I'm a sucker for the New Year. When the calendar flips, I forget about all my failed resolutions and once-new, briefly-held habits. What if I...tried again? January 1 was like any other wintry day in the Denver area, but that intangible spirit of opportunity felt omnipresent. I went for a stroll to a bookstore in … Continue reading On being a sucker for resolutions
Category: Thinking Hat
On teaching more like Socrates
A few months ago, I enjoyed a lovely child-less vacation with my wife. Besides sleeping in and eating long leisurely meals out at nice restaurants, one of the joys of those days was getting to read. Given hours to while away beside a pool, I brought along a book of Plato dialogues to see what … Continue reading On teaching more like Socrates
On cancelling the art with the artist (and how Nick Cave changed my mind)
A few years ago, Ryan Adams was credibly accused of sexting with an underage fan (an accusation he was later cleared of) and, more credibly, accused of being a music industry creep, leveraging his influence to control the careers of several women, his ex-wife Mandy Moore and Phoebe Bridgers among them. As a Ryan Adams … Continue reading On cancelling the art with the artist (and how Nick Cave changed my mind)
On considering the stakes
I wrote a post the other week reflecting on how there are different types of mistakes. Originally, this post was just an addendum to that one, until I realized I had a lot more to say about “stakes” than I thought. I completed that original post with a discussion of “high-stakes mistakes”—the mistakes you can’t … Continue reading On considering the stakes
On making sloppy mistakes
I made a mistake the other day. Like everyone, I make mistakes all the time—it’s part of being human. Most of these mistakes are not a big deal. (In fact, I catch many mistakes—though not all of them!—before anyone else does.) But some mistakes are a big deal. Some mistakes have a lifespan to them. … Continue reading On making sloppy mistakes
On Andre Agassi and what the world asks of us
What does the world ask of me? This is a weird question. How easy you find it to answer depends on who you are. I recently read Andre Agassi’s gutting memoir Open, and this question is the stage setting of his first four decades. So, what did the world ask of Andre Agassi? The world … Continue reading On Andre Agassi and what the world asks of us
On Dan Heath’s 3 barriers to upstream problem-solving
Since I finished Dan Heath's thoughtful book Upstream a few weeks ago, I've been more or less continuously meditating on his premise of "upstream" problem-solving. Heath suggests that everyone spends too much time solving problems once they have become problems rather than solving problems before they happen. It would be wonderful, of course, if we … Continue reading On Dan Heath’s 3 barriers to upstream problem-solving
On saying “no” to myself
My biggest struggle in life is saying "no." Several months ago, I said "yes" to a new project pursuit. And then another. And then another. And then, you know, another one wandered in and I said "yes" to that one, too. Over the following three weeks, I found myself in a real bind trying to … Continue reading On saying “no” to myself
Can you have a great idea at your desk?
No one ever had a great idea at a desk. —Margaret Heffernan While I love Heffernan's absolutism—and am tempted to write this on a Post-It and stick it on my desk—I instinctively push back against this idea that desks are dead ends for great ideas. There's nothing wrong with Heffernan's direction: we should get up … Continue reading Can you have a great idea at your desk?
You can’t get away with vagueness and nonsense in writing
In conversation you can get away with all kinds of vagueness and nonsense, often without even realizing it. But there's something about putting your thoughts on paper that forces you to get down to specifics. —Lee Iacocca I've always been impressed by people who can speak in paragraphs. You know, the person who can reel … Continue reading You can’t get away with vagueness and nonsense in writing
Taylor Coe 