I am a pro at screwing up. One more time, for the kids in the back: I AM A PRO AT SCREWING UP. But, I'm also a pro at recovering. Relatively quickly. To move (always) forward. I was searching for an email the other day, stumbled across a different email from another person who I … Continue reading Trial And Error (And Method Man)
Tag: stoicism
How To Be Cool In Front of Christopher Nolan (Via Marc Maron)
You know those people you super-admire? That the minute you’re in front of, you find yourself doing, or saying, or looking something stupid? Marc Maron’s a Christopher Nolan fan. He likes his movies. He likes “his vibes.” And Cillian Murphy got to tell him how he couldn’t believe how cool he played it in front … Continue reading How To Be Cool In Front of Christopher Nolan (Via Marc Maron)
There Are Stones In Your Passway. Get Past Them. 
My guitar teacher when I was 13 or so had a poster of Robert Johnson on the wall of the glorified music store closet he taught lessons out of. There you’d be, trying your damndest to stumble through Stairway, and Robert Johnson was just posted up, staring you down. At the time, the image burned … Continue reading There Are Stones In Your Passway. Get Past Them. 
Podcast Of The Week: Boundary Setting For Stoics
Terri Cole met Ryan Holiday when she negotiated an illustration job for her husband for one of Ryan’s books. Ryan was impressed, not just with her skills, but at the awareness of the roles, responsibilities - the skillsets and the delegations - they had in their relationship. As he got to know Terri more, he … Continue reading Podcast Of The Week: Boundary Setting For Stoics
Your Process = Your Armor
Les Snead, GM for the Los Angeles Rams, told Ryan Holiday to “Let your process be your armor.” We all have our critics. Here’s how a pro handles his. When the media gets onto what they think he’s doing right or wrong, he’s only human. Stuff can get to a person. But they’re doing their … Continue reading Your Process = Your Armor
Sunday Music: There’ll Be Days Like This
There. Will. Be. Days. Like. This. Whether your mama told you or not. Whatever it’s like. Tell ‘em about it Van Morrison. When it's not always raining there'll be days like thisWhen there's no one complaining there'll be days like thisWhen everything falls into place like the flick of a switchWell my mama told me … Continue reading Sunday Music: There’ll Be Days Like This
The Courage To Be Disliked
Everybody wants a crystal ball. Because if it’s all cause and effect, everything can be pre-determined. And knowing what will happen next is a very likable quality. The logical-sounding argument for "first this, then that" predictably proceeds like clockwork. It explains how the trains will run on time and the children will grow up well-adjusted and happy. … Continue reading The Courage To Be Disliked
Hope For The Best. Expect The Worst. Happy New Year.
As 2021 draws to a close, I want to say thank you for everybody who reads these little emails/posts I’m sending. I know how many newsletters I personally subscribe (and have unsubscribed) to. The idea that you spend even a few minutes a day sharing a thought with me… I am incredibly grateful. Making these … Continue reading Hope For The Best. Expect The Worst. Happy New Year.
Sunday Music: My Bad Reputation
“I don’t give a damn ’bout my bad reputation.” I used to only hear this song as nihilistic. You know, as in nothing has meaning. Now it kind of feels existential, or maybe even, dare I say, stoic. Where it only has the meaning you ascribe to it, and if "the others" don't like it … Continue reading Sunday Music: My Bad Reputation
Dead At 25, Buried At 75
A Monday morning thought from Benjamin Franklin: Many people die at twenty-five and aren't buried until they are seventy-five. Age is just a number. Life is about what we’re doing, not just what we’ve done. And it’s true no matter how old the dog or his tricks are. As Charlie Munger says, All I want … Continue reading Dead At 25, Buried At 75