Give Me a List

Have you thought about the effectiveness of lists in writing? Take a moment and think of the famous lists that come to mind like My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music or the Ten Commandments from the Bible. Even when we can’t name them all, I bet we can name a few or most. … More Give Me a List

When I Write

The other day a friend was telling me how his dad, who was a professor in the business school at the University of Washington, wrote books. He’d shut himself in his home office and for two months would just sit there with a note pad nearby. Sometimes he’d watch a game or organize stacks of … More When I Write

The Power of Intuition

Intuition has always been a fascinating subject of study. It is generally associated with genius, because the greatest scientific discoveries happened thanks to moments of intuition. Einstein wrote: Intuition is a sacred gift of which reason is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and forgets the gift. In addition, … More The Power of Intuition

Breathe, Just Breathe

My 6-year-old daughter mentioned that her uncle (my brother) told her about someone who could hold his breath underwater for 22 minutes. Thinking her young sense of time must be off, I checked in with my brother. Turns out she was right – 22 minutes. Breathing is an autonomic system function. We don’t have to … More Breathe, Just Breathe

Fear of Imperfection, AKA Atelophobia

The etymology of “atelophobia” comes from the Greek atelophobia, a word composed of atelés (meaning imperfect, incomplete) and phóbos (or fear, phobia) and it means fear of imperfection.  A large number of people suffer from atelophobia, a constant feeling of imperfection and inadequacy. Discontent with one’s own aesthetic appearance, search for a perfection that does … More Fear of Imperfection, AKA Atelophobia

Community

This last weekend, I was out listening to live music for the first time in two years and suddenly the people, the place and the context overran me with a sublime feeling of community. I was with my brother and his wife and because the lead singer of the blue grass group we were listening … More Community

Mindfulness and Evolutionary Psychology: A Primer

Much of our suffering and psychological problems we face are due to the fact that we are using ancient cognitive machinery to deal with the complexities of the modern world. Humans evolved though a process called natural selection in which genes that were best suited for their respective environments were passed on to the next … More Mindfulness and Evolutionary Psychology: A Primer

Backpacks

After I wrote that post on Vulnerability last week, I had lunch with my friend Doug. He was the person I mentioned in the post as the friend who’d asked about the blog and then not responded when I shared it with him. Turns out that he’d both read and liked the writing very much … More Backpacks

Maintaining The Best Mental Health: A Simple Guide

 Please note this is a partnered post and may contain affiliate links. Maintaining great mental health in the modern day is becoming more and more difficult. There are so many things that can cause extreme stress and anxiety, and it’s far too easy to get swept into the tide of chaos and confusion. Thankfully, it’s … More Maintaining The Best Mental Health: A Simple Guide