Self Improvement

The opposite of fear isn’t bravery.

The opposite of fear isn’t bravery. Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash Ever heard of courage porn? I bet you have. It’s the podcast that tells you that all you need is to be brave. It’s the book that tells you to overcome your fears. It’s motivational posters. It’s that TED talk. Let’s be honest. You could…

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Squirrels teach us about office manipulators

What squirrels can teach us about office manipulators “highway road photo” by Alexandre Godreau on Unsplash Once I got run over once, the temptation was to become hyperaware of this new reality. I began to see specters where none existed. Toast Protocol An oncoming car approaches. After a moment of frozen panic, a squirrel usually darts towards…

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ENOUGH: Flawed beauty and the portfolio model for hiring.

Eight. That’s how much is enough. When I was a kid, we swam in a pool with Dick Van Patten. Okay, that sounds weird. All of it. The then aging star from the hit TV show “Eight is Enough” was at a resort hotel at Disney World. He was there with his grandchildren. Round, tan, and…

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How to get laid… off.

“A low shot…” by ALP STUDIO on Unsplash A gnat committed suicide in my eye last night. That was in the 5th inning of a playoff baseball game. There were bugs everywhere. The home team was trailing. My son Casey scored the tying run. No, his name’s not actually Casey. They won. They’re the Nationals. The…

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How to navigate the accuracy-precision dilemma

CUTS LIKE A KNIFE…HAND Photo by Jason Briscoe on Unsplash Karate Girl. She’s not a kid. She’s a girl. Who does karate. In the same way that there is an objective answer to the worst two hours of TV ever (Star Wars Holiday Special, 1978), there is a correct conclusion regarding the worst death scene in…

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What shades of gray, gun control, and Kurt Vonnegut can teach you about decisions.

Iraq Shooting Range (US Army) Home on the range A story oft repeated at the Naval Academy was that a single SEAL Team shoots more small-arms ammunition in a single year than the entire U.S. Marine Corps. Whether that technically holds up, the staggering implication is indeed true: The only thing stopping us from shooting more…

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UNVALUE: Saying “no” starts with yourself.

A Soul Half Full Catholic kids tend to have lots of Irish friends. In seventh grade my sister and I changed to a Catholic school named after Saint Brendan the Navigator. That last part is to distinguish him from all the other beatified Brendans you know. In my class there was even a real live…

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