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.

I’ve struggled to finally believe there’s more than one ‘right way’
Little blonde cousins are sometimes perfect antidote for life’s bleak days
Envy drives hatred for wealthy, but I want to earn my riches
Finding joy brings more happiness than the empty pursuit of pleasure
This news just in: Aging drug warrior Bill Bennett is still an idiot
‘Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood… Make big plans’
Who’s afraid of a federal shutdown? Many of us hope for the real thing
The Alien Observer:
Emotional toll from surgery harder than physical recovery