Behavioural genetics says it does. The nature vs nurture argument is rapidly falling to ‘It’s nature!’ — I admit to you that I have been told so often by professionals that I should never have survived what I did that I became curious as to why I did. If I had to ask myself why I survived, it was a combination of traits — all of them…

It took 10 years, and I ardently believed in the law of attraction. It didn’t work. — One of the first things I did when I arrived on Medium nearly two years ago was block people like Casey Botticello and Tim Dennings. I’d heard it all before. I had spent ten years reading all these people. None of it worked — not for me, anyway. That said…

I hate it and I don’t want to be fat. — Twenty four months ago, at the start of the pandemic, I weighed 36 lbs less than I do now. A few days ago, I started the exercise of losing that weight. I don’t like what I look like. …

There’s so much junk written about it — that, and self-worth. — There are two faulty beliefs about confidence and self-worth which I don’t buy into. Self-worth, or self-esteem, has to do with whether you think highly of yourself, while self-confidence depends on whether you believe in, or think highly of, your skills. I firmly believe these two s beliefs are not…

I cringe from the idea that people are seen as fans — people you can market to because they like something you do. — I see people as people. I can never think of those who read me as fans. If you read through all my articles on writing, you will see that I refer to ‘fans’ or ‘followers’ as readers. To me, readers are the most precious of human beings. …

I asked myself a week ago why I still wasn’t managing. And then I clicked! — One day last week, I felt quite desperate. Why did I never have a quiet period ahead of me so that I could just write? As fast as I finished doing one urgent thing, the next urgent thing reared its demanding head. I’m sure you’ve experienced something similar. You’ve just…

I compare all incoming information with the knowledge I have accrued through the years, and if it conflicts, I check with other sources. — I’ve never been quite sure what all the hubris is about being open-minded. After all, if one is open-minded, one will be happy to accept anything from astrology through a million conspiracy theories to scientology. All of that requires a great deal of open-mindedness.

They know you can do the job. They’re hiring you for your personality. And this is not a 56 minute read. — Through the years, I’ve done so many tests that I’ve long forgotten how many. I’ve also approached so many psychologists, counsellors, psychiatrists, and career counsellors. All of them were completely and utterly useless. Not a single one of them picked up that I was autistic. Nope. That my daughter did…

I wish I knew then what I know now — I think one of the terrible tragedies of life is that by the time a small percentage of people begin to understand the important things of life, they are approaching death. Invariably, when they were parents, they taught their children the wrong things — like winning and status is vital…