Exciting day -- the launch of The Pennymores, a novel created with my daughters. This began during the pandemic as a collaborative bedtime story and turned into a full novel. It was like trying to bottle childlike imagination -- the hardest & most fulfilling book I've done.

Our job as writers: 1. Find our voice. 2. Find our audience. 3. Write.

“I sat shiva for 10 days. Then I started plotting.” Chills. Use your challenges to drive impact.

Sometimes the people who know you best can see what's wrong before you can. Last weekend, my wife and I went for a long walk. We talked about life, kids, work, and the usual collection of things that occupy too much space in your head. At one point she stopped and said: "You need to make time to create again. That's when you're at your best." And immediately I knew she was right. The previous month had been full. Teaching. Coaching. Running a business. Helping other authors. All good things. But somewhere along the way, I'd drifted away from the thing that helps me process the world. Writing. Not writing for work. Not writing emails. Real writing. The kind where you lose track of time. The kind that slows a racing mind. The next morning I woke up before everyone else, took my laptop outside, and started writing. The first few minutes felt rusty. Then something clicked. A story appeared. Then another. By the time I stopped, I'd written 782 words. Nothing magical happened. But I felt like myself again. It's funny how that works. Sometimes what we're missing isn't rest. Or motivation. Or a new strategy. Sometimes we've just gotten too far away from the thing that makes us feel most alive. I'm grateful my wife reminded me. And even more grateful I listened. #gratitude #writing #creativity

Sometimes burnout isn't a sign you need a break. Sometimes it's a sign you've drifted too far from the work that makes you feel like yourself.

“I’d rather see founders focus on engaging with the community than building meaningless and expensive utility.” – @DataNFT_

Motivation and accountability are not one and the same. What I always find intriguing about successful people is they are self motivated (internal) but they build accountability through and with others (external). Figure out what you want; then involve others.

Watching my daughters do their “back-to-school” photos made me realize something: Adults rarely celebrate beginnings anymore. Kids start new grades. New classrooms. New teachers. And we document it like it matters. Somewhere along the way, most adults stop doing that. We stop announcing what we’re learning. What we’re building. What we’re starting from scratch. As we were taking photos this year, I caught myself thinking: Where’s my back-to-school photo? So I decided maybe we should all have one. Not literally. But symbolically. Something new we’re committing to learning, building, or exploring. Because starting something matters. It gives you something to work toward. Something to share with people around you. Something that reminds you growth shouldn’t stop once school ends. For me, that “back-to-school project” is a new book. I’m exploring the intersection of hard things and community. The kinds of challenges people are more likely to tackle when they’re doing them alongside others. I’m only a little ways into it. Honestly, I feel rusty. But also excited. And maybe that combination is a good sign. So now I’m curious: What would be in your adult back-to-school photo right now? #growth #learning #creativity

Somewhere along the way, adults stop announcing what they’re learning. Maybe we shouldn’t.

“Your success story is your most valuable marketing material.” – @JustinWise

"Write every day” is probably great advice. It’s also not how I wrote Pennymores. Most of that book came together in long, unexpected bursts. A few hours here. A late night there. Sessions where I’d sit down thinking I’d write for 30 minutes… and suddenly look up four hours later. At first, I thought this meant I lacked discipline. Because so much writing advice is built around consistency and daily habits. But eventually I realized something: I wasn’t avoiding writing. I was writing when I hit flow. And apparently, a lot of writers work this way. In our community, we’ve seen a significant number of authors who are more “episodic” writers than habit writers. They don’t necessarily produce their best work in small daily increments. They produce it in deep creative stretches when momentum clicks. The key is recognizing it when it happens. And protecting it. That changed things for me. Instead of fighting my process, I started designing around it. Keeping flexibility in my schedule. Capturing ideas constantly. Making space for longer stretches when the energy showed up. Ironically, once I stopped trying to force someone else’s writing rhythm… I became a much more productive writer. So if “write every day” has never fully worked for you, it might not mean you’re lazy or inconsistent. You may just write differently. And that’s okay. #writing #creativity #flowstate

For me, the best thing about writing a book is getting to talk to people about it.

Not all writers are daily writers. Some are episodic writers. Long bursts. Deep flow. Unexpected momentum. That counts too.

Great writing doesn’t give you answers. It changes how you think. The pieces that stick aren’t the ones that solve your problem… They’re the ones that make you see it differently.

Watching my daughters do their “back-to-school” photos made me realize something: Adults rarely celebrate beginnings anymore. Kids start new grades. New classrooms. New teachers. And we document it like it matters. Somewhere along the way, most adults stop doing that. We stop announcing what we’re learning. What we’re building. What we’re starting from scratch. As we were taking photos this year, I caught myself thinking: Where’s my back-to-school photo? So I decided maybe we should all have one. Not literally. But symbolically. Something new we’re committing to learning, building, or exploring. Because starting something matters. It gives you something to work toward. Something to share with people around you. Something that reminds you growth shouldn’t stop once school ends. For me, that “back-to-school project” is a new book. I’m exploring the intersection of hard things and community. The kinds of challenges people are more likely to tackle when they’re doing them alongside others. I’m only a little ways into it. Honestly, I feel rusty. But also excited. And maybe that combination is a good sign. So now I’m curious: What would be in your adult back-to-school photo right now? #growth #learning #creativity

Write your book. Pretend your publisher is making you do it.

Somewhere along the way, adults stop announcing what they’re learning. Maybe we shouldn’t.

“Building an audience while learning can save you from job searching.” – @Prathkum

“Marketing helps you reach to customers, branding makes customers reach you.” – @In_Sane_Saint

Just because it's hard, doesn't mean you're doing it wrong. Oftentimes, the hard things are hard for a reason. Keep pushing.

Motivation and Accountability are two separate, but equally critical things. The best, most prolific, and most impactful creators and writers learn how to harness both.