Over the past few years, I’ve gotten suckered into watching, listening to, or reading several videos, podcasts, and articles in which the presenter or author promises to dispel common myths about success and tell us how he/she did it differently. And many of them do start to deliver that message. They tell stories about how...
Category: Artists/Creativity
Does Your Unfinished Art Serve a Purpose?
I’ve wanted to write a novel about my Mexican grandmother since I was fifteen. I’ve known all along what the first line would be: “When I was nine years old, Poncho Villa rode into town and killed a merchant in the street.” Whenever I think of that line, I get the shivers, remembering the day...
There’s a Reason We Call it the Burden of Social Proof
The other day, I heard someone refer to the “burden of social proof,” and I thought the word “burden” was so fitting. See, social proof as a standalone term refers really to herd mentality. It means “the influence the actions and attitudes of the people around us have on our own behavior.” But social proof,...
How Are You, Really?
My husband passed a coworker in the hall the other day and said, “How are you?” The man responded, “Fantastic.” My husband said, “Wow, that’s great.” The man said, “When someone asks you how you are, always say fantastic. No one wants to hear about your problems.” This strikes me as sad. I agree with...
Where Do We Really Belong?
My husband is a channel surfer. I walked in last night and he was watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I arrived at the moment when a wise character was telling the main character, “The belonging you seek is not behind you, it is ahead.” She’s advising her to stop waiting for something (or someone)...
The Numbers That Really Matter
I’m getting ready to roll out a new book and already obsessing about numbers. I’m wondering how many copies to order in my first print run. Should I dream big or be practical? How many books can I really sell in, say, the first three months? I’m concerned about raising my numbers of social media...
How Introverts and Extroverts Should Really Be Treated
Well, this is interesting, I’ve noticed an influx lately in books and podcasts and TED Talks geared toward enabling introverts to feel their self-worth and helping them maneuver in an “extrovert world.” Out of curiosity, I clicked over to Amazon and did a search in books for the word “introvert,” and dozens of titles came...
Is It Crazy to Mourn Someone Who Never Existed?
They killed off one my favorite characters on one of my TV shows last night, and I’m doing a bit of public mourning here. It’s not that I didn’t know it was coming. I’m way behind on episodes and I’d read that it happened. Though I was dreading it, I’d steeled myself well for the...
All Kinds of Creative
I had a visit with a health care provider today, and she demonstrated a method she’d come up with for one of her procedures that was vastly different from how most of her colleagues perform the same service. Vastly different from how I’d ever seen it performed. I found that very intriguing. Later, she asked...
Sure, I Can Do That
The other night, I was attending a summer festival put organized by friends of mine. I was watching math magician, Petter Kolm, perform card and mind tricks. He asked for a volunteer from the audience who was savvy with his/her cell phone, so, of course, I did not raise my hand. Like any good Gen...