Kyle and I did a thing yesterday. Three years ago this January, he and I were talking on one of our usual road trips from our Illinois hometown to our then home in Iowa, and we landed on the topic of tattoos. Our dating anniversary…
Why You Should Share Your Sloppy Work
On Halloween, a batch of cookies taught me a lesson. This isn’t a new concept to me – I’ve learned several things from baked goods over the years. There’s truly no difference in taste for gluten-free sweets, so just bake what…
Create a Midpoint Break
Major League Baseball players have a long season, playing 162 games from March to September, hoping to make it to the playoffs and extend their season through October. You watch them play game after game, nine innings (or more), the same thing…
How Do You Fight Hard Feelings?
Vulnerability, or the act of being vulnerable, is about as uncomfortable as taking the light rail on a 115-degree day in Phoenix. When people applaud you after whatever it is you did outside of your comfort zone and it went…
3 Things I Learned in My 20s
I have always loved turning another year older. Since I was little, I thought people who were older than me were cooler than me. Therefore I thought with every birthday – every age promotion – I was getting a little cooler.…
Commit Now, Thank Yourself Later
What is one thing that would make all of the other things easier? Maybe you’ve heard or seen this question come up in work-related articles or books. It’s the question that has driven me the most in the past year…
Balancing Learning with Creating
Books, courses, blog posts, podcasts – there is no shortage of how-to information out there. I love living in a world where you can learn anything you want to know. It’s amazing that I can find an article, or several…
When Life Hands You Tennis Tickets: A Few Thoughts on Anxiety
Do you ever get anxious when plans change? When the next best action isn’t clear to you? When suddenly the next few hours have opened up and you wonder about the best way to fill them? I like having a…
Hitting Reset
“Quit hitting the snooze button on your own awakening.” -Anne Lamott My awakening moment came last Sunday night around midnight. I had moved out to the couch, unable to sleep after a day of drinking. This wasn’t just a casual…
Book Review: “So Good They Can’t Ignore You” by Cal Newport
Cal Newport’s first book is a must-read for most of us 20-somethings. If you feel stuck or uncertain in your career, questioning what your next move should be, I highly suggest reading this book to gain some sense of direction.…