I just finished Cal Newport’s So Good They Can’t Ignore You. His thesis is that passion follows mastery — you don’t find your dream job by following your heart, you build it by getting so good at something valuable that opportunities find you. He profiles people who spent years developing rare skills before the work … Continue reading Passion Is Not a North Star
Tag: gratitude
The Estate Sale
One of our favorite things to do as a family is go to estate sales. We’ve been doing it for years. Walk through our house and you’ll see the evidence — furniture, quilts, cookware, books, decorations. There’s no shortage of things we’ve found in other people’s homes that have become part of ours. What I’ve … Continue reading The Estate Sale
Take the Next Step (Revisited)
Two years ago, I wrote a post called “Take the Next Step.” I told the story of a man named Pat who received a terrible prognosis from his doctor and decided to change his life by walking to Walmart. No car. No shortcuts. If he wanted to eat, he had to walk a mile to … Continue reading Take the Next Step (Revisited)
So Many Brown Cows
Knowing what you’re good at and knowing what your contribution to the world is supposed to be are two very different conversations. I’ve been thinking about that gap a lot lately. Not in a defeated way — more like standing at the edge of what I know and sensing something just past it. I have … Continue reading So Many Brown Cows
The Laundry
In 1999, my bride and I were newlyweds living in an apartment complex with no washer and dryer. We’d carry our clothes over to the laundromat, sit together while things ran, and just talk. One afternoon I folded something and she looked at me and said, “You didn’t fold that right.” What do you mean … Continue reading The Laundry
David Willis 