Living in a foreign culture for one year, what struck me most was how many things were the same as at home. Not just cultural similarities, although between France and Canada there are many, but similarities in my life. I remember one night in Paris, the girl I had been seeing for a few weeks […]
Day Jobs vs Side Projects
Somehow I feel the expression, “Don’t quit your day job,” may be truer than people realize. Not in the disparaging sense, but in an optimistic one. Optimistic because, I believe, side projects have many strong advantages over having a “real job” and that being a person who regularly tackles side projects is a likely heuristic […]
Berlin Meetup and Best Posts of 2010
I’m going to be in Berlin for around a week during New Year’s. Barring snowstorm, cancelled flights or unexpected mishaps, I’m planning to have a readers meet-up sometime in the late-afternoon on the 28th. I’ve done meet-ups in the past in Paris and Vancouver. Both went really well, we had several people, grabbed a bite […]
Needing Encouragement is a Weakness
If you need people to support your goals and ideas, you won’t reach many of them. This doesn’t mean encouragement is bad. Having people who do support you is great. However, needing those people to support you often guarantees failure. The first reason for this is that, unfortunately, people often aren’t supportive. If you rely […]
I'm a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, podcast host, computer programmer and an avid reader. Since 2006, I've published weekly essays on this website to help people like you learn and think better. My work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, TEDx, Pocket, Business Insider and more. I don't promise I have all the answers, just a place to start.