isaacdowning.com

Confessions, Conjectures & Coffee.
My name is Isaac. I write about life as a husband, dad & pastor in central Illinois.
  • December 17, 2010 10:48 pm

    "The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation. Just do it. Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar, or whatever. Do it without motivation. And then, guess what? After you start doing the thing, that’s when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep on doing it."

    — John C. Maxwell, via the99percent.com

  • November 27, 2010 6:43 am

    The Art of Non-Conformity: Who You Are and What They Say

    If you are confident, they will say you are arrogant.

    If you are deliberate, they will say you are too sure of yourself.

    If you have a sense of purpose, they will say you are self-absorbed.

    If you know who you are, they will ask, “Who are you, anyway?”

    If you believe in kindness and compassion, they will say you are naïve.

    If you are a dreamer, they will say join the real world.

    If you are a rebel, they will try to shut you down.

    The instructions include:

    rein it in
    slow it down
    wait it out

    pull it back
    take your time
    play it safe

    But you will know:

    They are envious because they want what you have.

    They are afraid of change even as they crave it.

    They are projecting their own regret into resentment of you.

    It’s not all bad news: some of them will sort themselves out and end up joining you. Because you are a good person and have had plenty of false starts of your own, you’ll understand and welcome them warmly. We’ve missed you! you’ll say. It’s about time you made it.

    As for the others, well, you will remember what Gandhi said: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

    This was reposted from The Art of Non-Conformity. Visit the AoNC site for more articles like this one.

  • September 3, 2010 7:00 am

    Run, running, run away, runway. A short film by Everynone, in collaboration with WNYC’s excellent science show and podcast “Radiolab.”

    (via Veer.com)