At the top of my computer monitor, on a piece of white artist’s tape, I’ve written “How will you show up today?” It’s a reminder that everything I do is a choice. I can choose to slack off, or work with focus and intention. I can choose to show up […]
Category: impostor syndrome
Systems Over Solo
I used to subscribe to the notion that I was bad with birthdays. I told myself the story that I was often too busy, too distracted building things to remember all of the birthdays of my friends and family. This became a harmful spiral that led to behavior that reinforced […]
“Overnight” Success
For anyone who needs to hear it: things take time to build. Remember that all of the 1-minute timelapse “tutorials,” TEDTalks, highlight reels, and “overnight” success are all the result of much longer amounts of time than you might think. Jerry Seinfield rehearsed his five minute stand-up bit 200 times […]
Self-Improvement Toxicity
I believe in personal development and self-improvement. I also believe that you’re enough as you are. These might seem to contradict themselves, but I believe that positive self-improvement is where you’re embracing yourself as a worthy, amazing human being, and looking to grow and optimize your skill sets, mindsets, and […]
Superheroes and Superpowers
Superheroes are great escapist fantasy, as it allows us to escape from our current responsibility. When we’re looking at Superman trying to punch some giant alien who is trying to destroy us, we can dream of having his power – which also necessitates reconciling the fact we’re not bulletproof nor […]
Humans Screw Up
We are not perfect, unfailable automatons. We’re messy, forgetful humans with limited cognitive capacities with the ability of having a to-do list that gets sidelined by nine hours of Zoom meetings. Upon understanding this, there are a few options. You can rail against this fact and try to be perfect […]
The Ugly Measurement Mirror
A huge indication that something is wrong is when someone doesn’t want to measure something. Why? Because measuring things shines a light on objective reality, and looking at that objective reality can be painful if it’s not what you want to see. Whether it’s a waste treatment plant not wanting […]
Sandbagging
Sandbagging is when you lower your performance at an evaluation so that you can compete with those less skilled than you. It’s a cowardly practice that one engages in when winning becomes more important than trying one’s best. It’s believing that the end goal is more important than the process […]
Feeling Like An Impostor?
Are you feeling like an impostor right now? If not, then could you be playing a bigger game than you are now? Aren’t you playing it a little too safe? If you are, then welcome to good company. That feeling means you’re doing something uncomfortable, challenging, or new. And that’s […]
My Own Worst Enemy
Oftentimes, we’re our own worst enemy, or largest hurdle to success. You might find yourself asking someone to please tell you why, yet again, you’re procrastinating instead of working, putting off having a hard conversation that needs to happen, or finding yourself slumped over your desk having slept with your […]