books that have greatly influenced your life? Hands down, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. This book has a magical, activating quality to it. It’s the essential no-bullshit guide for anyone who battles self-doubt or struggles to bring any important project to life. I reread it in full at least once a year. But it’s also the kind of book that

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” –Marcus Aurelius Emperor of Rome and Stoic philosopher, author

Happiness is a choice you make and a skill you develop. The mind is

Happiness is about understanding that the gift of life should be honored every day by offering your gifts to the world.

said, “Hey, how are you doing? You look great. Congratulations on finishing school.” Suddenly, I thought, “Holy crap! This is amazing!” It was like I’d set myself free. It was gone. So even now, I just try to relax [with something like] “Hey, how are you doing? Nice to see you.” If I really don’t like something, or if something doesn’t agree with

“This may be ridiculous, but I have this belief that as long as we peer at the night sky, feel small, see the universe and say, ‘Oh, wow, all that mystery,’ then we’ll drop some of our nearsighted hubris.”

What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)? Tile Mate key finder on Amazon. It’s given me hours of my life back that were previously spent dashing around the house, looking for my keys. Works great with pets, too!

“Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another: ‘What? You too? I thought I was the only one.’”—C. S. Lewis

Most of the time, “What should I do with my life?” is a terrible question. “What should I do with this tennis serve?” “What should I do with this line at Starbucks?” “What should I do with this traffic jam?” “How should I respond to the anger I feel welling up in my chest?” These are better questions. Excellence is the next five minutes,