Anxiety is “a sickness which attacks…precisely those who are strongest in spirit and richest in gifts” (Herman Hesse).
It’s a feature of our culture - and our species.
It’s a necessity for anyone who wishes to do creative work.
Anxiety points to a struggle taking place within the personality, a wrestling match, a dance with the destructive and constructive elements of our selves.
How do you cope?
How do you move forward toward growth in the face of anxiety?
Read MoreThere’s a thing we say about aging, that gravity takes its toll.
And it’s true.
The soft tissues succumb to the downward pull, losing their elasticity. The spring and bounce that characterizes youth dessicates. And yet there’s a way we age long before our time, offering ourselves up as sham sacrifice to the force of gravity. Unaware, we squander ourselves, exerting stupid effort where a modicum of leverage would suffice.
Even now you’ll notice where that sacrifice is made if you stand still and listen.
Read MoreLately I’ve been thinking more and more about habits.
When most people hear the word, they conjure up an image of a checklist. They imagine some list of actions they ought to take on any given day in order to be living their #bestlife.
And yet a habit, broadly speaking, is simply a pattern of perception or behavior.
Read MoreI’m not a relationship expert by any means, but I have a hard time imagining that an attitude of hacking leads to a constructive outcome in a marriage. Would you hack your partner into some optimized version of themselves? Or if you have children, do you search out hacks for their growth and development? Could you imagine hacking your grandmother?
They’re silly, but these aren’t trivial questions.
Many of us apply this same attitude toward our own selves.
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