Category: taking action

  • Welcome back.

    Hi, and welcome back to regular writing. 🙂 I just spent probably three months finishing up my third book with Portfolio/Penguin. It was damn stressful but I’m glad we pushed ourselves. It’ll be out in October. I’ve pretty much figured out that I can’t write several things at once, at least while caring about all […]

  • How to do the best work of your life

    Today my new book, The Flinch, is launched on Seth Godin’s Domino Project. It’s about how to push your own barriers and how to do things that scare you. Writing the book was hardest thing I’ve ever done, and as an experiment, it’s available for free. With the help of Seth, Chris Brogan, and many […]

  • Information is not the problem

    This is the information age. Anything you want to learn how to do, you can. If you want to ride a bike, there’s a 26 step process for doing it right here. Yet every day, people look at the steps of what they want to do and say “no.” Those who want to go for […]

  • DISOBEY

    You will not achieve anything unless you are capable of this fundamental act. As a child, you excelled at it. You snuck out at night, smoked when you weren’t supposed to, and made out with someone you weren’t supposed to. None of this killed you. In fact, the more you disobeyed, the more interesting you […]

  • How to tell if you’re doing your life’s work

    I am working on a small book right now. It’s easily the best thing I’ve ever done. The editor is better than I could have ever hoped for. The idea is amazing, and something I care deeply about. It should get good visibility. Everything seems like it’s in line. This kind of thing never happens […]

  • No One Cares If You Succeed or Fail: Why I Walked 500 Miles… Barefoot

    There are some lessons you can learn from the comfort of your couch— maybe watching a great video on Youtube or chatting with friends. But there are other lessons that come hard. Here is one of them. But first, some background. My girlfriend and I just walked 800 kilometers (500 miles) along the Camino de Santiago […]

  • Just send the goddamn email

    You know you’ve been delaying it. You know it needs to get done. It’s on the top of your list, and yet somehow, you just never manage to make it happen. You’ve been saying it isn’t the right time, or telling people that you just got overwhelmed. But you know what? Today is the day. It’s […]

  • Stop Living the Lie; Start Living the Life

    This essay is a guest post by Joshua Millburn of The Minimalists. Follow him on Twitter or else. You thought I was crazy Admit it, you thought I was crazy, didn’t you? I heard what you said about me when I quit my six-figure job to pursue my passions. You thought I was crazy when I said […]

  • Two Ways to Make Better Decisions

    Our world is complex, and it needs heuristics for us to be effective. One heuristic that works when we’re young is “listen to your parents,” because otherwise, we might die. Another adult heuristic might be “find an expert, and do what they say,” although that’s getting more and more complex these days. The other day […]

  • You Cannot Die

    Have you ever thought about how difficult it is to actually hurt yourself? I don’t mean a paper cut. I mean something that’s disgusting to look at, where you’re at risk for death. What would it take? In this society, it’s very difficult. We are safe. And even if we are hurt, plastic surgery, free […]