I see so many people doing this — You can lose a lot more weight when you get informed about calorie burn. Now that I understand an appropriate diet for my height and level of exercise, it’s been much easier to lose weight and keep it off. I’ve been overweight for much of my adult life, and it’s…

A single daily habit and its unintended consequences. — I didn’t know the author had escaped jail when I picked up a short book called The Spiritual Path in my favorite bookstore. Nor did I know that he’d been a convicted bank robber. But I’m still glad I read it, and I learned a lot from it. The author…

I have a knack for rude questions — I have a knack for asking rude questions. I don’t always have the best social awareness. I don’t always know when my questions are rude. But before I asked this question, I knew it was rude. I was drinking beer with my atheist friend, Kody. We’d been to a talk…

Everywhere you turn, it’s such a seductive story — You can be someone You can make something of your life You can do better Who tells this story? The hustle bros, Instagram pros, TV shows. Celebrity mags and life hackers. You only have to look at a screen. And you’ll see it within seconds. It’s everywhere. All around us. Like cultural oxygen. Watch an ad for any…

Favorite reads of the year (so far) — “I can’t believe we’re doing this again!” my wild swimming buddy says. We’re up to our waists in icy seawater. It’s not that we want to be in the frosty, crashing waves. Every time I enter the water, my body screams at the cold. But the sea calls us back…

Lifting the curse to embrace the “well-thumbed way” — I like my books contained I like my new books to be pristine. You open them, and there’s that new book smell. The pages crisp, the cover perfectly flat. The story unblemished by another’s fingerprints or gaze. I like my books contained — so I can be the one to unleash their magic. There’s something…

Being right isn’t the main thing — From the moment we start school, we are trained to search out the right answer. We are taught to look for proof and evidence and, in so doing, to uncover the truth. In many fields of life — mathematics, science, accounting, engineering, and law — this is a vital skill…

I’m on a mission this year to discover my inner voice. I want to know how it sounds. I want to tune in to that radio frequency. I’ve got a sense of what it’s like. It has a quiet, humble power that I want more of. There’s something deep in…

An ode of gratitude to a puzzled reader — “I’m still waiting for your point?” SteveT wrote, after he’d finished reading a piece of my writing. I’m lit up by this comment, especially because of what Steve wrote next: “I reached the end of your article. You had me through every word and then. It was the end.” When…