From collapse to traction—field notes for the climb back.
If the world has taught you that promises break, you don’t “fail” the marshmallow test—you adapt.1 You know the feeling I’m talking about: you’ve waited for the callback that never came, the payment that never landed, the apology that never showed up, the “tomorrow” that kept moving. So when someone says, “Just wait—there’ll be more … Continue reading The Marshmallow Test Was Never Just Willpower
You can be relieved and irritated in the same breath—and that doesn’t cancel the win. You know this moment: the one where life finally gives you a “yes,” and then immediately asks if you can carry it uphill in winter boots. Because rebuilding rarely shows up as a clean, cinematic turnaround. It shows up as … Continue reading When the Good News Arrives on a Hard Day
Active Avoidance: Doing the Wrong Right Thing Hey, welcome back to Standing on the Ledge. Today’s topic: active avoidance. Procrastination. Call it what you will. It’s the act of not doing the thing I know I should do, and doing something else instead. Sometimes that “something else” is still useful. It still needs to get … Continue reading Overcoming Active Avoidance: Strategies for Action
Reading an article today, I ran into another one of those pieces that hits like a “yeah… that tracks.” It’s titled “Psychology says people who grew up in the 1960s and 70s learned 9 life lessons that are rarely taught today” by Farley Ledgerwood (dated January 25, 2026).1 I’m not going to pretend everything was … Continue reading Rediscovering Lessons from Childhood: A Modern Perspective
The author reflects on the emotional complexity of endings and the discomfort of role exit. They recognize a tendency to seek information from others as a coping mechanism for anxiety and decide to stop this behavior. Emphasizing self-discipline, they acknowledge challenges while celebrating personal achievements, like publishing a book.
The post reflects on the journey of resilience and the significance of small, steady steps in difficult times. Acknowledging feelings of overwhelm, it emphasizes that struggling may stem from larger societal pressures. True strength lies in quiet persistence, with each day representing progress, no matter how small. Tomorrow continues the climb forward.
The second brick emphasizes the importance of action over motivation, highlighting that true motivation comes from within rather than external pressures. It stresses showing up consistently, even when feeling unmotivated, and recognizing that you can influence others by nurturing your own inner fire, regardless of its intensity.
Standing on the Ledge 