No Good Excuse - a Column by Sean Baumstark

I appreciate the consistent mindset this column helps me employ. With every new day, new challenge, or new opportunity, I quickly find myself coming up with new excuses as to why I can’t do something or why I shouldn’t try.

I am finding that change is so much easier when I tackle the changes I want to make with small, short-term goals in mind. I’ve heard that advice in the past and it’s always been a “feel-good” message. However, now I’m seeing its impact when I apply the…

Sometimes I wish that life would slow down, and some days, I convince myself that it will. That’s probably not true, though. I tend to take on projects and manage my calendar in seasons. This method implies that a “season” of less work and fewer projects, a period…

In a recent column, “Accountability Can Change Everything,” I gave credit to this column for helping me raise the bar in my personal performance by improving my awareness of the excuses I use to let myself off the hook. I have…

I have this phrase in my head that seems to be on constant repeat. I can’t tell you exactly where it’s from or if perhaps I put these words together myself. But I can tell you that it is certainly a culmination of podcasts, books, and self-improvement talks…

Last week, I had the privilege of co-hosting a panel discussion centered around living with a rare disease. Biotech company Amicus Therapeutics invited my podcast co-host, Kyle Bryant, and me to facilitate a panel with three teenage girls, each living with a different rare disease.

Some months ago, I went looking for a new apartment for my friend and me to rent together. Since I’m pickier than he is, we settled on a price range, and he agreed to go with a place of my choosing. My roommate is a smart guy.

We are just about halfway through 2019. I think this is a great time to evaluate my habits, my routines, and especially my goals. I usually start every calendar year with the motivation to accomplish and achieve like never before. In a lot of ways, I do achieve…

Have you ever done something from which you thought you couldn’t turn back or move forward? Have you made a huge mistake that you believed had irrevocably messed up your life? What about a minor blunder that caused you to “fall off…

I recently visited my neurologist and FA clinical team at UCLA. I am participating in a clinical trial, and UCLA is my nearest study site. Oftentimes, clinical trials are “blind” and placebo-controlled, meaning multiple patient groups take an investigative therapy or…