Reluctance is the Path
That’s a crazy thing to say, I know. But hear me out…
Sometimes I feel what I like to call “social reluctance.” Basically, I sometimes feel dread about doing things that have me engaging with other human beings, outside of my home. Going to conferences can trigger this for me. Gong to networking events. Doing phone calls and livestreams. Or just playing golf with friends or family. It’s silly, but it can feel crippling.
What I’ve found, though, is that if I can push myself to experience the discomfort of that social engagement, I always benefit. I almost never regret doing the thing, whatever the thing happens to be.
Yesterday I played golf with my family. It’s something that’s been in the works for more than a month. But it was something I didn’t volunteer to do. My wife signed me up, and I found myself sort of “obligated” to go.
I love my family. They are all, to each individual, amazing people that care for and respect me. I love spending time with them. I look forward to it. But this engagement wasn’t one I was enthusiastic about, mostly because I’d just gotten home from a week of socially engaging with a few thousand authors in a town I do not particularly like, in a casino filled with smoke and noise and distractions. I was socialized out.
But I went. I faced the discomfort of it. And I came away feeling happy.
If we can embrace discomfort, become comfortable with being uncomfortable, we will find a path to joy.
Every time we push ourselves to embrace that discomfort we are resetting our tolerance. We are able to face even more uncomfortable situations in the future. In essence, we are improving on ourselves as we go. We’re becoming better versions of ourselves, because we are gaining experiences and exceeding our limits.
Discomfort is a sign. Reluctance is a sign. Reluctance is the path.
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ISOLATED. MURDERED. GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE.
Book Five of the Quake Runner: Alex Kayne Thrillers
ALEX Kayne has spent years running from the law.
Now she’s running toward a killer.
When a young freelancer’s body is discovered hundreds of miles from home, the case looks like another tragedy destined to go cold. But Alex sees the pattern no one else can. Remote workers. Isolated lives. Digital identities that keep moving, keep speaking, keep earning—long after the real person is dead.
Someone is murdering the invisible and leaving echoes behind.
With QuIEK, her quantum-based AI, Kayne can slip through any system, unlock any secret, and vanish from nearly any trap. But this time, the enemy runs in the same virtual terrain. The killer lives in the shadows between real life and online existence, turning lonely people into puppets, trophies, and ghosts in the machine.
To stop them, Kayne must return to the life she thought she’d left behind: disguises, dead drops, stolen cars, false identities, and the constant pulse-pounding pressure of being hunted from every direction.
And somewhere in Seattle, the next victim is already being erased.
ECHO is a high-velocity techno-thriller about identity, obsession, justice, and the terrifying question of what remains of us when the world only knows our digital shadow. Fast, moody, razor-edged, and relentless, this is Alex Kayne at her most dangerous—and her most vulnerable.
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