"There are no friends."
This is what my father would tell me as a kid. I had trouble accepting it, but he insisted on it throughout my entire childhood. I have to assume he was telling me this to protect me, right?
“There Are No Friends”
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Vulnerability Buys You Freedom
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"Vulnerability Buys You Freedom"
James Altucher said this on the Rich Roll podcast and found myself nodding vigorously in agreement.
For me, not having to worry about being "exposed" in some way is such a liberating feeling.
The Haters are in the Room
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The haters are in the room.
Girls, not everyone is going to like you. Ever. No matter how kind, respectful and helpful you are, there will be someone in the room that will likely be annoyed by you and think you're conceited or that you think you're "All that!"
We’re All Imposters
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Imposter Syndrome seems to be something that we all feel. Are we all faking it? Or are we overly worried about how we are perceived?
How to Meditate Easily
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"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." Blaise Pascal
Ode to Ramen
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Oh, Ramen. You get such a bad rap. You're incredibly bad for us. But you keep us afloat during the lean times.
You just can't beat 10 for $1.
I Quit to Become a Business, Man
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I QUIT! 12 years ago today, I quit my job and became a business, man.
Now that I was divorced, I would only see my daughters every other weekend. In that same time frame, I found myself working in retail management after having an excellent office job for a couple of years.
Daddy Issues
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I became acutely aware of what the term "daddy issues" meant as I started dating after my divorce.
I had a ton of them. This fact is apparent to anyone who has read my writing for any length of time.
My Early Days as a Bootlegger
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What if they catch me?
What will I tell my family and friends? It felt icky, and I was breaking the law.
“I Will Never Drink”
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“I will never drink,” screamed little 7-year-old Teevee.
Hearing my father vomit in the toilet after a long night of drinking is a memory I will have eternally etched in my mind.
Portfolio of Success = Confidence
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They can shoot a basketball with decent form. They throw and catch a football (often better than most boys). They can write with power and vulnerability, step on stage, and share their truth with a room full of people. They can draw, paint, shoot, and edit. I'll stop there.
“Will You Be My Friend?”
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I hated smiling in photos. I didn't like my smile and made sure never to do it. I felt like I looked like an idiot.
It's not hard to avoid smiling if you're unhappy with your life. It was the last year of my marriage, and I was going through old photos of myself with my daughters.