“Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” This quote comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s fantastic essay titled, Self-Reliance. Let’s unpack it. My first job in college was doing basic accounting work for a homebuilder. I was tasked with keeping track of all the bills we had to pay. We were building 250 homes aContinue reading Foolish Consistency
I love to read, but getting started is always hard. My brain won’t turn off, and when I do manage to sit down with a book, I find myself getting up a few minutes later to check on something – anything. There’s a real resistance to focused work. This morning, when I started my book,Continue reading It’s hard to Focus and Read
My mistake was standing at the top of the stairs with a bowl of oatmeal in one hand and a laptop in the other. I took my first step, and then somehow found myself at the bottom. Children rushed towards me. “Dad, are you ok?” I moved each appendage to see what was broken. “I’mContinue reading I Fell Down the Stairs Today
I knew today was a disaster by 7:19 AM. I’d left my laptop charger at the office. Normally I wouldn’t care, but this morning, I was the parent responsible for getting kids out the door and taking my second oldest to a dentist appointment. Recently, his rock band won a local battle of the band’sContinue reading (MVH) – Minimum Viable Happiness
It’s cold outside. The walk from my car to the office was enough to make me never want to go outdoors again. As I clutched a hot coffee and fiddled with the keys to my door, I had a thought: if you stop too long in this world, you’ll freeze to death. The only wayContinue reading I Opened a Vietnam Time Capsule Today
I just recorded an hour-long episode of The Read Well Podcast with my first-ever guest. Liza Jacob is an audiobook narrator who, through several years of acting classes, diction training, and practice has learned a valuable lesson – that narrating a book makes it more meaningful. The episode will come out soon, but for now,Continue reading Read Like An Audiobook Narrator
I’m going snowboarding with my family today. It’s an all-day trip from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Days like this are magical with one exception: the lack of books. I love being outside, breathing air so cold that it both tightens and relaxes my lungs at the same time. I savor being with my kids,Continue reading Snowboarding and Books
Saturday morning is insanity in my home. It’s chore day, which means that nobody can enjoy anything until the toilets are scrubbed, the beds are made, and the mysterious junk drawers are emptied and sanitized. It’s a lot of work, and with it comes a lot of noise. Kids shout that they’re out of cleaningContinue reading Slowly, But Surely
My wife and I dangled our legs over the edge of the slop that led down towards the Seine River. Parisians sat all along the river, watching the boats sail past while they enjoyed ham and cheese baguettes and talked about life. Honestly, sitting on the side of that river was the most enjoyable partContinue reading This idea Made Me a Better Reader
Just because there’s an opportunity, that doesn’t mean I should take it. But I’m taking this one. I don’t know how I’m going to make it work, but that’s been the guiding force of my life. I tend to build the airplane while it’s flying. What’s the opportunity? I just found out that my wife,Continue reading I Just Enrolled (This is Nuts)