Our standard of living somehow got stuck on survive That’s when suddenly everything fades or falls away Cause the chains which once held us are only the chains which we’ve made We sacrifice our pride, sacrifice our health We must demand more, not of each other, but more from ourselves

- Lyrics from “Deep Water” by Jewel

After 10 months at my corporate day job this year, with today as my last day …. after 5 years of working in jobs I did not love …. after listening to all those people that thought this life was better for me, that I was too smart and bright to just “up and leave it all behind” …. after pouring some of my most able and (... read more)

Because your own strength is unequal to the task, do not assume that it is beyond the powers of man; but if anything is within the powers and province of man, believe that it is within your own compass also. – Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180), Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher

Wow. From start to finish, I just finished a 50,000-word novel writing challenge as an official first-year participant in the National Novel Writing Month in less than 30 days. 18 days to be exact.

Have you ever written that many words in that many days in a succession? Maybe during college for one of your major research papers or a thesis you had to do?

But usually, you (... read more)

For all the most important things, the timing always sucks. Waiting for a good time to quit your job? The stars will never align and the traffic lights of life will never all be green at the same time. The universe doesn’t conspire against you, but it doesn’t go out of its way to line up all the pins either. Conditions are never perfect. “Someday” is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you. Pro and con lists are just as bad. If it’s important to you and you want to do it “eventually,” just do it and correct course along the way. - Tim Ferriss

Your incredibly loud and obnoxious alarm clock rings, at (... read more)

It is far better for a man to go wrong in freedom than to go right in chains. – Thomas H. Huxley

1 day.

8 hours.

480 minutes.

28,800 seconds.

All in a blink of an eye. And this is just one day for a standard 9-to-5 job, working an average of 8 hours. Multiply this by 5 days in a week, 50 working weeks out of a year. And how many years? Oh, that’s right. A lot.

Ask yourself this: are you really, and I mean really, truly happy in your life? Doing what you are currently doing? Do you justify to yourself that this is just how you will survive? That the work you hate to do is a necessary (... read more)

Believe in the infinite possibilities we have in this world. Believe in the infinite possibilities you have within yourself to make the change you’ve always wanted seen.

Releasing all inhibitions, setting your fiery spirit free, telling your inner editor to pipe down and take a back seat for 30 days, I have officially signed up for the National Novel Writing Month in November, along with hundreds of thousands of participants all across the globe, with nearly 3,000 participants in my home city Chicago.

A frenzied, kamikaze, spirited approach to letting your inner novelist and author free, without constant regard to perfect grammar, punctuation, a nice wrapped up summary, plot, character development, and storyline, this will be a unique (... read more)