This is cross-posted on the Stonemaier Games website, but it leans towards personal, so I thought I would share it here too. *** I made a huge intentional shift in my life in 2011. I’m now 45 years old, and looking back I realize how distinctly different my life was before and after my 30th … Read more
I’ve struggled my entire life to open jars with twist-off lids. Peanut butter, salsa, pickles, you name it…I’m so excited to open these jars, but it’s almost never easy to do so. No joke: I’ve hurt my arm, elbow, and wrist when trying to open jars. My parents taught me that the key is to … Read more
I was recently listening to an episode of the Office Ladies podcast in which Zach Woods joined Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey for a chat. Zach asked some great questions, including one about what the Office ladies would go back and tell their younger selves before/during the filming of The Office. I really loved Jenna … Read more
Ben Affleck recently made an appearance on the Smartless podcast, and he shared some advice from his long-time friend and collaborator, Matt Damon. He was talking about being asked to do something (or deciding if you want to do something). The specific context was him being asked to appear at a charity event, which I’m … Read more
We listened to episode after episode of the delightful Smartless podcast on the recent drive to and from Virginia. One of my favorite episodes featured comedian Martin Short, who–in the midst of a lot of laughs–offered a thought-provoking insight. He talked about how long ago he created a system called “The Nine Categories.” He uses … Read more
While there are technically only 5 official love languages that I’m aware of, over the years I’ve added some of my own creation to the list. Just in case you’re not familiar with the concept of love languages, they are a gauge of how you are best loved (and conversely, how you best show love). … Read more
I’ve been working full-time for my company for a little over 5 years. A few weeks after I quit my previous job, I was home for Christmas, and I had a good talk with my parents about the future. One of the things they asked me about was disability insurance. I was familiar with other … Read more
Recently I watched a fascinating talk by Daniel Pink in which he asked audience members to guess the activity he described. You can play the same guessing game if you’d like; the benefits are below: It delivers a significant positive improvement to your temperament. It increases sensitivity to others and makes you more willing to … Read more
I was on a podcast the other day to discuss how I work: my daily routine, regular and irregular tasks, social media, etc. We turned to the topic of my blogs (this one and my Stonemaier Games blog), and the podcaster asked me why I blog. There are several reasons, several of which are different … Read more
Quite some time ago, I posted a few blog entries about tiny things I can do that can make someone else’s job much easier. The last one I posted was about how to position your knife on a plate at a restaurant, and I have another server-focused lifehack today. Have you ever been at a … Read more