• The Happiness Scam

    What’s a common misconception people have about happiness? Most people think happiness is something they find. Like it’s hidden behind a promotion, a bigger house, a newer truck, a perfect relationship, or some magical life achievement waiting at the next checkpoint. That’s the sales pitch we’ve been fed for decades. Keep grinding. Keep buying. Keep…

  • Waiting Before I Talk

    If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be and why? If I could instantly master any skill, it would not be learning another programming language, fixing old computers, playing an instrument, or speaking ten different languages. It would be listening. Not the kind of listening where you’re just waiting for the other…

  • Worrying Less and Living More

    What is one way you have grown this year? This year I finally stopped treating money like it was some kind of angry god that required constant sacrifice. For years I spent way too much time worrying about bills, budgets, unexpected expenses, and all the other financial nonsense that shows up the second you think…

  • Before Algorithms, There Were Mixtapes

    Write about what it reveals: a mixtape that knows too much. Keep it weird, honest, and slightly suspicious of modern convenience. A mixtape that knows too much sounds ridiculous until you stop and think about it for a minute. Long before algorithms started tracking our habits, long before streaming services analyzed our listening history, people…

  • Some People Respect Boundaries. Others Reveal Why You Need Them

    Write your guide to setting healthy boundaries in relationships. For a long time, I misunderstood what healthy boundaries actually were. Like a lot of people, I thought setting boundaries meant being difficult, selfish, or shutting people out. The older I get, the more I realize that healthy boundaries are not walls. They are not punishment.…

  • Things That Actually Matter

    What is something you wish you could tell your 20-year-old self? If I could send a message back to my 20-year-old self, it would probably be ignored. That’s just how being 20 works. Back then I thought I knew everything. I grew up in the Gen X era, where we were basically raised by television,…