The Wing-It Tax

7-40 Challenge | Round 4, Day 17 I was 19 and a bit unobservant. I signed up for what I thought was personal finance. I wanted to learn how to balance my checkbook. I ended up in fundamentals of business finance, learning bond valuation. I did what I always did in college — I winged … Continue reading The Wing-It Tax

Dare Mighty Things (Fifteen Years Later)

7-40 Challenge | Round 4, Day 16 In 2011, I wrote a short passage about a prisoner escaping a cell. He finds a footprint on the floor — proof that someone walked this path before him. He picks up a sword and feels something pulse through his arm. He remembers: I am a warrior. I … Continue reading Dare Mighty Things (Fifteen Years Later)

The Volume Group

7-40 Challenge | Round 4, Day 12 There's a story about an arts professor who split his pottery class into two groups. The first group only had to produce one piece for the entire year. One shot at perfection. The second group was graded on volume — they had to produce as many pieces as … Continue reading The Volume Group

Never Ring the Bell

7-40 Challenge | Round 4, Day 10 I'm reading Admiral McRaven's Make Your Bed this week. In Navy SEAL training, there's a brass bell. If you want to quit, you ring it. You're done. No more cold water, no more impossible runs, no more being pushed past what you thought you could take. McRaven's message: … Continue reading Never Ring the Bell

Headfirst

7-40 Challenge | Round 4, Day 9 I started reading Admiral McRaven's Make Your Bed today while mowing the yard. Chapter 6 is called "Dare Greatly." It's about the slide for life in SEAL training — the obstacle where going headfirst is faster but terrifying, and most people go feet first because it feels safer. … Continue reading Headfirst