Chris Loper has been writing about self-improvement and helping busy adults with habit formation since 2017. He also writes an education blog for parents and students for Northwest Educational Services. Along with Greg Smith, Chris is the cocreator of Parenting for Academic Success, a series of transformative classes that create empowered parents, confident students, and harmonious families. His most recent endeavor combines his academic and habit-formation expertise to help students thrive in college. Visit SmartCollegeHabits.com to learn more. In 2021, Chris published a humorous memoir titled Wood Floats and Other Brilliant Observations, a book that blends crazy stories with practical life lessons. He lives in Issaquah, WA where he is the owner of South Cove Tutoring.
You are what you repeatedly do.1 Any behavior that you repeat over years naturally solidifies into part of your identity. This makes the behavior feel impossible to change – like it’s just who you are. But this is wrong. You can still change; it’ll just be harder. I was a marijuana addict for 11 years. For much of that time, it felt like I couldn’t possibly be anything else. The… Read More »You Are What You Repeat
“A 100-foot long boat that’s 99% complete is going to sink before it leaves the dock. That gaping hole is more than enough to do it in. On the other hand, a baked ziti that’s 99% as good as the best baked ziti ever made is exactly good enough to serve in any setting. … We should be clear about which category we’re working in.” –Seth Godin1 If you’re the… Read More »Will it Sink the Boat?
This is Sammy. He belongs to my dad’s friend Dan. Sammy is simultaneously the friendliest and most well-behaved dog I’ve ever known. I came to love Sammy despite spending my whole life as, frankly, not a dog person. I’ve always been a cat person. Cats make sense to me, and we have a natural affinity for one another. I’m the kind of person who befriends random cats that I see… Read More »Can You Choose to Like Something?
It’s hard. It’s uncomfortable. It’s scary. Deal with it anyway. Face it head-on. The boring task. The difficult work. The necessary learning. The frustrating setback. The obstacle in your way. The uncomfortable conversation. The anxiety-inducing performance. The fear that you’ll do it wrong. The dreaded diagnosis. The painful treatment. The inevitable tragedy. These things don’t get easier when you avoid facing them. This is the ultimate message of Stoic philosophy:… Read More »Face Reality Head-On