Personal Development with Gray Miller
I used to hate meditation. Raised with a particular version of by-your-bootstraps Judeo-Christian work ethic that idolized “pioneers” (in quotes because they were actually colonizers), I had a real problem with the idea of just sitting there, doing nothing, for any amount of time. Worse, when I forced myself to do it I kept on …
The other night while watching TV, the characters walked into an ambush. They immediately did exactly what you’re supposed to do in an ambush. Here’s a pop quiz to see what you think they should have done: A. Immediately move left or right, finding cover. B. Hit the deck! Stay low and try to fire …
I’ve avoided it so far, but I think the time has come to weigh in on the KonMari Controversy about books. In case you’re wondering what the heck that is, I found this article a fairly balanced and genuine reaction that isn’t knee-jerk about books in the way the NRA is about guns. Marie Kondo, …
Who the heck do you think you are? With as much time you spend on social media, that last impulse buy you made because that ad campaign caught you in a moment of weakness, and your sleep habits…you really think you should be in control of your life? Click-bait title and inflammatory first paragraph aside, …
As promised, here’s the update on my personal experiment to do more deliberate viewing of television shows. It’s been a week where I’ve avoided the endless scroll of shows, making sure that when I turned on the TV I knew exactly what I was going to watch, and nothing more. Well, mostly. I’m human, and …
I split my New Year’s Day up between helping out family, watching (intentionally!) the delightfully scary “Bandersnatch”, and taking a course online called “U-Lab.” It seemed a nice balance of pleasure, responsibility, and personal improvement. A good day. It would be hard for me to describe what the course U-Lab was about (you can take …
I just got done with one of my Simple Times of Peace (aka “STOP”) where I disconnect from as much post-19th-century-tech as possible. As usual, the first couple of hours were like wheels spinning in my head as I got used to not checking email, twitter, etc. One of the issues of working as I …
Got your resolutions yet? It’s that time of year with pages full of “retrospectives” and “renewed goals” and “how to crush it in 2019!” An offhand joke from my daughter recently inspired a different take on this arbitrary “end-of-year” fervor: What if we gave it up? Let me make the case for giving up on …
If you read this blog much, you’ll find that I’m usually pretty flexible in my opinions. I’m not one of those “wake-at-3am-to-micromanage-life” types, and while I do believe discipline is important, I’m more a believer in compassion. Take some time off, don’t stress if you don’t reach your goal, give yourself credit for trying – …
A long time ago, in a more innocent time (the late 90’s) I was struggling to figure out what to do with my life. I’d earned a degree that had given me a broad spectrum of creative technological skills, but there was nothing directly transferable into a “career”. Worse, I was an creative (sorry, Mom). …