Every once in a while, I read something that leads to a lasting change in my world-view. These moments are uncommon, so it’s easy to recognize the Aha! moment when it actually happens. These are often books, less often podcasts, and on very rare occasions, conversations with a friend or colleague. This week, I was fortunate enough to have one of those satori moments, thanks to a collection of essays called Breaking Smart by Venkat Rao. Breaking Smart is part of a project with the VC firm […]

We live in a world of scarce understanding and abundant information. Let’s look past the benefits of reading. Things like higher IQ, less stress, more empathy, better sleep – the list goes on. If you’re not already dedicating a few hours a day to reading, it’s time to get with the program. But let’s not talk about those wonderful things that reading does for us – let’s look at how we read, and why it matters. Speed vs substance In the age of audiobooks and e-readers, it’s quite […]

Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from. – Seth Godin One of the easiest ways to feel totally relaxed is to sit in a quiet place. But just how exactly do you find the right place? In cities like New York and LA, noise is everywhere. Is there any escape? The situation is much worse in developing cities like Bangkok and Saigon where noise pollution is rampant: car horns blare, sirens […]

Scarcity. Something to avoid. Bad, unhealthy, and limiting to our potential. Right? Scarcity vs abundance Scarcity has become a thing to avoid, both in the self-development and online business communities. One blogger went so far as to call the scarcity mindset a kiss of death. The fact is, we’re conditioned to believe in the paramount importance of cultivating an abundance mindset. Ah yes, the magical benefits of the abundance mindset are literally everywhere. Way back before it was popular, there was this guy who interviewed a bunch […]

The way we live, and travel, has changed a lot in the last few years. Whereas previous generations lived and worked in one area for most of their adult lives, millennials are prone to change jobs, and cities quite often. In the US alone, more than 40% of the workforce works remotely (not in a standard office), and this number will continue to rise as technology removes the need to show up to a physical office. With this extra mobility comes new opportunities: lack […]

Growing up, I was a good student, at least on paper. By no means the poster child for good behavior, following the rules, or respecting my elders, I nevertheless managed to eek out A’s on my report cards in high school. When I got into the University of Michigan – an academic powerhouse and ‘public ivy’ school – my friends told me I was lucky for getting in. At the time, I didn’t feel super lucky nor did I feel […]