Published inILLUMINATION·PinnedMember-onlyWhat Confident People Know that Others Don’tWhat we do — and what less-confident people don’t — makes the difference. Either you have it or you don’t. Confidence. You know what? That previous statement is a lie. Confidence can be learned. Confidence can be cultivated. Confidence, once you have it, can be freely given to someone you love. …Relationships5 min readRelationships5 min read
Oct 11, 2021Member-onlyOne Side Suggests “Secession.” The Other Side Suggests “Civil War.” Guess Which is Which …The difference between the two is the appeal of violence. It’s October 10th, 2021. I have just now watched yet another story on the tv news about how Trump is going to run again in 2024. …Politics5 min readPolitics5 min read
Sep 24, 2021Member-onlyWhen It’s Time to Admit That You Need to Change Your OutlookWhy We Often Don’t Want To, and Why We Should Make the Change — This morning’s news brought the Arizona audit of the 2020 election front and center. Republican Review of Arizona Vote Fails to Show Stolen Election The much criticized review showed much the same results as in November, with 99 more Biden votes and 261 fewer Trump…www.nytimes.com In years past, this would be the end of the concept of “the stolen election.” Not this year. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin still plan on running their own variation of the Arizona audit, and Texas will conduct…Politics5 min readPolitics5 min read
Sep 1, 2021Member-onlyCredible News Sources and Why Facts Should Matter to the Every Day U.S. CitizenI’m choosing news sources that don’t lean left or right — Boring subject, eh? Not relying on reputable sources results in this:Médiá4 min readMédiá4 min read
Aug 31, 2021Member-onlyStrike While the Iron is Hot with Your Viral Story!Take advantage of this opportunity when you have more eyeballs on your writing than you’ve ever had … — What? … How did THAT happen? Those are the thoughts that ran through my head when I happened to check in on my Medium stats one day after taking a “break” from writing consistently. I stopped writing almost as soon as summer began. After that point, my views would waffle somewhere between 1 view and maybe…Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
Aug 30, 2021Member-onlyWhat If This School Year Ends Up Exactly the Same as Last Year?Are you as angry as I am that Anti-Vaxxers' “freedom” may force our kids into yet another year of remote learning? — There’s a butt-load of anger out there. Are kids in elementary school across the country going to start the year with their friends inside a classroom, only to end up back home and on computer screens with their teachers and classmates just a few weeks later? Will teenagers in high school have to miss having their junior…Covid-194 min readCovid-194 min read
Aug 30, 2021Member-onlyYou’re gonna get 100 followers, new writers. Honest, you will.You’re gonna get 100 followers, new writers. Honest, you will. I can’t say that I’ve got Medium all figured out. I don’t. And I don’t have lots of time-tested advice…Writer1 min readWriter1 min read
Published inWriters’ Blokke·Aug 27, 2021Member-onlyTired of Spending Every Hour of the Day Pulling Out Your Hair Trying to Write? How to Bring Back the Joy of Writing on Medium.It doesn’t have to be a treadmill slog of constant content creation — I admit it … I took a break from writing on Medium I even wondered at the time if it was actually a “break” or a “breakup.” Then one of my stories went weirdly viral. I was as surprised as anyone. Shocked as I was, the experience made me think about how I could make writing again for Medium fun. …Life5 min readLife5 min read
Aug 25, 2021Member-only“Your Story is Not Eligible to Earn Money …”But it is. Honest. I AM part of the Medium Partner Program — When you’ve been checking your specific story stats, have you been getting a weird, temporary flash of the following message: Your story is not eligible to earn money. To make this story eligible, join the Medium Partner Program. Learn more… Now, I’m not at all sure that the link I’ve provided above within the words “learn more” is the correct link, because the message flashes for a millisecond and is…Writing2 min readWriting2 min read
Published inILLUMINATION·Aug 25, 2021Member-onlyDumpster Diving May Not Deliver Diamonds, But You Can Find Nikes, Bonobos, or Bagels that Harry Stiles Would WearThe economics of doing what others wouldn’t dream of doing … I used to dumpster dive. And I would do it again. Why? Because it’s just plain fun. It’s the thrill of the hunt. In addition, the proceeds can also help pay the bills. I didn’t really know what “dumpster diving” was when a couple of friends asked me if I wanted to go. I’ve never been one to say no to…Pandemic4 min readPandemic4 min read
