[this article was originally written for Puttylike] Have you ever entered the doldrums? Not the literal doldrums—the tedious places at sea where winds are few and sailors struggled to escape. I mean those times in life when nothing at all feels interesting. During these times, I listlessly ignore that stack of books waiting to be […]
Category: Happiness
Making Good Choices
[this article was originally written for Puttylike] Making good choices is hard. In fact, there’s only one thing I hate more than not having any choice, and that’s having to make one at all. I feel trapped when I have too few options, and overwhelmed when I have too many. Why are choices so difficult?
How to Be Happy By Understanding Instrumental Values
[this article was originally written for Puttylike] You could make a strong argument that the universe is poorly designed. Don’t get me wrong, I doubt I could do a better job. But, due to what appears to be a mistake in the grand universal design, nothing is purely, unequivocally good. There’s always a trade-off. Sometimes […]
When Every Day Is The Same… Make Each Day A Little Better
[this article was originally written for Puttylike] Last year, life was tedious. It was like my own personal Groundhog Day, except I actually got older and I barely learned anything. Each day was the same: I awoke, I worked in my little office, I slept. And repeat. At least, that’s how it felt at the […]
What I’m Doing in July 2018
[post status: a brief life update] When Walking on Custard came out in 2015 (aside: I cannot believe that was three years ago! What on EARTH is happening to the flow of time?!), I needed some sort of online home. I considered all kinds of wild, imaginative ideas, like interactive websites which would act as companions to the […]
How to Choose the Right Path When There are SO MANY POSSIBILITIES
[This post was originally written for puttylike.com] To my great surprise, I’ve written two books. The first was non-fiction, and I spent the entire process worrying about making factual errors. I checked and rechecked (and rechecked) everything obsessively. At the very least, I wanted to be able to honestly say that I’d done my best […]
Being an Adult Child (in a Good Way)
[This post was originally written for puttylike.com] I never really grew out of childishness. It’s just so fun. Children get to be curious, silly, and playful. And there’s something delightfully mindful about the capacity they have to get absorbed in an activity for hours on end. Naturally, we can’t remain entirely childlike forever, but I’ve […]
How I Got Hit in the Face & Saved by a Magic Bat
[This story was originally shared via the Neil Hughes Occasional Email Experience. Sign up for stories like this in your inbox.] Image via Max Pixel, licenced under Creative Commons CC0 A story about life revelations in three parts: I: Hit In The Face Last week I got hit in the face in a pub toilet […]
Have Fun, For Fun’s Sake!
[This relatively sensible post was originally written for puttylike.com] I often feel pressure, like questions are burnt into my brain by endless repetition: Am I contributing to the world right now? Am I making enough money? Am I deepening myself, learning new skills and growing as a person? You might think that achieving any of […]
Do More Things You Enjoy
[SUPER QUICK POST] Today, some Incredibly Obvious Advice Which I Always Forget. You know those things you enjoy doing? (Perhaps you don’t. For me, modern life often turns into a kind of repetitive drudgery where days blend into one another. Even so, there’s usually something at some point lately which brought some joy. It’s useful […]