Author: Laura Gassner Otting

  • What is Contribution?

    The work we do should contribute something to our lives—but what? When we sit back and fantasize about the life we want to live, we all have different definitions of success. Some of us want to pay off our student loans. Some of us want to increase our vocational velocity. Some of us want our…

  • What Is Connection?

    We are distracted. As slaves to the Tyranny of Urgency, we mistake being busy and stressed for important work.  We run on the hamster wheel, doing more work, but not necessarily work that matters. Don’t believe me? Try to describe your biggest professional achievements this year, the ones of which you are most proud. No,…

  • What Is Calling?

    The most obvious and most frequent use of the term “calling” is in the traditional religious, nonprofit, or cause-driven way. It’s true that working for a cause that is bigger than ourselves can bring great meaning to our work. We feel good about ourselves when we are doing things for others, and regardless of whether…

  • The Time is NOW! Order Limitless Today.

    It’s finally here!  No, not my birthday (though, yes, it’s my birthday!) It’s the other birthday: the birth of my book launch!  Today is both my birthday AND the official launch, six weeks to publication, of the pre-order campaign for my book Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve your Own Path, and Live Your Best…

  • Badass Author Bookclub

    As I prepare for the launch of MY forthcoming book LIMITLESS, I’m re-reading so many good books. So, I want to share the wisdom from my nerd-crush authors: Brené Brown, Alison Levine, Jen Sincero and Carey Lohrenz FEARLESS LEADERSHIP by Carey Lohrenz: Carey is a pretty big badass. What’s amazing about Carey is she takes everything…

  • My Long Distance Love Affair

    I’m in a long distance relationship. A million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and man had not yet created fire, I was in a long-distance relationship with an adorable, kind, brilliant boyfriend. He was in Washington, DC, and I was in Boston. And every weekend, he would fly to me, I would fly…

  • You Aren’t That Important

    “You’re just not that important.” This was the best and hardest piece of advice I’ve ever unceremoniously received. It hurt. It was true. And it was a watershed moment. I’ve written blogs about saying yes. I’ve written blogs about saying no. The truth is that it doesn’t matter if you say yes or no until you decide what the hell you…

  • Don’t Eat the Frog First!

    I’m often asked how long it took me to write Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life.  The answer is that I wrote the main corpus in about three weeks. This, of course, shocks people. The more complicated answer is that, while it took me three weeks to…

  • What if you didn’t show up to work tomorrow?

    We’ve all laid in bed having those fantasies. No, not *those* fantasies!  (Well, maybe those too…) I’m talking about the ones that happen in the morning after your alarm pulls you out of your sweet, sweet slumber.  The alarm rings out, jarring you awake, and your very first thought is, “Ugh, what if I didn’t…

  • “How Have I Aged” Game FAIL

    I’m so annoyed at all the “how have I aged” post on FB. “How am I aging? How have the last ten years hit me?” I’m getting older. I’m getting wiser. I’m getting braver. I am becoming more of what I never knew I could be. I am learning that there are multitudes within me.…