This week, my younger sister graduated high school, and my wife and I drove to IL to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her parents. Earlier this week, I was camping.

On Friday morning, I said goodbye to a friend who stayed a few extra nights with us, while the storms in Oklahoma passed and it was safe for him to travel. All of this is happening, while we count the days until we close on our new house in Franklin, TN.

As I type this, I'm listening to the plethora of tree frogs chirping outside my in-laws' house.

This is life these days — hectic, amazing, and fun.

As I said yesterday, I'm guest posting a lot these days, which is keeping me pretty busy. But I still discipline myself to find and read other content on the web, because I believe so strongly in reading widely.

Here is a list of recent articles and blog posts I've enjoyed, along with some guest posts I've recently written.

Enjoy!

What I'm Reading This Week

Get Rid of Your Self-Confidence Problems Once and for All [Inspiration]
Randy Elrod shares some personal experiences and delivers a powerful apologetic for the importance of being yourself.

Why I Shouldn't Have Gone to College [Technology]
20-something Kyle Reed speaks candidly about education, technology, and opportunity for young people.

5 Sentences Saved by Em Dashes [Writing]
I'm a fan of these little miracles of modern punctuation, and Mark Nichol explains how to put them to proper use (I'll admit that I probably misuse and/or overuse them at times — I can't help it!)

3 Unmissable Storytelling Tips to Captivate Your Readers [Storytelling]
Kari Hostrotsios shares some simple, but extremely helpful, tips for telling stories.

Falling in Love with Your Blog All Over Again [Blogging]
Copyblogger's Sonia Simone offers some advice for how to rekindle a rocky relationship with your blog.

Recent Guest Posts

Find Your Blog's Unique Voice
I share some thoughts on Problogger about the importance of having a writing voice on your blog and how to find it.

Creatives in the Workplace: Why We Need Them
Erica Cosminsky asked me to share some of these thoughts on why creative people can be an invaluable asset to any organization or team.

Seven Steps to Writing a Successful Guest Post
I wrote this guest post for Michael Hyatt about how to write a guest post. What can I say? It seemed… appropriate.

What are you reading this week? Share in the comments.