Note: This article is also a YouTube video if you want to watch that.

That stupid advert kept popping up on Facebook. “Be the best you” or “Super power your life” or whatever it said.

It was one of those adverts where someone good looking smiles into the sunshine, dressed in smart-casual clothing with a smug expression on their face because their life is so fucking together.

I’m not sure how Facebook does it, but I’d been considering getting a life coach for a while and it had been throwing Tony Robbins Performance Coaching adverts at me – like an…

The following story isn’t about bodybuilding success or a before and after tale of personal triumph. It’s a confession, an embarrassing admission of repeated gym failure. It’s the timeless love-hate saga we all have with our bodies, with exercise, with ourselves.

I’m sure you can relate, though it’s doubtful you’d have failed so consistently as I have. You see, I’m almost certain I’m the world’s worst bodybuilder. Someone has to be, and as you’ll read, it’s almost undoubtedly me.

It’s all Rocky Balboa’s fault

I work out a lot. I love it. Not that you could tell by looking at me. I am what they…

I didn’t set any goals in 2020. Do you think it was a premonition?

Do you think somehow I sensed the world would flip upside down so for the first time in forever I didn’t bother goal setting?

Ok, so it was probably a coincidence but I’m not alone in having a goalless 2020. Everyone had to scrap their plans. But you know what? Most people I spoke to seemed happy about it, at least in the long run. Things could wait. Goals could wait. It all suddenly felt less important in the pandemic's context.

I listened to a podcast…

How do you know if you’ve found your passion? It’s a hard question; I believed my passion was to work as a freelance IT Project Manager simply because it was familiar and my real passion scared the crap out of me, so I ignored it.

This is your life and you need to be making the right decisions about how to live it. So here’s the premise of this article:

You know you’ve found your passion because without a doubt, it scares the bejesus outta you.

It took me years to acknowledge my passions. I wanted to be a writer…

Yesterday evening Medium transferred $500 into my account because my stories “received the most member reads, claps, and follows” in April. They also said it’s because I was cool (they didn’t).

This bonus payment was on top of my standard earnings in April (a decent enough $299 if you’re wondering).

If you didn’t get a bonus, this information might piss you right off, but before you do what I’d definitely do and blame Medium for being a cliquey group of writing eggheads who can stick their f*cking money where the sun don’t shine, this is actually good news, for everyone.

…

What is the point of life? To be happy? To be kind? To seek pleasure? To self-actualise and teeter upon the pointy top of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

No one knows.

And because no one knows, all we can do is choose our meaning, find what is important to us and try to create a life around it.

Carl Jung said:

“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.”

Yet, there’s one giant impediment to this task: Resistance.

Resistance is the thing standing in between…

Hey you, sitting on your sofa, drinking wine and eating an old Easter egg at 4 pm in the afternoon while tweeting “Hate this lockdown #openbackup” — I’m here to tell you you’re a fraud.

That’s right, you’re a big fat liar. You love lockdown. Go on, admit it.

Right now you’re meant to be working from home but you’re still in pyjamas wiggling your mouse every 5 minutes so it looks like you’re online.

Don’t tell me lockdown is worse than your old daily commute, the traffic jams, crowded trains and getting up 90-minutes earlier than you currently do…

So, Ev Williams, the godfather of blogging, one time CEO of Twitter and Medium’s Spiritual (and actual) Leader made an announcement to his staff like a month ago or whatever and in naive good faith, shared it on this platform.

Then guess what happened?

Moaning. And more moaning. From you. Probably. I don’t know, maybe not you, but from you lot… *waves hand in the general direction*

Everyone moaned to high-heaven because he said Medium’s official publications weren’t working so he’s pulling the plug on them. Or letting them fade away. Or keeping them the same.

I dunno.

The point…