Topic
Mindset
Essays on mindset, mental habits, and getting clear about how you think. Most of the problems I work through aren't really about the outside world. They're patterns of thinking I picked up early in my career, beliefs I took for granted for years, and assumptions I never bothered to examine. These essays are about noticing those patterns, and what it actually takes to change them.
Why are you taking this out on me?
The world will keep moving along, in all its lunacy, whether you watch or not.
Mediocrity at scale.
There's a brand new way to fail, and it's spreading fast.
Manufactured certainty
You've been brainwashed to argue about the wrong thing.
Sweat the small stuff.
The self-help industry sold us a cure for a disease we don't have.
Pick a table.
Two people joined the same company the same year with the same pay cut. One became a CEO. The other has had seven jobs in fifteen years.
Thief of Joy.
When I was 27, a friend asked me point-blank how much money I made. My answer — and my reaction to her answer — taught me something I've never forgotten.
He was only 25.
The winemaker was only 25 when he took over one of California's best wineries. What he said about patience stuck with me for weeks.
We all remember insults.
I found a two-and-a-half-year-old email from someone explaining in four paragraphs why I'm a terrible writer. I never forgot it.
You're missing perspective.
We hosted a private dinner for sixteen strangers. A nurse, an author, a corporate escapee. By the end, the one thing they had in common changed how I think about perspective.
Act like you’ve already won.
I was on a Zoom call agreeing to things I didn't want to agree to. Normally I'd push back. Something was off.
The smartest people often fail the most.
Being clueless might be your greatest business asset. The people who 'know what they're doing' are often the most handicapped.
Willpower is a lie.
Willpower is the most overrated concept in productivity. After years of building my business, I've learned the opposite is true.
Performative BS.
Ashton Hall wakes up at 3:53am and has a 5.5-hour morning routine. I wake up at 7 and start working in my pajamas. Guess whose business is more profitable.
Stop waiting for permission.
I had revenue, customers, and results — but still didn't feel like a 'real' entrepreneur. Everything changed when I stopped waiting for permission.
I'm a therapist, not a realist.
I write about work-life balance. Then at 8pm I catch myself scrolling Twitter. The irony is not lost on me.
The "natural talent" myth
His micro-SaaS crossed $150K/month in 18 months. No marketing experience. No business background. Being clueless was his advantage.
The hidden truth about success stories
The most expensive mistakes in business come from following advice that was right for someone else.
Learn to trust yourself
Every time I've ignored my intuition, I've paid for it twice. After six years, here's what trusting yourself actually looks like.
Her product flopped. Then she 3x'ed revenue.
Her first product flopped. Then she changed one thing and 3x'd her revenue. The lesson applies to every business.
What if fear is your secret weapon?
A recent college grad asked me, 'What if I look foolish?' That fear is exactly the thing standing between you and everything you want.
Stop procrastinating.
You've had the idea for months. You're still 'researching.' Planning mode is a form of perfectionism that kills momentum.
Why We Often Sabotage Ourselves
Fifty-two months of solopreneurship has surfaced one big realization: most of my traps are ones I set for myself.
Almost Everyone Gets Failure Wrong
Failure is inevitable as a solopreneur. But almost everyone gets the lesson wrong.
4 Easy Ways to Overcome Your Fear of Publishing
That gut-wrenching hesitation before you hit publish? Every creator has it. Four ways to push through.
10% of People Will Hate You
About 10% of people will hate what you create. The other 90% are waiting for you to stop caring about the 10%.
How to (finally) stop procrastinating
Six practical ways to beat procrastination when nobody's watching and nobody cares if you show up.
6 Important Lessons I Learned in 2022
Six lessons from 2022 that I wish I'd learned years earlier. The fifth one still stings.
Face Your Fears To Get What You Want
If you want to build something meaningful, you'll have to do uncomfortable things. The question is which ones.
What I Learned from Impostor Syndrome
I can generally assess any situation with confidence — except my own accomplishments. Here's what impostor syndrome actually looks like from the inside.