If being insatiably curious and eager to learn makes you a “sponge for knowledge,” then what do we call people who are always eager to comment, brainstorm, and share ideas? How about: a “squid” for knowledge. Maybe it sounds goofy, but hear me out. Squid are always spraying ink around, right? So maybe, in some small way, if you’re the kind of person who always comments on blogs, gives feedback on articles, and is a generally engaging member of an audience (wherever that audience may be), then I think we should name this behavior “being a squid for...

I’m feeling optimistic about 2010. I know, I know. The economy’s still a mess. The world is full of peril. Religious fanatics are trying to blow up their underwear on planes. But I feel that there are a lot of great opportunities out there, for those with the skills, energy and ambition to reach for them. The economic pie might have shrunk a bit during the recent recession, but it’s still a pretty big pie. (With flaky, sugary crust.) Happy 2010. May you have a prosperous, busy year loaded with opportunities and...

I still can hardly believe it, but it’s true… I am the Grand Prize winner of the Elance “New Way to Work” contest. There are about 1,000 people that I should thank. There are so many people who have encouraged me and inspired me and influenced my thinking as I’ve made this journey toward self-employment. There are so many bloggers whose success made me think, “Maybe I could do that, too.” So many authors and thinkers and visionaries that made me wonder, “Is there a better way to work?” I’m grateful to all of my clients on Elance – thank...

Note: This post won the Grand Prize in the Elance “New Way to Work” contest. I’ve hated almost every job I’ve ever had. OK, “hate” is too strong of a word. Let me put it this way: I have often felt deep frustrations and resentments toward every job I’ve ever had. I haven’t hated the work itself or the people that I’ve worked with, or even the organizations that I’ve worked for. I’ve done really good work and had some great times with some really great people. But what I’ve hated are the limitations and confinements and pointless restrictions of the...

I was reading some of the news coverage recently about the death of Senator Ted Kennedy, and one of the op-ed pieces had a rather simple statement that stuck with me – it said, “He made a difference, and that’s not something that many of us can say.” And I thought about that. What have I done with my life that I can look back on and say, “that really made a difference?” Here are a few: Raising a child. I’m a father. I’m raising a child. I’m helping to bring a little person up into the world with (hopefully) good sense and good morals and good...

Okay, I’m going to take another shot at writing about “why I live in Iowa.” Iowa doesn’t always get a lot of respect in the national media. We’re not the setting for a lot of movies and TV shows. Iowa doesn’t have a dominant image that immediately comes to mind for most Americans who aren’t already familiar with the Midwest – some of my college friends from the East Coast didn’t even know where Iowa was. (“It’s near Chicago, right?”) Iowa is a small, predominantly rural state. The largest city (Des Moines) has around 200,000 people...