I like things to be easy.
When I was young, most things came very easily to me. I didn’t have to work hard for much of anything. I quickly learned to stick to the things which were most obvious to me — and which impressed people the most — and just sit back to receive the praise.
For the most part, I‘ve done the same thing for my adult life. Unless I have a huge incentive, I stick to what I know how to do. It’s safe. It gets the praise I crave. And it keeps me from having to risk failure.
But every now and then, I push myself into something completely new. The old fears start surfacing. What if I’m a fraud? What if I fail at this? What if I‘m just embarrassing myself? What if I’m not perfect?
I’m in that position right now as I work toward the first complete episode of my new podcast, Love & Hope. (Listen to the three-minute introduction here.) I know the things I need to do. I’m working on them. But I’m not an expert at these things — and I once again feel the old fear of not being perfect.

Confirmation bias means most of us assume our opponents are ‘morans’
I’m horrified that it’s become so difficult for me to finish a book
Why not join the LP? You can’t fight the state by becoming the state
Christmas tree ‘promotion fee’ is just another hidden tax on consumers
Cat’s ordeal reminds me that bad things happen right under my nose
These aren’t revolutionaries; they’re nothing but thugs and looters
It’s time to kick the arrogance of ‘American exceptionalism’ to curb
As I grow and learn, I have to leave more of my ideas behind