By some accounts, I've had an unconventional career path: I studied mechanical/biomedical engineering. Spent 2 years working for a social enterprise in Vietnam. Did a stint in management consulting. And have since spent several years in strategy and operations roles in tech start-ups. In all honesty, every year along this way, I've found myself having [...]
This is actually one of the best books I've ever read. Despite being published in 1946, this timeless classic grows increasingly relevant. In Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl presents a somewhat twisted perspective on suffering. This excerpt sums it up best: "If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be [...]
So I went through this unusual mental health 'complication' in recent weeks. And I wouldn't be surprised if there's many out there sharing a similar experience. I wrote this post mostly as a guide for my own use. Maybe it worked as I think I'm back on track now. If you're going through something similar, [...]
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended on It, Chris Voss, 2016 (Amazon US; Amazon Australia) Snapshot A former FBI hostage negotiator shares his field-tested negotiation tips. Definitely one of my top-10 all-time favourite books. Unlike many other self-help books that drag on and fluff around the key points, this one gets [...]
Part 1, introduced the 10 Areas of Life and further elaborated on the 3 health areas: Physical, Mental, Financial. This post covers the people aspects: Partner, Family, and Friends. 1. Partner 3 lessons on dating, and 3 lessons on being in a relationship. Lesson #1: First be complete with who you are, before considering a [...]
This is the first post in the 10 Areas of Life series. It's a collection of the most important lessons I've learned, as well as the questions I like to ask. Here, we introduce the 10 Areas of Life framework, and cover the 3 sustainability enablers: physical health, mental health, and financial health. The 10 [...]
Working for a youth leadership development organization for 5 years, I came across thousands of so called 'inspirational quotes'. You know, those sayings like: "Life begins once you step out of your comfort zone." "If not you then who? If not now then when?" "To be a good leader, first learn to be a good [...]
So this happens a lot. I'd come across something interesting. Decide I want to write about it. Start more research on it. But the more I learn about it, the more I learn how little I know about it. "Wait a minute... I actually don't know what I'm talking about. " The more I learn [...]
Here I share the most useful reading tips I've tried and tested over the years, including: General reading tips Tips on reading faster Tips on retaining more Tips on increasing reading volume Tips on reading critically Other tips and thoughts Below is what we'll cover: 1. General tips # Re-write the narrative in your [...]
While it's convenient to avoid arguments over small things, there are times when the topic on the table is too important to cast aside. In theory, such conversations need not be emotionally charged. I tell you what I think, you tell me what you think, see where we agree, see where we disagree, explore why [...]
