3 forces of the human spirit that inspire heroic writing — A life almost slips away I knew the kind elderly gentleman sitting in his truck in the gravel parking lot. When I tried to speak to him, however, he didn’t respond. I tapped on the glass of his half-open window. Finally, he looked over. “How are you?” I asked. But something was wrong. I realized…

The bill had me completely confused — My waiter looked appalled I had just handed my waiter our bill and $150 in cash. When he asked if I needed change, I said “no,” but what I got in return was not the appreciation I expected. His jaw went a little slack and his eyes bulged wide — the way a person…

Sometimes we need help paying attention — Knock and the door shall be opened — unless you’re just being rude I was on a long flight with my wife and our three kids from Vancouver, BC, to Cancun for our one and only Mexico vacation. …

They’re how we say hello, prove that we’re harmless, and bond in an age of distance — Shaking hands with Captain Kirk I couldn’t pinch myself because my fingers were currently busy shaking the hand of the one-and-only, flesh-and-blood, Captain Kirk. My only evidence that this was really happening came from the warmth and care of the commander’s grip. At the age of 13 I had grown up watching the action adventures…

The juicy things we don’t want to write about — Let’s get real If a man is constantly having affairs and cheating on his wife, does he have “monogamy block”? Does a corporate lawyer who succeeds in having lawsuits thrown out of court that threaten to expose its corruption have “values block”? Does a woman who can’t stop herself from shoplifting costume jewelry…

Take a small step toward your fears, each and every day — I was sure they’d find no trace of me The snow was far too deep for me to outrun the ten-foot grizzly who was waiting for me in the shadows of the spruce trees. I’d be easy food, ripped limb from limb, devoured in full — leaving behind only the mystery of my disappearance since I had stupidly told…

It’s about hidden cultural rules — Our bank account was plunging to the bottom In 2009 I lost all my work as a corporate entertainer in that year’s economic collapse. With two teenagers already, and a third child on the way, I watched our bank account steadily plunge to rock bottom. I began to doubt my lifelong commitment to inspiring live audiences and tried…

A story about a 102-year-old man who put our obstacles in perspective — How we all hold back If you lined up 100 random people and had a conversation about their plans for 2023, maybe one or two of them would inspire you. That’s because neurologically and culturally most of us usually default to our fears. It’s just what we do. …

An invitation to live and share the real you in 2023 — Do you write because personal growth and authentic expression are important to you as a person? I thought so. Me, too. If we’re clear about that, why do things like writer’s block, imposter’s syndrome, overthinking, and fear of publishing still stop us? We can’t answer that question if we don’t admit that fear is everywhere in our lives, that we overthink more than just our writing…