The first girl I ever asked out was in the 7th grade. It was at a school dance. For some reason, they always played Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” as the last song. Everyone slow-danced to it. I bolted across the gym to Sara when the guitar...
How I Think About Failure
I love the song “All I Do Is Win.” It’s got a catchy hook and underscores one of the central themes of American culture: We’re a society obsessed with winning. We’re taught as kids that winning is good and losing is bad. It’s ingrained in us. We revel when we win but...
Self-Reliance in a Digital World
When I was four years old, I had surgery on my lower back. I spent months in the hospital and longer doing physical therapy. I hated physical therapy. As part of the rehab process, I exercised with parallel bars every morning. It was to keep my muscles from stiffening...