brain pickings

I write short and actionable advice, called brain pickings, on slow marketing, productivity and humanity. Come for the humor, stay for the hindsight.

“just” breathe

1 minute of reading

there are so many things our bodies do, that we take for granted…

until, of course, it’s no longer capable of doing the thing.

it’s even worse when the thing is integral to keeping us alive.

from the heart that conveniently pumps blood, to the skin that effortlessly protects our insides from the outsides.

anxiety literally took my breath away…

which sucked, because it’s something I’ve really enjoyed doing for as long as I can remember.

seemingly overnight, I had found myself in a world in which to breathe meant to be able to choke.

I’ve survived days unable to remove myself from the security of my bed, convinced that should I do so, I would forcibly collapse to the ground, from lack of oxygen…

…immediately followed by days in which I’d run multiple 10k’s as if I had forgotten that I could indeed, just walk.

a breath, never the same,

and never again taken for granted.

next time you breathe, take a deep one.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

today is day 177 of the year, there are 188 days remaining of 2022.

“just” breathe Read More »

You Inc.

1 minute of reading

congratulations! you’re in business!

you’ve been in business from the moment you’ve entered the job market.

in fact, I would argue that You Inc. opened to the public the second you were born.

from the moment life was gifted to you, you’ve been building and refining your experience, your personality, your skillset and ultimately, your client list.

whether you’re a student, an artist or an engineer, whether you’re self employed or working for someone else,

as long as you’re trading some thing for something else

you’re in business.

everyone making use of your experience, personality and skillset is your client.

patients? clients…
supervisors? clients…
students? clients…
bosses? clients

we’re all in business together.
we’re all buying each other’s services.

you’ve not quit and you’ve not been fired, you’re marketing your services somewhere else.

you’re not doing your masters, you’re bringing a new product to market.

you’re not an employee, you’re in business.

to have complete power over your financial security is freedom.

most of us are free, we’ve just decided to cage ourselves.

you don’t just have a job, you’re in business.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

today is day 176 of the year, there are 189 days remaining of 2022.

You Inc. Read More »

curiosity killed the cat

1 minute of reading

much to their parents dismay, between the ages of 2 and 5, kids ask, on average, 40000 questions.

but life has a way of breaking its promises to children and
teachers have to make sure kids know answers, not questions.

curiosity is an integral part of the human experience, yet the older we get, the more answers we’re expected to have. why?

well, the reason is comically simple…

not knowing is associated with lack of intelligence. the pretense is tiresome, but apparently necessary.

it also explains the rise in the amount of people suffering from the impostor’s syndrome.
the irony is, of course, that you can’t be an impostor in your own life.

I wish that you have nothing but questions about the world around you.

today is day 175 of the year, there are 190 days remaining of 2022.

curiosity killed the cat Read More »

what day is it

1 minute of reading

the average human lifespan is 80 years.

that’s 4174.29 weeks
that’s 29220 days

I keep a calendar that tells me the day of the year for three reasons:

  1. reminder to keep with my goals and deadlines
  2. motivation to make the most out of life
  3. gratitude to have lived thus far

the second we are born, the sand of time stops moving in our favor…

and it’s only when I realized that there is, indeed, a last time for everything, is when I started showing up for my own life.

it’s comforting to know nothing lasts forever, yet horrifying that nothings stays.

I hope this stays.

I’ll see you tomorrow

today is day 174 of the year, there are 191 days remaining of 2022.

what day is it Read More »

who writes blog posts anymore?

1 minute of reading

everyone, apparently…
the next logical question then becomes – who reads all of these blog posts?
well, that’s between site owners and their google analytics dashboard.

“blogging is dead” goes around as many times as the moon goes around the earth, it seems.
the 30 million bloggers in the US seem to have missed this memo…
I, however, received it, and aggressively chose to ignore it.

according to the internet, Mark Twain once said, “I didn’t have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one.”

these daily brain pickings are a selfish attempt to write something good enough to last after I die, in a short and focused format.
they’re part diary, part personal development, part business advice, I’ve no doubt you’ll find it of use…

I’ll see you tomorrow.

today is day 173 of the year, there are 192 days remaining of 2022.

who writes blog posts anymore? Read More »

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