Instead of trying to ride a wave of inspiration to accomplish something great, learn from my revelatory experience. — Jet engines rumbled the concrete floor. The stench of fuel permeated the air in slow, thick waves, resembling a mirage and adding to the dreamlike atmosphere. I slouched under an umbrella, pen in hand and scribbling on a notebook. My throat was dry. It hurt to swallow. For the past…

I went bankrupt before I figured out the truth (but it was worth it in the end). — I wandered through a courtyard across the street from my apartment. On my left was the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse. On my right was the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center. Sometimes, when I walked nearby at night, I heard the inmates playing basketball. I had a failing business, no job, and was over six figures in debt. Did they put people in jail for not paying debt?

Why learning slow is a faster way to mastery — In a small gym in Merced, California, I watched my friend and teacher, Dr. Chris, square off with a kettlebell the size of a small watermelon. He grabbed it, easily swung it up to shoulder-height, and set it back on the rubber mat floor. “Okay, now you go,” he said. …

Regret begets more regret, but gratitude also begets more gratitude. — Ever wish you could go back in time and slap yourself? I do. In between my first and second year of college, I languished at my mom’s house like a lump of Jell-O that refused to even wiggle. Three days per week, I lifted weights at a nearby gym. Every…

Don’t decide until you ask this question. — Forty of us ran counterclockwise in a giant circle on the field. My helmet squeezed against my cheekbones. “Sprint!” the coach yelled. The circle sped up like a carnival ride. I tried to sprint but my legs dragged, exhausted. It was late summer and I was about to enter my…

The devious way our brains trick us into withstanding misery — I yanked open my refrigerator door, anticipating a much-needed wave of cool air to give me relief. It was deep in the summer of 2009 in Boulder, Colorado and I lived in a condo with no air conditioning. What it did have was a weird quirk: when I opened my…

Do this and you’ll grow from your challenges. — In the early winter of 2012, I stood in front of my condo building and stared at my parked car. Someone had scrawled on my driver’s side window in burgundy gunk. Vandalism? I lived in Aurora, Colorado, which has a crime problem, but the area felt safe. A neighbor was…

Use this when fear gives you no option. — I stared at the phone. My torso felt like an icebox. Maybe I could weasel my way out of this? It was a stupid idea. Nobody wanted to talk to me. I reached for my phone and pressed on the digit buttons. …

When you’re stuck, the problem might not be you. — “Hi. Golden Police. Get out.” I sat on a park bench in Golden, Colorado as the sun set, gnats barrel-rolled above the grass, and a cop yelled at kids rafting in Clear Creek, just beyond the “Creek Closed” sign. I was reading a book called How To Write Short. It was the perfect timing for the cop to yell. The…