assign a paper, we doom a legion of the elderly to untimely, unfortunate deaths.

I think the saddest part about the tales of woe students bring me is how transparent and unnecessary they are.

The reality is that they aren’t ready. That’s fine. It’s not a crime to need a bit more time to being a project together.

So ask for more time. Be honest about it. Tell your teacher or boss that you didn’t quite get to the end of the road on this particular project.

Just do us both a favor and spare me the story.

And yet, it takes forever to make a difference.

You have to build a list, a following, a name on all those social media platforms. You have . . . → Read More: Social media is slow media]]> We think of social media (Twitter, Facebook, blogging) as fast media. After all, it goes straight from your keyboard to your readers’ screens Instantly! Through the tubes!

And yet, it takes forever to make a difference.

You have to build a list, a following, a name on all those social media platforms. You have to provide quality content again and again and again to your fans. You have to earn it. Slowly.

Social media is like farming. You have to till the soil and work the land, but the results are worth it. Just remember that it takes time.

I promised myself that when I grew up, I’d stop messing around . . . → Read More: Your wicked ways]]> When I was a kid, I knew that I was my own worst enemy. I was always distracted by new things, never knew how to show up anywhere on time, and thought that each and every authority deserved to be questioned.

I promised myself that when I grew up, I’d stop messing around and get serious about being like everyone else.

But when I grew up, I realized that all of those bad habits were really useful. They made me see the world differently, and helped me accomplish things others people said were impossible.

So before you give up your wicked ways, determine how much they help you and hurt you. You might be surprised to find that they aren’t that wicked after all.

Yet, sometimes the people who oppose you are jerks. They stop listening when you talk, blatantly ignore the facts on the ground, and claim . . . → Read More: You can’t win]]> You have to stand your ground to make a difference. Advocating for the things you believe in, repeatedly and often, is the only way to make a movement a reality.

Yet, sometimes the people who oppose you are jerks. They stop listening when you talk, blatantly ignore the facts on the ground, and claim that you’re the one causing all the problems.

You can’t win against these kinds of people. Do yourself a favor, and stop fighting the people who will burn everything down to make a point.

You’ve got better things to build with your time.

But it’s impossible to stay disinterested because you’ve already lost yourself in the work. That’s why you’re doing the work in the first . . . → Read More: Overly involved]]> We are often told to keep our distance from our causes. If you want to really help people, they tell us, you’ve got to keep from losing yourself in the work.

But it’s impossible to stay disinterested because you’ve already lost yourself in the work. That’s why you’re doing the work in the first place.

So throw that caution to the wind. Get involved, deeply involved, and figure out how to change the world.

You can work out your boundaries later.

…just not in the way you think.

“Official” work is viewed in a totally different light when you show it to the outside world. And even better than that, you will take your work so much more seriously . . . → Read More: Make it official]]> There’s a world of difference between playing your guitar in your room and recording an album.

…just not in the way you think.

“Official” work is viewed in a totally different light when you show it to the outside world. And even better than that, you will take your work so much more seriously after you have made it official.

It doesn’t take much. File the paperwork and reap the full benefits of your work. Don’t sell yourself short by keeping it informal.

Speak a things name and you bring it into reality. It’s time.

The best solution to being lost is to try things. Go out and dip your toes into every pool you can find. Eventually, something will reach out and grab you. . . . → Read More: Are you lost?]]> There are times in our lives where we are totally lost. We don’t know what the next step is or where we are headed.

The best solution to being lost is to try things. Go out and dip your toes into every pool you can find. Eventually, something will reach out and grab you. Until that happens, you’ve got to keep searching.

But we aren’t always lost. Sometimes we just don’t like our choices.

And when you find yourself stuck between two or three choices, trying out new activities is just a distraction designed to keep you from your decision. They aren’t going to help. You’ve got to sit down and make a decision.

So the real question is “Are you lost?”

Even if all those things were exactly the size, time, and seat you wanted, you would be disappointed by your lack of choices. Despite . . . → Read More: Give ‘em choices]]> Imagine going to a movie theater that only served one size of drink Or only showed movies at one time of day. Or only had one seat in each theater.

Even if all those things were exactly the size, time, and seat you wanted, you would be disappointed by your lack of choices. Despite the “perfect fit” of each and every element, you would want the option of imagining different outcomes for your purchases.

You might even resent being “forced” to buy at all.

As you lead small projects, it’s important to remember that choices create comfort. Your consumers want to have options, and if you don’t give them any, they will take their business elsewhere.

It’s not military prowess or economic power. It’s not our popular culture, which gets exported all over the world, or our political system, which has been copied since its inception.

America is great because we are the most diverse country on . . . → Read More: The purpose of diversity]]> It’s worth remembering, on the Fourth of July, what makes America truly great.

It’s not military prowess or economic power. It’s not our popular culture, which gets exported all over the world, or our political system, which has been copied since its inception.

America is great because we are the most diverse country on the planet.

America proved a long time ago that diversity is an asset instead of a liability. When other countries focus on purity and homogeneity, we’ve celebrated our differences and welcomed their outcasts.

It hasn’t always been smooth, but it’s a consistent theme in America’s history. Time and time again, we have triumphed over adversity because of our diversity.

And that’s why we must continue to work to make diversity a priority. Not because some groups deserve a handout, but because we are all stronger when people of a different race, creed, or gender help us see past our own limitations.

When you go back to work tomorrow, make a special effort to bring the right people to the table for every meeting. All of them. Anything less is un-American.

A contract is not a “lawyer only” document. You are free to write a legally binding agreement in Microsoft Word, as long as both parties sign it.

A contract is not a tool to get what you want. It is an insurance policy in . . . → Read More: A contract is a promise]]> A contract is not a threat. It is a promise.

A contract is not a “lawyer only” document. You are free to write a legally binding agreement in Microsoft Word, as long as both parties sign it.

A contract is not a tool to get what you want. It is an insurance policy in the event that the other party decides to stop caring about what you want.

A contract is not magically unbreakable. You need to make breaking it hurt if you want the other party to respect it.

A contract is not an insult to a friend. It is a compliment to an equal.