Life will bring challenges that happy positivity will not assist you in forging through — The image above is a screenshot today of a wildfire smoke forecast website based in Canada. The colours correspond to the thickness and particulate matter in the smoke. Numbers refer to the amount of forest fires burning. We live between #43 and #83 near the centre of the map image. …

How do you make up your mind when you write? — “My mind is made up!” Perhaps, never has a truer statement been made. Let’s break this down. Let’s first start with the question: What is the mind? The mind is a quintessential part of our existence. Many of us talk of it casually — like the statement above. But the…

Unmasking personal branding — A potential conformity scar hindering your authentic Self — “To brand” — by its ancient roots — means to burn. Marking livestock with a red-hot iron has been around for centuries. Some suggest the word ‘brand’ comes from Old Norse. In recent years, especially in digital creation, digital writing, and online influencers the phrase “personal branding” gets vomited everywhere…

It has now been almost 14 years and here are a few reflections — My wife and I met on eHarmony in early 2009. We lived 600 km (400 miles) apart in rural western Canada. We were both single parents with a 2-year-old each. We were also both running small businesses. We knew there was a distance to bridge, and in more than just…

The sometimes muddled mess of relationships between Beliefs and Values — Beliefs can shape and be shaped by values. For example, if one believes that every human life is unique (belief), one might value nonviolence and peace. Similarly, deeply held values can give rise to specific beliefs. If someone values independence and autonomy, they might believe in the importance of self-reliance…

Strategies for cutting out crap — Are you actively building an audience online or here on Medium? Looking to grow your connections, followers, and engagement with your online and digital writing? Are you building an online business? Or writing to pull people towards your business? Maybe a side gig? There is an absolutely massive universe of…

Moving beyond the modern misunderstanding of melancholy — Once upon a time not so long ago… Melancholy was seen and respected as an instigator of self-reflection, introspection, and fuel for personal and broader insights. Too frequently in the present day, an expression or observation of melancholy may be met with: “Could be worse…” “Snap out of it!” “It’s…

Over 200 creative steps from Nowhere to Everywhere — I really don’t like the expression “in the middle of nowhere”. It’s never sat well. For one, it’s not possible to be “nowhere” (unless you’re dead). And it’s certainly not possible to be in the ‘middle’ of something that doesn’t exist (e.g. “nowhere”). Added to this, when some folks refer…

Have you seen the trend? — In the past few months, I made a ‘business decision’ to return to Facebook. It had probably been almost 15 years since I last logged on to a Facebook profile. But… growing a digital writing and content creation venture means one can’t really ignore almost 3 billion users globally per…