Which Digit Should You Sever?

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Bespectacled man with an axe at the filling station

Recently I picked up another book from the eminent psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi called Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. In this work, Csikszentmihalyi follows up on his seminal book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Long-time Happenchance readers know that I’ve made much hay about the flow state and how, in my opinion, [...]

14 Ways to Maintain Your Creative Output (During a 50 Hour Work Week)

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a person on a beach getting some serious rest

Even though creative work is fun and rewarding, it’s still work that requires a significant amount of time, energy, and focus. Here I share 14 strategies I use to maintain my creative output while maintaining full-time employment.

8 Lessons in Creative Work I Learned From My Garden

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A modest harvest

This year I planted my first garden. The results are mixed, but I managed to harvest eight lessons in creative work from my experience. Read on….

A Personal Update

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Tiffany and me, mustachioed

Sometimes life throws you a crazy series of curve balls. You end up in places you wouldn’t expect, doing things you never thought you’d do (or do again), and all the things you thought would happen in the future begin to happen in the now. To find out what I’m on about, click here to read on…

After Three Months of Using a Standing Desk…

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a phone-quality photo of my standing desk setup

I realized I’m a lazy bastard who likes to sit down to write. However, the standing desk is not without its benefits. Read more

You Are Your Own Worst Enemy, But That’s a Good Thing

She

In 95% of cases, the only person stopping you from creating something amazing is you. That’s cool, though, because the Resistance is a sign you’re on the right track. This post is a roundup of three vital articles on how to manage your fear of failure, inner critic, and stage fright. Read more…

5 Simple-Yet-Powerful Tools for Defeating Resistance

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Fire on water

Resistance, like fire, manifests in diverse ways. Left unchecked, Resistance will spread, consuming much and leaving nothing but the burned-out frame of abandoned dreams. This article offers a few simple ways to counter this vile foe. Read more…

Stop Whining and Start Grinding

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Dragon y Luna

Building your own skills is similar to building a character in an RPG (albeit far more complex and interesting). To improve your life, build your skills, and level up, you have to do some grinding. Read more…

Molehills Out of Mountains

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Hiker overlooking a Rocky Mountain vista

For the first time this year, I paid self-employment taxes and submitted a business profit and loss statement along with my 1040s. While I’ve earned money from various side hustles in the past, this is the first time I’ve filed as a sole proprietor. This stuff used to scare the shit out of me. I [...]

Lessons From 2 Failed Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Attempts

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In both 2004 and 2005, I attempted and failed to complete two northbound thru-hikes on the Appalachian Trail. Why did I fail and what did I learn? Read on to find out…

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