“Oh, I can’t draw.” This is invariably the thing I hear when I’m having a conversation with someone, probably in a work context, and probably with someone who’s trying to explain to me how something would work in their head that we’re going to try and build together. It’s what I hear when I ask them if they could sketch out the idea they’re...
Who among us hasn’t dreamed of discovering the next big thing or designing a breath taking product or at least solving a personal situation creatively and brilliantly. The problem is, most of us just dream about it. The truth is that you CAN turn that dream into reality. Unfortunately, there is a common myth that you are either born creative or doomed to a mediocre...
A test is done when you want to know whether your soil is acidic, neutral or alkaline. Why does it matter? Most plants need a fairly neutral soil so they can retrieve all the nutrients from it that they require, but some are more fussy and may want it more acidic or alkaline. By testing, you can determine if a garden location will be...
For a few days last week, I spent a lot of time reading and playing video games. It was kind of out of the blue for me, so it didn’t take long for me to start asking myself why I was doing these things. What was triggering it was an avoidance of thinking about the pain in my lower legs. For several days, both of my ankles and...
Don’t throw out those used coffee grounds: Your plants need ’em. Composting is a low-maintenance way to minimize personal kitchen waste, create cheap, nutrient-rich fertilizer, and contribute to the health and productivity of a personal or community garden. Compost is a great gift for plants: It naturally helps replenish the nutrients drawn out of the soil by their roots. Good thing, then, that the...
While I’m not one to advocate many personal development hacks, there is one hack that I think everyone dedicated to personal growth and success should know about: have high standards for yourself. Unlike many of the other hacks you may read about, having high personal standards will almost immediately force personal growth, and will help you live up to your potential day after day — it’s...