The Neurodivergent Professor

As a parent this topic is always on my mind. Am I a good parent? What should I be doing with my kids? Are my kids alright? Parenting can kind of dominate your identify if you let it. Especially for primary caregivers. And if you're not a parent, you had parents. Or guardians who influenced you as a kid. So most of us had some sort of parental influence and might even be playing the influencer...

I became sort of obsessed with the idea of quality after reading Robert Pirsig's 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'. Not that it matters but at one time this was the best selling philosophy book in the world. Which is kind of weird because it's really just a story about a guy who goes 'crazy' trying to define what quality is. I'm not trying to drive myse...

Gratitude is touted as being able to improve an array of human problems. Anger, depression, anxiety, dieting, and other stressful issues have decreased in people who practice  out being grateful with some regularity. Psychologists, neurologists, and therapists suggest being grateful as part of any self-improvement plan. But what is it about 'feeling thankful' that produces calm, peace, a...

Doubt is tricky. A little bit is a good things. Too many of us think we're right all the time - and that simply can't be true. A little bit of doubt is healthy and says, 'hey, i may be wrong here'. Admitting you may be wrong, and doubting your ability to 'know the truth' is healthy.  However, doubt can become a lifestyle. Take it from me. I used to fancy myself as a &...

Many of us bought into the dream of the previous generation; our parents, family, teachers, and other adults in our young lives. We were taught to follow the linear path of good grades -> good college -> good job -> good retirement -> successful life. Then we hit some point in or 30s, 40s, maybe 50s where we question what the hell we got ourselves into. That was a great idea for the po...

Seriously.  WTF? Habits are really hard to change. Trying to exercise? Eat better? Cleaning up your potty mouth? It ain't easy. And the crazy thing is, as hard as habits are to change it seems like picking up bad habits is easy. Changing habits is hard stuff. And I’m not just talking about physical addictions or bad habits. Besides just habitual behavior we also have emotional and intellectua...

I suck at a bunch of things. This video is about how we can have very high ranking values (e.g., be a good spouse, parent, sibling, child) that we often don't live up to. I just wanted to share some of my important values that I struggle to meet. I think we all beat ourselves up too much and often fail to recognize our achievements, and just wanted to call that out.  I also get a little tired...

I grew up in a house without Religion. My parents never went to church and my only experiences with church or religion was attending weddings and funerals. As I grew older I sought a spiritual connection, maybe because I didn't have religion in my life - I don't know. I found spirituality in philosophy and ecology. I also grew to appreciate native spirituality from cultures that pre-date...

Would you rather be right, or happy? It's a good question. It also subtly implies that if you're right, you aren't necessarily happy. I know when I push to 'win' an argument, or to 'be right', I usually feel a little guilty. Certainly not victorious or celebratory. Being right usually means having to tell someone they're wrong. I guess some things have prett...

Time is our most valuable resource. It's very limiting as we only get maybe 70 or 80 years. And the tragedy is . . . we think it's infinite. Personally, I didn't appreciate time until I was in my mid 40s when I started needing reading glasses. Now I think about it every day. So how do we get more time? We budget better. We think we have no time. But the truth is (and this hurts, I k...

I hear a lot, from my therapist, other researchers, and articles, that many of us complain that we feel 'different' or 'other' in the context of our immediate communities of friends and families. Here I argue that, doesn't feeling different unite us somehow? Also, that being different is the secret to success for the human race - diversity is the key to evolution! How do w...

When asked how much is enough, John D. Rockefeller famously replied, "Just a little more". We've all thought this about some things. Whether it's losing 'enough' weight, making 'enough' money, being loved 'enough' we all (mistakenly) believe that if we get 'enough' of 'whatever', we'll be 'happy'. And since a lot...

Most of us have some kind of addiction. Whether it's something as benign as Diet Coke, or as life threatening as heroin, we can relate to the pull of being addicted to something. Much of what we talk about addiction is related to the biological or physiological nature. Here I discuss the more psychological aspects of my own addiction to nicotine, talk about childhood loveys and security blank...

It's important for us to provide the next generation with effective tools. Recently I heard someone say (I'm paraphrasing) that people in small towns are only allowed to dream as big as their community. I have thought a lot about successive generations and whether we are making great leaps or small steps toward a collective future. Here I follow this lead to some pretty significant (for...

I know, the title may be a little harsh. And don't tell me to move. I don't really think the USA sucks in its' entirety. But there are elements of my home country that seem to be changing. But, of course, I'm also changing. It's hard to tease apart what factors may be at work. Is it me? It's not me, it's you. What's going on as I age and my country matures?...

Eliza Schuyler finally tells her husband's story in Lin Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton". But we'll never really know Hamilton's story, because he isn't around to tell it. And, really, did he even know his story? Do you know yours? Here I argue that it is an important goal of human life to understand who we are and why we do things. To 'know thyself' by the...

The great Lily Tomlin is credited with saying, "Even if you win the Rat Race, you're still a rat". This phrase has been with me since I saw her on the Carol Burnett show in the 70s. I was young, but I got it. For some reason I've always rejected the idealized model of human 'progress' where you get good grades, get into a good college, get a good job and BOOM! you&apo...

Yeah, COVID sucks, but what if there is something to be learned that can add some positivity to our lives? I believe there is a lot to be learned about our values, our systems (eg, governments), our schools, businesses, and habits. Moreover, we always complain that 'nothing can be changed because it's too hard', like turning a battleship, these systems don't get changed because...

I realize this topic can be extremely sensitive and controversial. I do not intend to stoke any existing debates about specific or general types of slavery, servitude, or bully labor practices. But I do think about forced labor (not sure what to call it, really) over the past 10,000 years in human society. Here I share my observations about many examples of forced labor, why they are flat out WRON...

If you break it down and push to the source I think you'll find that fear rules a lot of what we do (and don't) do. Fear drives our decisions and causes our anxiety and depression. Sometimes fear is useful, of course, but many of our problems are caused by fear. I argue these fears can be lumped into two main categories; safety and love. We are afraid of being unloved and of being unsafe...

How terrible is analysis paralysis? Incredibly, I'd say. And it's likely you suffer from it, too - at least sometimes. Not being able to make a decision can be maddening. Here I suggest a few tips and tricks to change your mindset about decision-making. Not to say that I'm an expert, but as someone who suffers from daily analysis paralysis I HAD to come up with some strategies to im...

We ARE ALL connected. Whether you believe it or not. Today more than ever it is critical we move toward understanding that 'fact'. Here I present multiple lines of evidence explaining why I believe all things are connected including a story about me talking to a cuttlefish. If you are enjoying this content, please tell your friends.

Old Beliefs are things that we learned as kids that helped us get through a hard time. Bullying, loss of a loved one, a broken heart. But as we get older these strategies can break down and not have the effect of making us feel better. Maybe you were bullied and learned how to make people laugh, but found yourself ultimately becoming a people pleaser and developed anxiety about trying so hard. May...

Getting a job, having someone say yes to a date or marriage proposal, winning a trophy, making good grades, buying a new car - these accolades feel good. Some of life's best endeavors don't provide 'prizes' - like parenting, personal growth, or even dieting. Why are we so motivated to receive praise, win awards, or get paid when many of those things are fleeting. How can we lea...

Here's my take on what it means to be male. I believe in a 'new masculinity' and really dig how some dudes are breaking the mold. I discuss my attitudes toward equality, my time as a stay-at-home-dad, and my outlook on traditional relationships from my point of view. If you are enjoying this content, please tell your friends.