Epictetus identified it in his age old quote long before the keyboard. — There is a saying which comes to us from the 2nd century AD. From the philosopher Epictetus. We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. — Epictetus It is advice we are well served to consider. Something that many people…

There are coffee shops, your regular coffee shop and your favourite coffee shop. — I approach the counter and recognise the barista. I know the coffee is going to be just perfect. At this spot, I know the coffee is always great. I have found a reason to go a little further from home today. Visiting my favourite specialty coffee shop. …

The small things that affect your entire experience. — Visiting the same coffee spot six or seven times a week, you get comfortable. You stop for a chat to the barista on your way in, grab a glass of water, navigate to your favourite table. It is halfway there; you realise someone has currently taken residence in your favourite…

A shopping centre can be the busiest place we visit and also the most still. — It is 4.30pm Sunday afternoon and I am out for my afternoon walk. A walk I often combine with hunting down my favourite collectibles. This combination inevitably finds me at the local shopping centre. In Queensland, Australia, we have specific Sunday trading hours and many stores choose not to open…

Reads are up 39%. Views are up 88%. Followers are up 172%. Earnings are up 270%. — Once per month, I like to share a look at my results for the past month. I know some people do not enjoy reading about stats and earnings on Medium. If this is you, please consider skipping this story. Everyone else, let's dig into the numbers for August. August Results August has…

August has been a great month, and these are my top performers and top reads this month. — To put it simply, August 2022 has been my best month on Medium since I joined in October 2019. I have had more views, more reads and gained more followers than any month previous. I likely have also spent more time on the platform than any previous month. Writing stories…

Enjoying the sights and sounds while watching where the park meets the bay. — Every Sunday morning, I have a ritual. I visit a local park near to Moreton Bay in South East Queensland. This is a beautiful spot to stop drink a cold brew coffee, and eat a picnic breakfast after visiting the local farmers' market. This is a spot that is very…

Free stock photography poses risks that creating your own graphics can help avoid. — I have never been a big fan of the Unsplash graphic embed since I started on Medium. In one sense, Unsplash is a brilliant service and provides an excellent solution to finding a relevant image for each story. …

A series of questions posed by another Medium writer. — I was just browsing through my “For You” stories on Medium and came across a story by Julia Guerra Slater. The story was “Let’s All Stop Bragging About How Many Countries We’ve Been To” and it caught my eye because it is something I have done in the past. …