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Improvement

Improvement, hacks and other help for business, creative, or life's other endeavors

Plans, Schedules, and Self-Inflicted Chaos

Let’s face it: some like to plan, some don't, and plans don't always work out. Not me! I’m an experienced planner, process-oriented and obedient to the plan. Ha! Well, most of the time. Okay, SOME of the time. Sigh. I love the sounds deadlines make, as they go

Productively Obsessing

Over the years, therapists decided that “obsessive” is a bad word. Like many hijacked words or phrases, obsessive usage shifted... this time to the negative and used to label a person's serious problem. Websters, obsession: the domination of one’s thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, feelings,

Live 5 x 3

Live Balanced * Do frequent media black-out days and analogue days away from digitals. * Pursue dreams and passions fervently. * Spend time with friends and loved ones. Live Generously * Give and expect nothing in return. * Like and love without barriers. * Share your time and attention. Live Harmoniously * Compromise openly and avoid “I”

Are You The Noun, Or The Verb?

When someone asks, “What do you do?” how do you answer? Most day-job people answer with their job title. Creatives also tend to respond with a noun: “I’m a writer,” “I’m a painter,” “I’m a gardener,” etc. We’re conditioned to crave labels, rather than focus on

The Joy of Small

Marketers of consumer goods pretend to care about making us happier, yet clearly they have an ulterior motive as a higher goal. We yearn to take big bites out of the happiness pie. The instant gratification, the "If I buy this it will make me happy" are alluring solutions. Those

Doors & Paths

A life lived long and well (or short or not-so-well) is a continual series of choices, appearing metaphorically as doors or paths. Open a door, and the universe’s equivalent of Monty Hall (Let's Make a Deal TV game show host) will either celebrate with you on what’s behind

Cogito, Ergo Sum

Over the years, I’ve grown to love linguistics as it relates to words, their etymology, challenges to use, and the nerd-like joy of discovering new (to me) words. Of my few educational regrets is never learning Latin. Not as a great conversation starter, but since Latin can be the

When Is The Right Time?

When do you know it's the right time? How can you tell when "now" is the moment to move forward, or hold back for another, potentially more appropriate time? There are many subtle and not so subtle ways to tell. For me, it's when things converge as though choreographed by

Forest Bathing

The Japanese call it shinrin-yoku and use it as a nature therapy for spiritual restoration. Developed in 1980 for preventative care and healing, Japan now has 44 designated shinrin-yoku forests across the island nation. Research shows time spent in forest bathing can have positive neuro-psychological affects on the nervous system,

Silent Mentors

The traditional approach to excelling at anything involves learning from someone who’s where you want to be. If it’s a creative goal, it’s from those who’ve achieved success and share expertise through explanatory mediums or via their work. In past times, one gained a skill or