Mike Vardy

How My Thinking on “Finishing” Has Changed

Finishing used to feel like a test of will. Now I see it as the natural result of a sustainable rhythm. Here’s how my thinking has shifted since 2017 — from fear to flexibility, from touchstones to tools, and from pushing through the end to crafting a way forward that lasts.

Lost Weekend, Found Weekend

A “lost weekend” promises presence through escape — but at the cost of agency. Here’s why I’m choosing the idea of a found weekend instead: immersive, intentional, and anchored in awareness rather than absence.

Burdened with Glorious Purpose

Loki’s famous line — “burdened with glorious purpose” — reveals something deeply human. In this reflection, I revisit a short video I made years ago about the weight we carry, the meaning we seek, and why responsibility and purpose are more intertwined than we think.

Nurturing the Now

In this reflection, I explore why nurturing the present moment matters far more than trying to shape a legacy. Legacy is retrospective; the now is where agency actually lives. This piece builds on the latest PM Talks episode while offering a different path: tending thoughtfully to the time we’re living through.

A First Time (at Twenty)

We put up our Christmas tree this weekend, and our 20-year-old Japanese exchange student told us it was his first time ever. That small moment revealed something bigger: firsts can arrive at any age, and our different experiences with time deserve curiosity, not judgment.

Ripeness Takes Time

Ripeness isn’t a deadline — it’s a relationship. Some things can’t be rushed, and what counts as “ready” varies with time, taste, and intention.

When Rick Rubin Met Seth Godin (And Why It Made Perfect Sense)

A few years ago, I found myself deep into Shangri-La, the Showtime series that follows Rick Rubin around his almost-mythic creative compound. The whole show feels like a slow exhale—Rubin barefoot, staring into the distance, coaxing clarity out of artists who arrive carrying their own storms. And then, in the middle of all that quiet

When Time Isn’t the Enemy

We’ve been told time is something to outrun, outsmart, or surrender to. But what if it was never our opponent in the first place? This is a look at why the “time wins” narrative misses something essential — and how shifting that stance changes everything.