How to Kill an Idea
‘If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” – Henry David Thoreau How many times have you had an awesome idea… That just… Went nowhere? I’m not talking about your plan for the weekend or your houseplant […]
Silly Smiles
“Nothing has to happen for me to feel good! I feel good because I’m alive! Life is a gift, and I revel in it.” – Tony Robbins Yesterday, I tied my shoelaces. Okay. I know. Weak start. But I decided I was going to enjoy tying my shoelaces. I didn’t do it on autopilot. I […]
Stinking Overthinking
“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” – Pablo Picasso Learning a new language is hard. (As I’ve recently discovered) I moved to Portugal last year in November and so I’ve been trying to learn Portuguese. Originally, I spent a ton of time… […]
The Gas Station
“If you do whatever it takes, you’re going to get whatever you want.” — Grant Cardone Growing up, my dad was the breadwinner. And he took his role very seriously. In fact, one of the lessons he instilled in me — and something I haven’t forgotten as I’ve become a husband and father in my […]
Rules Are For Fools
“Successful people are the ones who are breaking the rules.” – Seth Godin Who’s making decisions for your life? You? Or others? 99% of people just do what they’re told — it’s easier that way. We learn how to “do what we’re told” by our parents but that lesson gets honed in at school and […]
Holding Your Breath
“Grit is not just simple elbow-grease term for rugged persistence. It is an often invisible display of endurance that lets you stay in an uncomfortable place, work hard to improve upon a given interest, and do it again and again.” – Sarah Lewis How long can you hold your breath? The world record is 24 […]
The LIE of Quantity Vs. Quality
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ― William Faulkner Does perfectionism stop you from moving forwards? I found an amazing story from the book Art & Fear that’s gonna change your thinking […]
Creator Vs. Consumer
“The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.” – Neil Gaiman I came across this Reddit post that captured a sentiment I’d wrestled with for years before I created The Tonic: the constant tug-of-war between consumption and creation. The sentence that particularly caught my attention was the one about […]
Feelin’ Lucky?
“Diligence is the mother of good luck.” – Benjamin Franklin Did you know Queen Elizabeth II was a trained mechanic? At the age of 16, she enlisted with the UK’s Labour Exchange, an employment service, where she honed her skills in truck maintenance. It seems she can even mend tires and engines. Crazy, right? Feelin’ […]
The Silent Thief
“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened. Worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe.” – Mark Twain Anxiety affects nearly 40 million adults in the United States. Suffering from anxiety is like having your brain dialed in to a radio station that […]