5 much more practical steps to a creative life. — “One day, I’ll write the next great American novel, and I’ll be able to quit this job!” Sure, buddy. Why would you suddenly find great achievement in creativity — the hardest of all pursuits — if you can’t even master your sales job? The best way to work toward creative…

You birth thousands knowing most will fail. — Insects “think” by having thousands of babies. They account for the fact that only 1% of the “good idea” babies will survive. Animals “think” by moving their body and seeing what helps or hurts their survival (positive or negative emotions). …

If you have an interest, you can develop a skill. — A kid from Baltimore disappoints his parents by studying, of all things, semiotics. He ran this joke ad in his local newspaper: “Corporate office seeks semiotics grad for high paying position.” He failed at creative pursuits for 17 years before becoming a famous radio show host. He said: Your taste…

And you can do it right now. — In 1998, Jaak Panksepp, a soon-to-be-famous neuroscientist, discovered that rats laugh. In his lab, he took an ordinary pencil eraser and “tickled” the bellies of rats. It seemed like nothing was happening, but when he recorded it, then slowed it down, he discovered they “giggle” ultrasonically. Meaning it was too…

You built a shrine to the past, and now you worship it — We used to explore abandoned buildings with the architecture kids. We used to sit around and talk about life, meaning, and the universe. Then, we’d go get drunk. Then, we’d go to class the next day, hungover. We used to drive around listening to music. …

It’s impossible to be self-made, but you do it anyway. — Baron Munchausen rides around town on his horse, showing off his pigtails. Yes, everyone hates goddamn Baron and his ridiculous pigtails, but there he goes — riding through town every goddamn day. Baron knows that everyone can’t stand him, but he can’t help himself. He’s proud of his pigtails. …

We’re caring ourselves to death. — Growing up, my friend’s aunt had a bunch of goats. All the cousins would go in the pin to feed the goats. But there was one rule: if a goat bucks you, you must “buck” it back (give it a sturdy shove). But, my friend couldn’t bear shoving the cute…

Ignore your instincts to prove yourself — “I have super high expectations!” my director said to me. “Really?” I said. That made me feel a little uneasy. “Yes,” she said, almost darkly. “You’ve talked a big talk. Hope you can back it up!” Um… A month later, I was in the middle of a drama-filled firing (AKA…

Are zoom calls making you stupider? — “Let’s circle back on that,” she says. “We’ll parallel path some solutions and then synergize something.” “Sounds good!” he says. “Let’s put a pin in our other discussion for now. Can you make a doc so we can brainstorm on that later?” The third guy unmutes. “Sure,” he says. “And…