Pick one. You can either (1) defend your idea to everyone you encounter, or you can (2) act on your idea. Unless you’re made of minutes, you probably won’t have enough time or energy to do both. We all have jobs, families, and responsibilities. And chances are your dream has to come in between all…
I’ve been reading Ender’s Shadow (a companion book to Ender’s Game) for my own enjoyment. The book’s brilliant. But I’ve discovered wisdom that applies to almost everything I do in these books too. One paragraph from the book stood out in a major way to me. And I thought I’d share the wisdom with you.…
I’m a people-pleaser. I always have been. I always found myself well liked. I always wanted to keep the peace. The few times in high school where people genuinely didn’t like me were some of the hardest times in my life. I was convinced I could make anyone like me, and when they didn’t I…
People frequently ask me what books I’m reading. While that’s a good question, it doesn’t yield exactly the answer they’re looking for. They really want to know what books they should look out for and try reading. Many of the books I read are risks or merely enjoyment for me. So I thought I’d put together…
In February 2010 I wrote my first email to Scott McClellan. He was the editor of a magazine called Collide Magazine. I had an article I’d written that I wanted published in the magazine. My email was polite. But the content in this article was absolutely atrocious. It was seriously embarrassing. The premise of the…
I didn’t make my flights on Monday. Weather kept all my potential flights from landing in Dallas so I was stuck in San Antonio. So they rescheduled me for Tuesday. Then, a fire in Chicago kept me from making my flight by about 30 minutes. Stuck in Chicago one night. I will make it to…
Today I’m hopping a plane on my way to Kochi, India. I’ll be on a six-day journey to a conference for creative church leaders there, then back on Sunday evening. It’ll be lightning fast, and major fun. While there I’ll be giving five separate talks and producing the conference main sessions. I’m not sure I’ve…
I consider myself a fairly creative individual. But I haven’t always thought that about myself. In fact, I assumed I wasn’t artistic at all when I was younger. You see, in elementary I hated art class. I liked drawing and painting. But my 2nd grade art teacher was a horrible woman. I don’t say that…
Who are you rooting for in the NBA playoffs this year? Do you have a team you’re hoping to see make it all the way to the end? Imagine the week of the finals is here and and you’re team has made it all the way. You’re excited to watch your team dominate, destroy the…
I got a question about how I organize my schedule last week. How do I keep five blogs, one magazine, and a stock photo site going—while still finding time to write books? So I thought I’d write a super practical post and give you a glimpse of how I keep track of my to-do list.…