We spend a lot of our time writing. Answering emails, filling forms, messaging with friends. Despite the advent of video and audio forms of content, writing is still a staple of communication on the Internet, with many magazines, blogs, and newsletters attracting millions of readers. But comparatively few of us write for personal purposes such … Read More
Sometimes, things get lost in translation. If you’ve seen the beautiful 2003 eponymous movie, you’ll know how powerful culture shock can be. It’s one of my favourite films, which is why my colleagues—when I was an intern at Google—gifted me a voucher to spend an evening at the Park Hyatt Tokyo’s cocktail bar, admire the … Read More
Whether with a colleague, friend, or family member, conflicts are a natural and inevitable part of being human. They can occur over differences of opinion and communication in goals, strategies, money, politics, and more. While they can destroy relationships when managed poorly, learning how to manage conflict in a healthy manner can actually lead to … Read More
When you buy a new product, it usually comes with a user manual. It’s a document designed to help you make the best use of that particular product, with detailed instructions. It’s a guide to using a specific system. But when we meet a new person, we need to figure things out through trial and … Read More
Hope and optimism are often used interchangeably. “I’m hopeful about my prospects” or “I’m optimistic about the future.” But hope and optimism are two different concepts. While they’re both beneficial in their own way, it’s important to learn the difference and knowing when one may be better suited than the other. It may seem like … Read More
At this point, most people know about the benefits of journaling. Read any self-development blog and you will stumble on at least one article telling you why keeping a journal will change your life. The problem? Most people can’t build the habit. We know we should keep a journal. But we don’t know how to … Read More
A few weeks ago, I took a training to become a certified Mental Health First Aider. It’s an amazing evidence-based training which has been designed in partnership with the NHS and is accredited by the Royal Society for Public Health. Here is the link if you’d like to take it in England, but they offer … Read More
When going through tough times, our automatic reaction is to complain and dwell on negative events, which can result in even more anxiety and unhappiness. The word gratitude comes from Latin gratus, which means ”pleasing” or “thankful” depending on the context. Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for the people, experiences, and things we have. While … Read More
“I am not a writer. I’ve been fooling myself and other people.” John Steinbeck, very talented and successful author who won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature. Yesterday, I launched my newsletter on Product Hunt. The launch went incredibly well, with 1,300 new subscribers joining the list, lots of kind comments, and a second spot … Read More
I always cry at least once when on a long-haul flight. It happens to me even when the movie I’m watching is not particularly sad. And apparently, I’m not the only one experiencing this strange phenomenon. As someone who travels quite a lot, I became curious about the science behind why we cry more easily … Read More