Et Cetera
Life
If You Find Yourself Dreading Appointments You Made Long Ago, Start Asking “Would I Do This Tomorrow?”
You know the feeling you get when an appointment approaches on your calendar and you’re not looking forward to it? Maybe you’re even dreading it?
Ugh. I totally forgot about that, you think. But I guess I need to to do it, since I agreed long ago. We've all been there. Some of us find ourselves there all the time. The good news is, there’s a trick to make that happen less and less. It comes from understanding that when someone asks you to do something you don't really want to do, you’re more willing to agree if it takes place far into the future. You tend to think, “Oh, that’s a long time from now. I’m not thrilled about the idea, but sure, I can do that.” Read More
Life
The Real Imposter Is the Part of You That Hesitates
What holds people back from making a bold choice or following a dream?
Et Cetera
The New York Times Reviews The Money Tree (and actually says good things)
Link: New York Times on The Money Tree
When I heard that the New York Times was reviewing my new book, I was simultaneously excited and worried. I was excited because, well, it’s the New York Times! And despite several of my previous books selling well, they never really paid much attention to me. But I was also worried because the Times is not always kind to authors. In fact, many of their book reviews consist largely of 600-word critiques on why a particular book is terrible. I’ve even known authors who have stopped writing for months or years because of a bad review. Read More
Work
How to Write a Novel
First up, thank you so much for your support of THE MONEY TREE! Despite the numerous challenges of current events, the book is getting out to lots of people.
Now that it's out, a number of readers have asked me to explain more about a big change I made. Specifically, my new book is unlike any of my six others: it’s fiction. I created an imaginary world of characters, and did my best to bring them to life. It started partly because I wanted to do something new. The more I thought about it, the more nervous I felt ... which of course is often a good sign. A sense of nervousness and even feeling a little afraid can be helpful in showing you what you need to do next. Read More
Et Cetera
New YouTube Series: Watch Live Every Weekday at 9am PT
Daily YouTube Series: --> Subscribe Here
So I decided to start a YouTube channel, because a) why not, b) I need to adapt just as I encourage other people to do, and c) I’m not going to 40 cities at the moment. Every weekday at 9am Pacific time, I’ll be teaching a short lesson and taking live questions. The theme of the new show is: Finding Opportunity in an Uncertain Time. We’ll be looking at different, creative ways that people are making things work during a time of disruption / disorder / chaos, and talking through projects with anyone who’d like to share theirs with the group. Here's an example from Day 2: Read More
Et Cetera
Read More
Big News: The Money Tree Is Out Today!!
Buy Now: Amazon | BN | Audible | Apple Books | Indie Bookstores
Read More
Life
The Second Best Thing You Can Do Right Now
Wondering what to do during this time of chaos? I have a proposal.
First, the best thing you can do is what you already know about: keep people safe by washing your hands, refraining from gatherings, etc. But unless you’re on the front lines (THANK YOU to everyone who is), most of those actions are passive. When you’re sitting at home with clean hands, what can you do besides turn on Netflix? This is my proposal: the best thing you can do is be safe, but the second best thing is to be productive. Read More
Et Cetera
THE MONEY TREE Book Launch: Join Me From Your Couch on April 4th!
—> Virtual Book Launch: April 4th
Greetings, friends and readers! I had hoped to visit 40 cities on an extensive tour for my new book, THE MONEY TREE. But then, well, you know what happened. No one is going anywhere for a while. Naturally, I’ve been regrouping and making a new plan. This live event will be worldwide and virtual—you can join in from your couch! That’s right, we’re going digital. My book tours have always been about bringing people together, and this event is no exception ... we’re just doing it from a distance. Read More
Life
The Cost of Unnecessary Worrying
I hope you’re holding up okay in the new world order. Instead of talking to you about social distancing (I’m guessing you’ve heard about that already), today I’ll just give you a personal observation: Since I've started trying to worry only about things I can influence or change, I’ve been a lot less anxious.
This isn’t to say that there aren’t worrisome circumstances out there. It just means that, aside from what you’ve already heard about, there isn’t a lot you can do to change them. Meanwhile, unnecessary worrying has a cost, without providing any benefit. Worrying about something you can’t control doesn’t make that thing any better. Read More
Life
Opportunity Waits in the Time of Uncertainty
Wow, what happened to the world in the past week?
I’m writing to you from my sanitized desk in an underground bunker ... well, it’s not quite like that. But what a difference a few days makes. All of a sudden, millions of people have found themselves working remotely or not working at all, unexpectedly arranging childcare because the schools have closed, and running over neighbors in the toilet paper aisle at Costco. Well, guess what: I’m not going to say “life goes on” (even though it will) and I won’t claim this isn’t a big deal (it is). We should take COVID-19 seriously and do what we can to stay safe. That said, there’s only so much you can control. Sure, you should wash your hands more often, but ultimately what happens next is out of those same hands. If there's any good news, it's this: with uncertainty comes opportunity. Read More
Life
Habits of Highly Effective Real People
Humans are not machines, and we don’t all want the same things. But we do want to do something purposeful, to use the time we have to the best of our ability—and we also long to discover our authentic selves.
If our lives consist of a series of choices, how do highly effective real people make them? Here’s a short list of characteristics for your consideration. First and foremost, they know what’s important to them. I’ve been saying for a while that the greatest productivity hack is to love what you do. It is much, much easier to be both productive and satisfied when you spend most of your time on something you find meaningful. I often go back to this principle as a compass point. It really does no good at all to become efficient at the wrong things. On balance, it’s actually negative because the more efficient you become, the more likely it is that you’ll continue on the wrong path. Therefore, it’s better to fail quickly at the wrong things, so you can discover the right ones. Read More
Life
Coming April 7, 2020 – THE MONEY TREE: Finding the Fortune in Your Own Backyard
Big news today! I wrote a new book! It's called THE MONEY TREE, and it comes out April 7th. 💰🌳 I'm very excited to share this sneak peek of my first *full-length story* that will be published in the U.S. and Canada in April. Yes, it's fiction! Something I've never done before, but I got inspired and started outlining and ended up making something that I really like.
The subtitle is "A Story About Finding the Fortune in Your Own Backyard." We decided to be as literal as possible with the cover. 😀
Life
Start Your Resolutions on January 6th
Resolutions can be powerful, and they don’t have to begin on any given day.
If you want to form a new habit, just start doing it. The important thing is sticking with it, not when you start. Just imagine: if you began an important new habit on January 6, and then managed to stick with it the rest of the year—wouldn’t that be much better than one you began on January 1, only to drop off within a few weeks? Read More
Life
New Year, Same You
What if, instead of “New Year, New You,” you decided you were satisfied with the course you had already set?
What if you're already happy with who you are? This doesn’t have to mean you have to stop improving. Change and growth are healthy. It just means: if you were already doing the right things in the “old” year—wouldn’t you want to keep doing them? For me, challenge is one of my values. I want to set big goals and attempt hard things. But it's not a new value; it’s one I’ve had for a while. If I ever lose interest in challenging myself, I suppose that would be a new me. It’s just not a version of myself I’m remotely interested in. Two years ago, I was in a dark place and feeling uncertain about a lot of things. Since then, I’ve made a number of changes in my life, both large and small. Many, many times in the months that have passed, I’ve looked up from whatever I’ve been doing with a sense of wonder. I can’t believe I’m here, I think. I’m so glad I was willing to walk through that dark place. Read More