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Advice from a veteran tutor who has been on the front lines
Imagine if you were asked to sacrifice one of the most memorable years of your life in order to protect millions of people you don’t know.
That’s the reality for most K-12 students.
This year has been tough on all of us, but it’s been especially difficult for families with young students.
The reason I know is that I’ve been a tutor for three years. Specifically, I tutor K-12 students, teach private courses, and conduct quite a bit of SAT/ACT test prep.
Most kids spend their days in front of a computer screen. Virtual learning is the new normal, but it hasn’t been an easy transition. …
A superstar finds a way to shine no matter the circumstances
Baseball, America’s past-time, is one of the most exciting sports. Its methodical demeanor makes up for its slow and often dull gameplay.
Like many professional sports, it’s a game of inches. Anything can happen in a matter of seconds, and close calls and brief moments can take a player to stardom.
Now, there’s something else incredible about the game: fat baseball players.
Sure, there are heavily-built players in other sports. Look at your average NFL offensive lineman. According to ESPN writer Emily Kaplan, the average weight of NFL offensive linemen is 315 pounds.
What’s crazy is those guys are nimble too. They train to make sure other players don’t get past them and to their quarterback. It’s expected of those guys to be the size they are. …
You have to be patient with yourself to hurdle this creative wall
I had a mental breakdown while talking to a client.
I didn’t implode or lose my temper. It wasn’t that serious. The breakdown happened in my head, and I didn’t show any emotion on the outside.
In fact, my breakdown wasn’t related to the client at all.
I work outside right now. It’s a safety measure my job has taken on so we can meet with clients in person. As a result, my face is much tanner than the rest of my body.
So there I was, wearing three layers under a blanket of fog, staring at my story drafts…
Even a last-second gifts are meaningful in their own way
“Hey! I got you a small Christmas present lol. I saw something that reminded me of you so I had to get it *laughing emoji.”
Oh great, I thought. Now I have to get them something too. That sure was a sly way of saying they expect a gift in return.
I racked my brain for the appropriate response before sending a text back.
I said something like, “OMG that is so thoughtful of you. You shouldn’t have!”
Really, you shouldn’t have.
The holidays are over, woof
I promise I’m not a modern-day Scrooge. I like Christmas, but this year felt off.
I didn’t see any family outside my own household, and I didn’t go to the usual parties around town to celebrate the times with my friends. …
When push comes to shove, consistency is the most important factor in writing
If you’re anything like me, you have a day-job. That means we both have responsibilities besides writing. Curse our capitalist society!
We’re the cogs keeping this machine running, yet we still find the time to feed our creative spirit.
I’m a blogger now, but I never pictured myself saying that. I struggled to write just two stories a week, but with time I’ve expanded my capabilities.
I live by an unbeatable writing process that you can follow too
I blog ahead of time. I write three stories a week and publish them the following week. I like planning ahead. …
2021 isn’t the year of the revolution but rather a year to rebuild.
I’m not here to rant about 2020.
Yes, it was an awful year for many reasons. I miss my friends, and I’m tired of hiding in my parents’ house, but that’s just the deal.
It’s the reality that I live with, and 2021 isn’t going to automatically fix it.
We still have a long way to go, even though we can see some light at the end of this long, dark tunnel.
First of all, these aren’t New Year’s Resolutions. The goal isn’t to track goals meticulously. None of us need that kind of stress in our lives right now. …
When life hands you what you were looking for, look for more
A month ago, I rolled out a figurative red carpet for myself and strolled through the hallway to receive my prize.
I had just opened the coveted “top writer” email, and I was stoked.
I wanted that title like a kid wants a 100,000 ticket prize at the arcade. I knew it would take more work than necessary to get it, but I had to try.
Day after day, I came home from work and tried my darnedest to write pieces worth reading. There were ups and downs along the way, but top writers don’t give up. They keep trying.
I’m a top writer on Medium. Have I arrived?
The funny thing is, now that I’m a top writer, nothing has really changed. …
6 mistakes you can avoid.
There are an estimated 48.5 million eBooks on Amazon, and I thought my short fitness book would be a breakout star.
Who was I kidding?
Just myself I guess. The only thing I did right was write the damn thing. Everything else is up for debate.
I will say that I’m proud of myself for writing a 35 page eBook. I hadn’t done anything like that before. It was a satisfying challenge for a recent graduate.
It takes a certain motivation to craft a self-published book.
The problem was that I wasn’t motivated for the right reason. My book lacked some major components that any helpful eBook should have. As a result, I sold five copies (my mom bought one) before begrudgingly taking the eBook off Amazon. …
When you’re in the creative doldrums, the way out may be a craft you never considered.
Nobody has ever said that my work sucks. At least they haven’t told me to my face. I wish they did because now it’s my job to judge myself.
A high school English teacher once regarded one of my assignments as “absolute waffle.” Yes, she said that. I remember that day like it was yesterday.
As Michael Jordan once said, “…it became personal with me.”
I begrudgingly landed an A in the class the next semester, and I haven’t looked back since. I wrote all the way through college, and then picked it back up into my post-grad life.
For me, creativity has always been a prominent personality trait. My colleagues know me as the guy who takes photos of my wild adventures. I camped on a cow farm in the middle of a heavy rainstorm for crying out loud. …
