Bettina Eats and Levitates

"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through. — Ira Glass (via nefffy, by way of Fresh Air, by way of Yarn Yumminess)"

- howdy do it: a little ira glass wisdom | mint

"no matter what you end up doing with your life, do not go into that thing thinking being mediocre is okay. It’s not; it’s the worst kind of bullshit. Mediocre isn’t mediocre: it sucks. It’s close to planned, intentional evil, because it’s a pissing-away of potential—a waste of life."

- Where are the mediocre parts of your life

"

If you are not doing your life’s work, you will feel perfectly comfortable. There will be an occasional malaise as you wonder if there’s “more” out there, but you won’t know exactly what to do.

What you need to do is become paralyzed with fear.

If you aren’t paralyzed, you aren’t going far enough. If you don’t feel yourself being avoidant, you’re probably settling.

"

"hen you slow down your breath, your nervous system gets a signal that it’s OK to relax, which then tells the rest of your body to take it down a thousand. Then, as if by magic, your mind quiets down."

- Ten Five Healthy Ways to Cope With Stress : No More Dirty Looks

(via Whole Foods Rap Incites Beef, Revenge of Black Prius (video))

Kinda funny ironic rap music video—my favorite line is “I get vociferous when shopping for cruciferous veggies”.