I’m reading Cal Newport’s So Good They Can’t Ignore You, and I keep seeing his argument play out in real time at work. Newport says rare and valuable skills — career capital — are what give you leverage. The craftsman builds that capital through reps, not passion. Show up, get deep, get good. The leverage … Continue reading The Craftsman and the Machine
Tag: writing
The Challenge From My Son
My son was a couple of days into a 30-day ab challenge when he invited me to join him — and that’s not the kind of invitation you turn down. So I jumped in. And then, because apparently I can’t leave well enough alone, I extended it to 60 days. He got me started. That’s … Continue reading The Challenge From My Son
Twenty-Two
I’ve sold twenty-two copies of my first novel. I’m going to sit with that number for a second, because it means two things at once. First — I wrote a book. A real book. A story I’m genuinely proud of. It has four five-star reviews on Amazon from people who aren’t just being nice. One … Continue reading Twenty-Two
Fifteen Years Later
I ran across something I wrote in 2011 about Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. The idea that stuck with me then was simple: a character doesn’t change unless they go through hard times and conflict. Without it, the character stays one-dimensional. I used Braveheart as my example. I’ve always loved that … Continue reading Fifteen Years Later
The Craving
It took two days. Two days into assessment week — a planned break between rounds of the 7-40 Challenge — and I was already craving the structure I’d stepped away from. I’ll admit, some of the break was good. I stopped listening to audiobooks for a few days and let my mind clear out. That … Continue reading The Craving
