For a kid, self-esteem can be as close at hand as a sports victory or a sense of belonging in a peer group. It's a much more complicated and elusive proposition for adults, subject to the responsibilities and vicissitudes of grown-up life. Meghan Daum adultbelongclose share on social
Because of social media, we have a lot of personal essays floating around; you see them on Facebook: everyone's either reading them or writing them. Some of them are great; some of them are diary entries put forth as essays. Meghan Daum diaryentryessay share on social
Self-esteem, the kind that comes from finding the sweet spot between a healthy fondness for yourself and healthy self-skepticism, tends to get harder to come by the older we get. Meghan Daum esteemfindfondness Change image and share on social
Social media, despite its reputation as the ultimate agent of self-promotion, actually feeds on self-loathing. Meghan Daum agentfeedlothe Change image and share on social
If you do the things you enjoy and are good at, I really have a feeling that that will lead to having a fulfilling life, and people with fulfilling lives are able to be 'good people.' Meghan Daum enjoyfeltfulfill Change image and share on social
In the world of opinion writing, there's something called the 'to be sure' paragraph. A sort of rhetorical antibiotic, it seeks to defend against critics by injecting a tiny bit of counter-argument before moving on with the main point. Meghan Daum antibioticargumentbite share on social
The search for happiness has long been a dominant feature of American life. It's a byproduct of prosperity, not to mention the most famous line in the Declaration of Independence. Meghan Daum americanbyproductdeclaration Change image and share on social
I loved 'About Schmidt'. I like Alexander Payne's work a lot. Meghan Daum alexanderlotlove Change image and share on social
I've always been interested in this notion of what is authentic and how we define that and why our culture imposes certain emotions and emotional constraints onto experiences. Meghan Daum authenticconstraintculture Change image and share on social
Obviously, nobody chooses not to have kids because they'd rather sleep in late. It's a very visceral decision, and it's a complicated decision. Meghan Daum choosecomplicatedecision Change image and share on social
