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.

Reading people is a survival skill which all children need to learn
If you live by your principles, others won’t control your actions
Art builds bridges for aliens who crave connection with humans
A heart that’s open to love can lead you to unexpected places
Unexpected phone call can turn world from happy to miserable
How many of these Christmas myths did you assume were from the Bible?
We like to think we’re complex, but personality gurus pegged me
Once you taste what is possible, you can’t accept being ‘normal’
My show isn’t very good yet, but my goal is to be a professional