Tag: Life

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Life Writing

When the Writing Stops

I’m creatively empty — and I’m now at peace with that

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

There was a time, in 2014, when a full-time writing career seemed possible. My pieces were garnering tens of thousands of views, established writers and quasi-famous people were reaching out with kind words about something I had written, I was being interviewed as a talking head, and I was taking meetings with outlets about joining their teams. I had other very cool opportunities. The money just wasn’t there, and once I learned the economics of writing online I doubted it would ever be there, but I still had dreams…

It wasn’t a pipe dream and it wasn’t necessarily an attainable goal. It hovered somewhere between the two.

Then, something happened.

The attention economy changed. The internet changed. The way people consume content changed, especially the way they read (they don’t; they watch videos). The algorithm changed. My readership changed. I changed too — I moved away from my primary niche (hip-hop) and even my secondary niche (NBA) to write about other topics. This made me happier creatively, but almost certainly less successful.

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Health Life

A Daily Walk Transformed My Life

Photo by Jack Skinner on Unsplash

“I’m not saying going for a walk will solve all your problems, I’m just saying there’s no problem that’s going to be made worse by going for a walk.”

— Ryan Holiday

It seems simple. So simple, in fact, that I was doubtful.

As someone that was reared on basketball practices where you ran until you vomited and exhaustive two-hour weightlifting sessions that left you feeling nearly paralyzed, I couldn’t imagine that something so slow, basic, and, well, pedestrian could have such an impact on my life.

I was wrong.

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Children Fatherhood House Life Parenting

Homes Are Not Museums

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

“You don’t have kids with the intent of retaining a clean house. Kids are sources of chaos and disorder. Get over that fact. Where does that disorder come from? It’s because they are experimenting with their environment. Everything is new to them.”

— Neil deGrasse Tyson

When I was younger, I had a vision for the way my home would look when I was an adult.

It would look like something from a Michael Mann film — all chrome and steel with clean lines and large windows. And it would be pristine. There would be nothing out of place.

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Books Career Education Greatness Life

5 Books That Could Change Your Life

Photo by Kadarius Seegars on Unsplash

A book can change your life. It’s a cliché, but that does not make it any less true.

All of humanity’s knowledge, insights, ideas, failures, and lessons learned are contained within books. They have all the answers. The writers have lived lives and encountered problems and, fortunately for us, have reported their findings in the form of the written word which we can use as a springboard for our own experiences. Why start from the bottom when we can stand on the shoulders of others?

As the quote that is often attributed to Bismarck attests: “Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.”

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Life

Micro-Annoyances: Tiny Things That Irritate Me

I’m bothered by what I call micro-annoyances far more than I should be. These are small, insignificant things that don’t matter and aren’t worth even addressing, but can pile up to become an avalanche of annoying.

Basically, it’s the same sort of thing Larry David has been exploring on television for almost thirty-five years. 

I’m not nearly as good as he is, but I have made a list of my own micro-annoyances that keep coming up in my daily life that I want to vent out into the world. 

Here they are, in no particular order…

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House Life Parenting

Memories in the Attic

It’s a storage area but it’s also a time capsule and a time machine

via

There are people that will tell you that places don’t hold memories, that they’re stored in your head and in your heart, always with you. 

It is true that we carry memories with us, but it’s also true that a place, an object, a song, or even a smell can act as a time machine, transporting us back to a time and place that we had thought was lost to the sands of time.

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Lessons Life

25 Short Lessons from 25 Years of Adulthood

Photo by Christopher Pierznik

When does adulthood begin?

Scientists say that, biologically, adulthood doesn’t truly begin until 30, but socially, culturally, and legally, it’s 18. You’re free to leave the nest, make your own decisions (and mistakes), and take control of your life.

I turned 43 in March.

It’s not a milestone birthday by traditional standards — we Americans love numbers that end in fives and zeroes — but if 18 is the age when we become adults, then that means I’ve been a grownup for a full twenty-five years. A quarter-century.

While it often still doesn’t feel like it, I’ve compiled a list of twenty-five things I’ve learned in the past twenty-five years.

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Health Life

My Only Goal: Improve Daily

by Christopher Pierznik

In my moments of quiet reflection, I always ask myself the same few questions.

Am I improving? Are my choices and actions moving me closer to the person I want to be? Have I made progress over the past day/week/month/year?

These are often followed by questions of self-flagellation: Why did I say that? What was I thinking? Why did I make that decision?

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Craft Beer I Was There Life Nostalgia Philadelphia

Saying Goodbye to My Favorite Place – and My Youth

Photo by Christopher Pierznik

For most of us, life is not like a sitcom. We don’t meet up with our friends every single day at Central Perk or MacLaren’s or Cheers, but we do have our spots that we prefer over all others. We may not go there all the time, but we feel most comfortable there. It is where we are in our element, where we invite everyone to join us. It is our home field, as it were.

Mine was Memphis Taproom.

So I was quite dismayed a few weeks ago when I read the news that it would be closing its doors for good.

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Business Career Knowledge Life

The Best Thing You Can Do for Your Boss – and Yourself

Clear the path

Ancient Rome was a crowded place. There were all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds and social statuses jostling in the streets. It would have been difficult to make your way through the mass of humanity.

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