Years ago a friend of mine was coming to terms with her homosexuality. She’d been raised in a conservative, Christian household and her parents didn’t know she liked girls. This was easy to keep hidden
When the going gets tough and we’re faced with a setback, a voice in our head (or maybe a parent, coach, or mentor) loudly reminds us, “Life is a marathon, not a sprint!” The message is that we shouldn’t
The Tao of Skittles: Don’t be Afraid of Things Because They’re Easy to Do
My mouth watered as I stared at the giant jar full of Skittles. Our middle school was running a contest. All I had to do was guess how many Skittles were in the jar, and I would win at least a year’s supply.
You’re baking delicious Neiman Marcus cookies and follow the recipe perfectly, but then your oven short-circuits and burns the cookies. There’s nothing wrong with your cookie-making process. And there’s
Here are two seemingly conflicting ideas I've heard tossed around: To be well-rounded in today’s world, you must strength-train your attention to be able to read a Tweet-storm and then delve into longer
I’ve recently moved to the Netherlands and can say that the process of getting a visa, apartment, and starting up my business was pretty hassle-free. There’s very little bureaucracy I had to deal with,
When a tourist comes to Japan for the first time, they’ll notice a peculiar sight. All across Japan, there seems to be an over-population of traffic guards doing seemingly pointless jobs. He or she is
A Recruiter's Advice to Undergrads Looking for their First Job: Don’t mistake the Trees for the Forest.
When you’re looking for your first job, you have dreams of working in a company that you’re familiar with. A product you’ve used, a logo you can recognize, a place where your friends and family will
"Dyin' inside, but outside you're lookin' fearless" (The Illusion of Transparency)
In college, a friend and I were walking to class and talking about the presentation we had coming up. “You’ll do great,” she said. “You’re the most confident person I know.” I almost burst out laughing.
How to Make $68 in 30 Minutes with Zero Skills in Trading Cryptocurrencies
Let me show you how to make $68 in 30 minutes with zero skills in trading cryptocurrencies. In fact, you’ll learn something in the process, and make money. Yes, really. It’s super easy. Here’s how: Step
Why You Shouldn’t Retreat Into a Cave or Drink Whiskey to Escape Your Existential Dread about Climate Change
At the end of the 45-minute group meditation, the four of us sit in a circle sipping ginger tea with cloves, reflecting on the meditation. ‘My right shoulder had this sharp pain for a while, but it went
The Tools and Tactics I Use to Protect My Most Finite Resource (Time)
1. The GTD Throwback - Cleanse Your Brain “If you don't pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.”― David Allen, Getting Things Done: The
1. I peeled open a tin can of sardines drenched in olive oil and inhaled them into my mouth, much like a krill whale opening up its huge mouth to suck down hundreds of krill. With my fingers drenched in
Death of a Ketchup Salesman (A quick reminder of your mortality)
Greek philosopher Herodotus wrote about his observations of a peculiar Egyptian tradition. Towards the end of large feasts when everybody was having a jolly ol’ time, stone-faced guards would walk through
“I’m not religious or spiritual” Meditation requires no faith in the supernatural. You can experience the benefits of meditation without subscribing to the belief of karma, reincarnation, or the afterlife.
Back in the day before everyone had iPhones I would spend hours on my Motorola Razr talking to friends late into the night or making prank pizza delivery calls on the landline. When texting and FB messenger
The Hydraulic Relationship Between Kickassery and Douchebaggery
When we meet someone we all make snap judgements about them, whether we like to admit it or not. Particularly in business, researchers have found that we tend to judge people on two areas - competence
Ajahn Chah, a renowned Buddhist master from Thailand, frequently pushed the buttons of his students to the point of infuriating them. One student visited Ajahn Chah and proclaimed that he had reached the
A Spider on LSD and a Journey to Build the Perfect Web
One day, a spider decides to weave the best spider web in the world. "I'm going to build the greatest web ever. It's going to be unique. But first, I need to find my own true inner web-iness. I must find