In Over Your Head: Learning by Doing

  • Homework. IX.

    It’s not always easy to breathe. Breathing—the intake of oxygen and the exhalation of carbon dioxide—is life’s essential force. It’s the first step our physical bodies take towards making all other actions possible, including thinking. In swimming, the rhythm of breathing is essential: you only have a few opportunities to catch a breath; it’s about…

  • Flossing More Important Than Brushing, Dentists Say

    Flossing is like Mitt Romney– it has an image problem it can’t seem to shake. I was at the dentist the other day and we end up talking about it. I had to force him to choose. It was hard, but  he finally admitted it. In fact, the whole dental office agreed. Flossing is more…

  • If You Build It, They Won’t Give a @#$%

    Welcome to the densest, most competitive information marketplace in history. Never before have people been so ready to send out more marketing messages. Never in history have people cared less. Just five seconds ago I was invited to yet another religious Facebook group for a religion I’m not even a part of. Gee, thanks. You…

  • Lottery

    The pot was $40 million or something yesterday. So for the first time ever, I bought a lottery ticket. It actually wasn’t for me, it was for a friend. Yeah I know what you’re thinking, but it’s true. The awkwardness you have when you’re first buying a lottery ticket is akin to when you first…

  • Counter

    The guy comes by yesterday to check out our kitchen and what he can do with it. Right away he says: “you weren’t here the last time.” He’s right; my girlfriend was here. Now I am. But the guy has a point. He’s confused now because he doesn’t know who the decision maker is. He…

  • Destination

    Fact is, most people don’t really know where they’re going. It seems like the tools for figuring it out are everywhere. You can buy books that will give you an idea of direction. But you can read them all and still have no idea. All they do is give you a map to where they’ve…

  • Homework. VIII.

    The smallest space I ever lived in was a tiny, windowless room that couldn’t have been more than 150 square feet. To be fair, it was in an apartment with shared roommates. I had a kitchen in another room, and some other living space. I barely used them though– I was a kind of recluse,…

  • Homework. VII.

    Please excuse my tardiness. This homework assignment was provided by Joshua Millburn, my friend who runs The Minimalists. I think everyone has, at one point, wanted to create work they were really proud of. Some have tried in the past. But the way it usually works is that you start writing a book, recording an album,…

  • 19 Thoughts About Finding Your Purpose

    Those who win are producers, not consumers. The first thing you do each morning should be active, not passive– no Facebook, no email. Whatever you choose should put you in a state of mind for the rest of the day. Choose carefully. The goals others set for you are usually wrong. The people who give…

  • Homework. VI.

    There are a ton of homework assignments I have prepared for this blog. Some, I’ve already done. Others, I plan to, but haven’t yet. And then there are those like this one. Inside of society, there are some things that are difficult just because they are accepted norms. Then, some things feel hard because they…