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successfulHow do you define success or if you're successful in life? To some success is defined by their monetary reward or compensation. To others success is defined by the number of children they've raised. Success could also be defined simply as living a life you enjoy. Most likely once you've defined what success is, you're in a state of non-success. Success is something you still want to achieve. The problem with labeling yourself as not yet successful has the connotation though that you are the opposite of success - which is failure. This boolean expression is a logical falsehood. Humans are always striving to be successful at life or individual tasks. If you don't reach your definition of success I'd rather re-evaluate the definition than give up and declare failure. ...

My brother recently sent me this video and reminded me how much we thought it was funny as kids. Turns out that film got me interested (for a while) in stop animation. I created a couple hours of stop animation shorts with my friends and brother. Too bad I don't have that footage any more. Vicious Cycles was created in 1967 by Chuck Menville. Its production value is simple by today's standard but it still is hilarious. ...

I renamed an article title and changed the URL. Follow this link to the updated post.

I’m attending an awesome conference this week and I’ve been seeing a trend that I want to address. On more than one occasion I’ve noticed people bad-mouthing a particular technology they’ve deemed as being inferior. Specifically I’m addressing the number of speakers and panelists bad-mouthing WordPress. On more than one occasion WordPress has been called (and I’m paraphrasing) crap and useless. As a full-time mobile developer I do not develop on the PHP side of WordPress. I barely know how to create a plugin even after working four years at Automattic. I personally do not have a drive to learn WP dev beyond what I need to accomplish my job. Just because I don’t use WP directly and only the APIs doesn’t mean I don’t have respect for it and the entire community of developers and volunteers behind it. ...

The United States Postal Service started a new service in April called "Informed Delivery" which promises to e-mail you images of the envelopes of today's mail being delivered. You'll know what important mail is waiting for you in your mailbox even if you're not at home. You'll also know if mail isn't getting delivered to you properly and you can report it to the Post Office with a couple clicks. ...

Some words I use when I think of a true leaderI've been engaged with leadership coaches for several months as part of Automattic's internal leadership training program. Having a coach has been mind-opening and an excellent option for leadership training in a completely remote work culture. One of the recent questions asked of me was in regards to what I felt a true leader is and what qualities they embody. ...

Plenty of Roadies out there (road bike enthusiasts) are anti a lot of things - bells, kickstands, racks, etc. When I bought a Crossrip 2 cyclocross bike from Trek I decided I'd accept no kickstand. It annoys the hell out of me and I'm looking for other options like a Click-Stand to prop the bike up when I'm parking it. The one safety item I really needed but hated the look of was a bell. ...

I've blogged a lot about my struggles with attention and focus over the years since I started working remote. I continue to find tools and adjust my behaviors tiny bits at a time to help align me with the world I work in. I've been doing mindful meditation daily, usually in the morning, to help calm the brain and prepare for the day. Just yesterday I was introduced to a fun practice called Morning Pages to help organize my thoughts in the morning to start the day. Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way, uses morning pages to spill out thoughts and ideas from her head onto three pages of paper. The daily practice involves stream-of-consciousness writing (or commonly called free writing) three full pages of handwritten text. Topic is unimportant - it's whatever comes to mind. Julia says some of her students call it "mourning pages" as it usually turns into a bitch session. ...

Since December I've been working with a physical therapist to help with some shoulder and neck pain that keeps recurring. After many hours of therapy including dry needling we've determined there's nothing wrong with my back or neck and it must be posture-related. I've been constantly tweaking my standing desk setup to make sure I'm maintaining decent posture. Part of the research took me into proper keyboard setup. I have a keyboard riser to put it at the proper height when standing at my desk. I discovered that the wrist rest is a complete lie and I was using the keyboard improperly. Resting your wrists while typing can compress the nerves in the wrist leading to carpal tunnel syndrome. Some experts say you can rest your palms instead to keep the angle of your wrists more neutral. I've found an even better approach - let your hands float over the keys & rest your hands when you're not typing. ...