Essays on writing, life, and my journey.
Collected writings.
Writing.
Writing as shadow work. I write because I believe it has the power to transform. I write because it lets me love, or at least accept, what may otherwise feel unlovable. — Why I Write (An Invitation)
Advice for online writers. Above all, write honestly. Write about what feels important to you. Write from the heart. Write to enrich the world of your readers for a short moment. Life is too short for anything else. — Three Years Of Writing Online
Writing as alchemy. At the intersection of our talents and our wounds is our chance to practice alchemy — to turn what is buried in darkest depths into gold. The reward is not to be released from suffering but to find meaning in it, not a happy ending, but the a life profoundly experienced and generously shared. —David Milch and the Alchemy of Story
Can writing change our perspective on ourselves? We must also learn to meet ourselves the way a writer would: with curiosity, love, and and the right questions. A writer does not care about a character’s success but about its truth. The richness of your character rests in its contradictions. It is your complexity that uniquely breaks the light and lets you shine. — Dying Without Regrets (How to See Yourself Like a Writer)
Writing can be a struggle. Keep going. The answer to contraction is expansion — reaching out, hanging out, working out, walking out, praying, chanting, even crying out loud. — Reflections on Writing, Grinding, and Money
Writing as a mission. Following curiosity wherever it leads is an unreasonable idea in an age that glorifies efficiency, grinding, grifting, and wealth. Allow yourself to aim for the unreasonable. The world needs your best effort and highest ambition. — The Writing Mission (is to be curious)
Writing and singing are intertwined. It’s valuable to be proficient, but invaluable to be resonant. — How to Find Your Voice
My journey.
The dark night is that rare time when your soul is being forged — if you let it. Sadly, we have been conditioned to do the exact opposite. We have been taught to avoid our depths. — Night Season
Spiritual awakening. A complicated thing. — My Greatest Fear
No fortune can create a bond between your heart and the soil. Maybe home is just where the heart burns. — The Struggle for Home
The reward for tears of grief, I’ve found, are tears of joy and gratitude. — Until the Heart Catches
That time I joined a startup hedge fund. Are you building a business or practicing a craft? — Attempting the Impossible
When I got divorced, I was in a bad state of denial. I pretended it didn’t hurt. … I pulled back into a shell. Unable to find a happy path myself, I had a hard time watching others succeed. Their achievements seemed like an indictment of my own failures. — Divorce, Denial, Dissonance Reduction
Life.
The good life is not a destination but a process, not a having but a being and doing. — The Paradox of Happiness
You need to train two muscles: the one leading to a prosperous future and the one appreciating the already abundant present. — Marshmallow Mind
Do you read to signal or to learn? — Crank The Learning Machine Up To 11
Other essays.
What is the price we pay for our illusions? — The Prophecy of Rust Cohle
We don’t get to choose when the world changes. Sometimes we barely get time to react. — Herald of the Change
Would your ego allow you to step into the role of junior partner in the service of doing great work? — Could You Bear Being the Sidekick?
Musings on a new year:
To plan or to surrender? The New Year’s Conundrum.
What did I not do because of fear? What, or who, drained energy? How am I complicit in my situation? Sitting With Uncomfortable Questions: A Different Kind of Year-End Review