Last week, I wrote about the Men's Group meeting I attended. One of the guys mentioned something that reminded me of a conversation I had with my friend, Dave, years ago.  

Dave - a true story

Dave:   “Peter, I told my dad I love him.”
Me:      “Seriously, Dave? What did he say?”
Dave:   “He ...

In this newsletter:
- Men's Group Meeting
- Solitude is Luminous
- Sins of the Unlived Life
- Georges Homsi - Transformation Coach
- A Blessing of Solitude

Men's Group Meeting

I recently had coffee with a friend here near the beach. He told me about his rise…and fall. He said he hit bottom. That’...

See previous newsletters or visit the website.

In this newsletter:
- What is a Practice?
- A Practice versus a goal
- Practice and Identity
- My three practices
- Scott Seidewitz - The Ancient Assassin

What is a Practice?

Question: What does it mean to “have a practice?”
Answer: It means to pursue a...

In this newsletter:
- Self-Control
- The Power of Habit
- Three Willpower Studies
- What is Self-Control?
- 8 ways to boost Self-Control

Self-Control

My friend
My friend recently told me he’s a sex addict. He was serious. I’ll spare you the details.

We've been close friends for over 50 years, eve...

In this newsletter:
- The Middle Passage
- My midlife crises
- Carl Jung
- James Hollis
- Pablo Casals - Never retire
- Ray Bradbury - Never worked a day in his life

“The midlife crisis, which I prefer to call the Middle Passage, presents us with an opportunity to reexamine our lives and to ask the somet...

In this newsletter:
- One home, one suitcase
- Goodbye, business suits
- My simple life
- Why do we accumulate so much?
- 16 benefits of minimalism
- Marie Kondo
- Japanese tea house

“You’re not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the conte...

In this newsletter:
- The Dream
- Patricia Ryan Madson
- Improv Wisdom
- 13 Improv Maxims
- Key Life Skills from Improv
- YouTube Improve example

The Dream

It was 2015. I was walking across Harvard Yard, on the way to my classroom. My heart was pounding, breathing was difficult, it was hard to walk, ...

In this newsletter:
- A Daily Fight
- Turning Pro
- Characteristics of an Amateur
- Becoming a Professional
- Qualities of a Professional
- The pro mindset to overcome Resistance 

A Daily Fight 

Every day, I get out of bed ready to fight.

It's always the same fight, against the same goddamn opponent...

In this newsletter:
- Kokomo - The Beach Boys
- Music changes us
- This is your brain on music
- Daniel J. Levitin
- Health benefits of music 
- Beach party research trip:
     - Key West, Florida
     - Aruba

Kokomo - The Beach Boys 

[Intro]
Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pret...

In this newsletter:
- Resistance
- Steven Pressfield
- Orchestras, Recipes, and Asset Allocation 
- Cold water therapy
- Pot and Yoga
- Beach party research trip

Resistance 

“How many of us have become drunks and drug addicts, developed tumors and neuroses, succumbed to painkillers, gossip, and compulsi...

In this newsletter:
- The Creative Habit
- Twyla Tharp - choreographer
- 12 lessons from The Creative Habit
- Movin' Out - Twyla and Billy Joel
- What I'm learning from writing

The Creative Habit 

“I begin each day of my life with a ritual: I wake up at 5:30 A.M., put on my workout clothes, my leg warm...

In this newsletter:
- Creativity
- Betty Edwards
- Exhibit A - my friend
- Exhibit B - my daughter
- Exhibit C - Nilo Cruz, playwright

Creativity 

“Brain plasticity (neuroplasticity):
In general, the term refers to the ability of the brain and nervous system to change structurally and functionally as a ...