I know I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but something about the cover of this book spoke to me. Then I bought the book wondering what instructions the author’s got about life, and thought I wouldn’t mind getting better at writing. This book is mostly about writing stories. But rather than focusing on writing techniques, it focuses on the mental challenges and how to handle them. It talks about what to write about, and the creative process.

“Seek out people who are willing to level with you, and when you find them, hold them close.” — Ed Catmull, Creativity, Inc. “Part of our job is to protect the new from people who don’t understand that, in order for greatness to emerge, there must be phases of not-so-greatness.” — Ed Catmull, Creativity, Inc. “There is one more general guiding principle of Design (and of Life): Don’t be a wimp.

I heard that humans have evolved to worry a lot. The ones who don’t worry about anything died more easily. I don’t know how true that is, but I find limiting useless worries to be a rare skill. How can we break the habit and only worry when it actually helps us? I came across this great book, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie. I found it to be full of inspiring stories and practical advice.