Tag: self-improvement
-
Why We Create Before Anyone’s Watching
It’s late Sunday night, and the next morning’s Patreon drop just isn’t where I want it to be creatively. I’ve got to get up the next morning at 4:30 to get the drop done before heading to my day job before sunrise. That’s when the self-doubt creeps in the most–when I’m tired, vulnerable and alone…
-
Your First Step into SEL through TTRPGs
Tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) can serve as powerful tools for social-emotional learning (SEL). I made this bold claim in my last blog post. When the TTRPG is rules-lite and optimized for collaborative storytelling (like Ealdsmyth), the potential for SEL increases exponentially.
-
My Celebrity Doppelgangers
I had a humbling experience this week when one of my students introduced me to yet another celebrity doppelganger that I resemble. By day, I’m a public high-school teacher, and one of my students confessed Friday that a picture of me has been viral among the students for at least a year, showing an uncanny…
-
What does your table look like?
This week, as many of us finalize plans for Thanksgiving, it’s time to consider: Who’s invited to your table? I’ve veered away from my ambitious reading list recently and begun to read John Pavolvitz’s A Bigger Table. The book focuses primarily on the Christian church’s failure to live up to its founder’s invitation, but it…
-
What’s so scary about success?
It’s been more than two months since I’ve made substantial progress on the creative project I’m most passionate about. “Why is that?” I ask myself. I’ve fallen into this pattern of almost fishing something far too much, and I don’t think I can attribute it solely to ADHD and my constant penchant for chasing random…
-
The importance of showing up
Last week, I addressed the importance of sitting down regularly and working on one’s creative discipline. This week, I want to expand on that to talk about the importance of simply showing up. As a teacher, I often see a clear correlation between absences and academic failure. For those who show up physically, I see another…
-
Pumping Keystrokes
Now that I’ve survived a jam-packed week full of deadlines and stressors, I can take a break and look at a blank screen. But what’s a guy to write about when his brain’s turned to mush? Today, we talk about the sacred habit of writing. Nearly every time I’ve sat in on a writing workshop…
-
Praise for the Sweats & the Tryhards
I’ve noticed a trend in the past few years. Those who accomplish tasks or put forth an extra effort in whatever they’re doing are labeled “sweats” or “tryhards” while those who boast mediocrity present themselves as heroes for being “real.” After a little digging, I’ve found that the “tryhard” label goes back at least to…
-
Us vs. Them: Clearly they’re the problem
Something bothered me on Facebook this week. No surprise there, right? One of my friends shared a post that gets recirculated every few years, but the gist is that a certain group of people (pro athletes, media personalities and Hollywood entertainers) isn’t important, nor are their voices, but another group of people (doctors, teachers, farmers,…
-
One’s Relationship to Pain
Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis. Since then, pain has been my constant companion. Today, we address one’s relationship to pain.
