• Deadlines Produce Bad Work

    Is that a provocative enough title? Well, it’s true. So many people say they work best under deadline. They say that deadlines make them more focused, etc.. Unfortunately, they’re mistaken. Yes, deadlines often result in work activity, and usually completion, it is however, not the best one can do. If the measure is (for example):…

  • Be Clear

    It’s not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted. – Mary Flannery O’Connor It’s not enough to not be passive, one must have desire. It’s not enough to move, one must have a purpose. It’s not enough to be active, one must be…

  • The Gift Persistence Conveys

    We are made to persist. That’s how we find out who we are. – Tobias Wolff I often speak of being grateful for whatever comes your way. “Good” or “bad.” Everything is feedback. Everything is a lesson. Everything is a springboard. Whatever happens, use it. Use “it” to find out what you’re made of, what you…

  • Thought vs. Thinking

    I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough, we must do. – Leonardo da Vinci Thought is so vitally important to the quality and content of our lives, but thinking is over-rated. What we think creates our emotions and our emotions create…

  • What Is Genius, Really?

    Genius . . . means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an unhabitual way.” – William James So much of our thinking is habitual. With very little actual variation, we think the same thoughts, about the same things, in the same way – day after day. Because so much of the World’s thinking is rote…

  • Progress Or Story?

    A man who wants to do something will find a way; A man who doesn’t will find an excuse. – Stephen Dolley, Jr. It matters less what the ultimate result is; only that one has started, and worked, and learned, and adapted, and finished “something.” Or we can make up a story about why we can’t…