When I was 22, I decided I was going to take a real shot at writing and publishing a book. I had no idea what a never-ending series of humiliations was heading my way.

I’m a firm believer in the positive power of delusion.

I had been writing little stories since I was a kid, but this was the first time that I was going to try to write out my science fiction novel and submit it to publishers. If I knew how little I knew, I don’t know if would have had the will to start. …

SOCIAL MEDIA

I bet that once I get to 10,000 followers, I will feel… good. I’ll be able to put that aside and really focus on the work, you know? That’s when I’ll feel like I can be proud of myself.

You know what? I said the same thing when I was aiming at 1,000 followers. And I bet I’ll be looking at 100,000 followers as soon as I hit 10,000. I’m sure all of you — above and below — can relate.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s TED talk about the subject really drives this point home:

“I have 4.2 million followers. It has never made me feel amazing.” …

I am a slowpoke to accept new obstacles.

Gumption is the eagerness to climb a mountain. A gumption trap is when you realize that the mountain is twice as tall as you expected and you have half the stamina you hoped.

I expected to be rich by this age, and I’m going to waste a lot of time being mad while reality continues to be what it is. A better orientation — now that I’m thinking about it — might be, “what needs to be done about money today?”

I was reading “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” and the take on gumption traps struck…

I didn’t become a man until I lost everything at the age of 24.

My girlfriend dumped me, and I moved to Texas with a pile of clothes and a Leesa mattress jammed in the back seat. A few years later, I can finally say that she was right to dump my ass, and I am thankful for everything that happened.

When we met, we were children (only in maturity, to be clear). When we stopped being college students, she wanted to grow up. Me being a man-child (think: Nick from New Girl) was no longer cute.

We’ve stayed friends, and I’ve talked to her a few times about everything. She doesn’t know exactly why she broke up with me; it was just an “intuition.” I led the witness a bit: “Do you think you knew I would never grow up if we stayed together?” She said yes. …

The Queen’s Gambit came out, and suddenly everyone loves chess again. I’m not ashamed to admit I got the chess app and started learning how to play.

I watched the show at my friend’s house. He was a regional chess champ when he was a kid. I had only played a few times with my dad. Needless to say, he wiped the chessboard with me.

I wanted to beat him. I took up watching YouTube videos about strategy. I played computer opponents and real opponents online. …

Driving toward an intersection in downtown Los Angeles. There are dozens of cars near me. My dog sits on the passenger seat. A podcast is playing, the sun is shining, and I’m thinking about what my girlfriend and I will eat for dinner later.

To my right, I feel my attention pulled to a car. Something is odd about the way the car is being driven. I can’t really put my finger on it. Without thinking, I resolve to wait for him to go away before I start driving.

The light turns green. Sure enough, he peels off, honking and swerving into my lane — right where I might have been if I hadn’t waited. …

2021 was supposed to be a relief. So far — no dice.

I can’t just wait around for life to start up again. Like it or not — this is life. There is no pause button. And for me, if I’m not growing, I’m shrinking.

It’s confusing, right? Any time I have a hard day, I feel like I can just shrug and say, “Pandemic!” That was a nice relief for a while, but I’m starting to feel a little bit stagnant.

How can I keep growing when I want so badly to just wait for things to reset? Since it looks like 2021 isn’t the do-over I was hoping for, I changed my outlook from waiting for life to tell me how to act to demanding that it show me. …

If you’re reading this, you’re a storyteller.

You told your friend the story of what happened over Christmas, you re-tell what you read on Reddit, and you rehearse the story of your life every single day.

If you want to become a storyteller as a profession — as I know many people here do — then you need to become extremely conscious of your own story. There are simple steps below to show how.

I have made some really important discoveries on my journey from a town of 2,000 people, to a philosophy degree, to a salesman, then a marketer, then finally as a writer. …