Layovers & Empty Glasses

Fluid pouring in pint glass

We tend to strive for the other side of our achievements.

A clean in-box
An empty desk
The celebration after the speech
The exhale after the test

But then, we get there, to the other side, and after the euphoria subsides, we tend to resent the emptiness and crave the clutter again.

In… Read more...

Mid-Life Crisis

I really hate this term.

I prefer a different phrase for something so inevitable that happens to all of us at the same point in our timelines.

Doesn’t it make sense that halfway through our lives we’re going to self-evaluate?

Just because we take the time to recognize th… Read more...

More White Space

Flowers and frame

Ironically, it’s the absence of words on a page that makes people read the words.

It’s the white space between these lines that makes you want to read the next one.

Designers call this “visual rest.”

We could stand to do this more in conversation:

add

a

little

wh… Read more...

The Dark Place

Landscape photo of forest

I founded my company on optimism. It’s who I am.

But even the BrightSide gets dark now and then.

And when it does, I try my best to welcome the darkness. It’s coming whether you want it to or not. There’s much to discover in the darkness.

But it’s not a place to spend a … Read more...

Achievement of the Day

instagram: _juanmay

Ours is a species driven toward accomplishment. We often hinge good-feeling on getting things done, we push relaxation to come after something else. The beer tastes better after mowing the lawn. (Makes me want to mow the lawn lol).

This is a good way to live: a productive way to l… Read more...

The Check-In

“Hey, just checking in. How you doing?”

Man.

So few words, so much impact.

So much love around you in an instant.

Whether you’re good or not so good, you feel seen, remembered, and held.

And if you haven’t gotten one of these sweet sweet checkins in a while, th… Read more...

Beautiful Science

Red blood cells

What if Love was actually Science…

…Our minds subconsciously and frenetically working to line up our own idiosyncracies and aspirations with those of another, resulting in an explosive neuro-chemical overload, caffeinated synapses, an emergency signal to the body to br… Read more...

Celebrating the Return

sunrise illustration

Everyone knows the saying “Don’t Know What you Got ‘Til It’s Gone.”

But here’s a new one, something that’s equally universal but with a positive spin.

Don’t Know What You Need ‘Til it’s Here.

Often times we go dark and get … Read more...

Music Is Magic

Gold saxophone

Nothing can amplify or transform a mood like music.

John Coltrane can lull you into a trance. Taylor and Olivia can help you feel less alone. Nirvana and Alice in Chains can work you through a bout of angst you can’t shake. Michael Franti can turn a tired day in the hammock … Read more...

Counseling My Lyft Drivers

Trying to show off a new car for a couple of friends

It happens inadvertently, but it’s happened enough that I can call it a trend:

I career-counsel my Lyft drivers.

It seems like the common thread among Lyft drivers is being in the midst of seeking something else.

Most are entrepreneurs with big ideas, some have suspended caree… Read more...