I was pretty insecure growing up. I didn’t have any confidence in myself, and always looked for others’ approval in order to feel good about what I was doing. Why? Some of that is probably my natural tendency, but some of my insecurity likely came from living in a broken home; with my dad mostly…
Do The Things You Like
Ever find yourself never actually using or doing the things you like, with the mindset that you’re saving it for later? I know that many of us humans do the opposite, just binging the things we like and running from one thing we like to the next. But I must not be alone in charting…
On Acceptance
I recently started to play a game called “The World Ends With You.” The game has an excellent soundtrack all around, but there is a song that sticks out to me as being particularly groovy. In case you’re interested, you can listen to it here. In the latest iteration of the game, a remaster with…
On Psychedelics
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor. I don’t recommend that people take any of the substances discussed in this post unless they have spent considerable time studying their use and effects, thought carefully about their mindset and intention for using them, prepared appropriately, and sought out guidance from experts. Even then, there are certain…
On Vulnerability
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Wayne Gretsky For the younger folks who might be reading this, Wayne Gretsky was a famous hockey player known for his aggressive offensive (i.e. not on defense) play. He scored more goals during his career than any other hockey player. The above quote is often referenced as…
There’s Always Room for More—Personally, Politically
In the past, I’ve had a bad habit of convincing myself that some things weren’t worth doing because other people would always be better at them than me. I remember my dad’s words as a young child, when he told me “Son, no matter how good you are at something, there’s always going to be…
A Definition of Mindfulness
The below mindfulness essay was composed for my mindfulness teacher training at the Mindfulness Training Institute. I think it does a decent job of conveying some of the concepts in an introductory way, so I decided to share it here. — Mindfulness is…not something that is easy to define in a single sentence. But for…
Celebrate Today. Work Tomorrow.
What really is there to say, at this point, that hasn’t been said already. I could go into all sorts of analysis. How healing it will be for Trump to be gone. The catharsis of repudiating him, albeit not nearly as heavily as we would have all liked to see. The mess of legal battles…
The Most Empathetic Fictional Media? Reflecting on The Last of Us Part 2
Video games. What do we think of when we think of those words…Childish? Silly? Stupid? Military shooter? Have I got some news for you—things have changed. Yes, we still have our Mario and Zelda games, and yes they are still wonderful experiences in their own right, and no they haven’t started featuring a deeper story…
When It’s Never Enough
My last two blogs both discussed habits, including how we form them and how they can be damaging or helpful. Today I’m going to discuss a habit that I’ve developed that I’m regularly working to dissolve, and it’s one that you may have developed as well. But, like many long-term habits, this one has been…