“Put up your own billboard,” suggested Angela Duckworth as a guest on the podcast The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant. She was talking through ways to install personal reminders of values and goals.

I’ve never been one to put a post-it note on the mirror or a message in my sock drawer. While I never bought any of the posters, I was a sucker for the motivational quotes offered by Successories in the early ‘90s.

I shake my head in disappointment when a meeting finishes early and the host closes with, “I guess we’ll give everyone seven minutes back.” It’s a silly irritation. The intent behind the comment is positive. We were productive with our time, and now you can spend that time on other tasks.

“Will your daughter be joining us on speakerphone?” asked the veterinarian. My wife and I were taking care of our daughter’s dog, Zuko, while she was vacationing in New Orleans.

Reading Burkeman prompted me to revisit that overheard observation. My fellow observer and I were struck by the slow, deliberate labor required to transform a tree into a canoe. But we both were viewing it from a “quantity of time” mindset. He saw the reenactors as unhurried—having so much time. Where I saw them as overburdened—having so little time.

I cheated on my confirmation test. I was in sixth grade and didn't care much about the teachings of our church, but it was important to my grandparents. I attended the classes with our minister, learned a few things, and then, at the end of our instruction, was given a test.

“The first rule of business is to assign blame.” A retired coworker of mine began many meetings with that line. I laughed the first couple of times I heard him say it. My reaction eventually evolved to an eye roll.

“Screams - bloodcurdling screams,” is how one local resident described the noise coming from Universal Studios Hollywood’s newest roller coaster - Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift - according to Times’ reporting from Toluca Lake, California.

Universal embarked on an audacious project. Faced with declining traffic in the competitive amusement park industry, they invested heavily in the thrilling new ride.

“You’d be surprised by how many flowers we throw away.” My daughter works at a floral shop, and I love talking retail with anyone, but especially my kids.

Reaching out to someone you knew 40 years ago is a coin flip.

Eisenhower figured this out in 1953 in a sunroom. It took me a training meeting and a bruised ego.

A 24% hit rate taught me the skill that matters isn't actually the shooting.

A gifted warrior taught me the difference between competing and finishing.

And it's the reason he's still scoring at 39.

How an absurd analogy unlocked useful lessons

Everyone quotes the second half. The first half is the one that stings.

Then I realized they were really for me.

I knew something that could have helped them. I said nothing.

For most of my life, I started with the end in mind. This time, I don't know the end.

The work is the easy part. The bookends do the heavy lifting.

The project didn’t get easier. But I stopped dreading it.