When I was in my 20s I had a power blue VW ‘74 Superbeetle. It broke down ALL THE TIME. 

It also didn’t have a floor. No kidding. In the back, if you pulled up the carpet, there was nothing but...road. Obviously we called it the Flintstonemobile….

You have money in your head. You have knowledge and experiences that others wish they had. Did you just scoff?

Then you might suffer from The Curse of Knowledge. 

It works like this…

As he stood there covered in his own drunk puke, John A. Macdonald figured maybe this time he had gone a bit too far.

Because it can be challenging to be absolutely paralytic. On stage. During a debate against your political opponent. Yep, it’s definitely an unorthodox strategy that not everyone appreciates. Especially in 1864….

Generally not taking the bait is the best way in life. But sometimes we are not in a position to do that. 

Say you’re stuck in a frustrating debate or argument with them. Or you MUST reach a compromise with them.

Want to spot an idiot? Here are some more obvious signs. They include (but lordy, they are not limited to): 

• Constantly wrong and/or badly informed

• They say a big fat NO to learning or growing

Despite all the gatekeepers, Good Stuff to Read When You’re About to Lose Your Shit is here.

And right off the bat, I can tell you it's not for everyone.

People need to feel a sense of belonging. This is especially true for neurodivergent people who are always seen as a little too weird, too much, too loud, too quiet, too high-maintenance, too rude, too everything.

When we’re young, we’re desperate to be like everyone else.

And that ain’t no shock. Kids are mean and they will tease over ANYTHING that stands out. (Lunatics!)

So we bent and twisted ourselves into something that we weren’t. We make sure our lunches were the same.

There’s no use in pretending that failure doesn’t suck massive rhino balls. On a practical level it can be expensive as hell. And it saps us of our time.

It can also be sooooo embarrassing. Oh good lord, one time I took part in a saddleless horse-mounting competition in Tennessee at a massive church camp.

And I totally won it! (NO I DIDN’T I SO DIDN’T OH GODDDDDDD NOOOOO)

I fell UP THE horse and crashed into its side at the same time, in front of thousands of people who laughed at me. No, this was not a dream. It happened in real life in the 80s and in my mind it’s still as fresh as a Five Guys.

Either an epic fail, or a straw-that-breaks-the-camel’s-back fail (or horse’s back fail in my case) can be enough to make us give up on something forever. Or make us verbally and emotionally abuse ourselves so badly that we never try again.

I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to leave this existence riddled with regret. No way. Not a chance.

What We Weirdos Need to Know About Networking

(It’s gonna make you want to hurl, but it’s the truth)

What’s not to love about networking?

Talking to lots of people we don’t know! In a place with terrible lighting! With room-temperature Pinot!

Hiding in the toilets for the 3rd time in an hour just to escape the pressure! Pretending to be very, very busy on our mobile phones so we don’t have to look up at all, ever!

Yes, on the surface, it can feel really painful. But that’s only because you don’t yet know this…

You know what it’s like — you’re in a room, surrounded by all these people who are smiling, and chatting, and seem happy to be there (WTF?).

And…there they are. The one person who really shines. The Butterfly.

How dare they float around, from group to group with no problem or hesitation?

They seem to make every conversation they are a part of more fun, more animated, more exciting. Everyone’s delighted to see them and pull them in for more! More! More!

I would stare at these people and think, “Hmm. How can I take them down?”

And then I thought, “I could never be like that.”

And then I thought, “How do they do that?”

Ever had someone treat you like crap because they good?

It was 2018 and I was in hell.

Hell in this case was a networking room filled with 99 other people…who were all competing against me and each other for a places on a prestigious talent scheme.

It’s the stuff a sadistic lunatic’s dreams are made of.

I had been here before — the exact same mixer the previous year. But I failed that time. I didn’t make it onto the scheme. I was also at least 20 years older than 98 of those people. So here I was, still the socially awkward previous reject trying yet again to get people to understand that I deserved this scheme.

Here’s what happened, and how it can help you with Impostor Syndrome.

Though there’’s lots of stuff on here, there’s one common thread throughout.

Every post is made for the dark horses.

Are you a dark horse?

Want to know why sometimes we lose it when people say something? Here’s why.