The Wishing Maze
When we wish for something, rarely is it handed to us on a silver platter. Rather, when we make a wish, we are given a maze to complete, with what we seek at the end.
To learn anything, learn like a baby
Whenever you want to learn something new, the most effective way to do it is to learn like a baby.
How to Become Fluent in All Languages
There’s a societal war going on. One side demands we all adopt “inclusive language” around things like race, gender, and sexual orientation. The other side refuses to be coerced, and condemns its use by teachers, families, and media. The side demanding inclusive language usage insists, “Language matters!” This is why it’s so important that everyone…
What makes a good friend? Is it ever right to leave friendships?
Why do we prefer some friends to others? Why do some people naturally become our “core” friends while others remain in secondary and tertiary circles, and some at acquaintance-level? And when someone becomes a close friend, what makes them stay? Is it inherently bad to end a friendship? How and when should one decide to…
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The Hard-Earned Lesson that Being Avoidant Isn’t Cool
Being avoidant isn’t cool. Before you jump to conclusions about what I mean, I’m referring to attachment theory. This is a psychological framework describing the different ways people give and receive love in romantic relationships. Everyone has an attachment style. The three main styles are: Anxious: These types crave intimacy, are often preoccupied with relationships,…
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What was Vipassana, The Art of Living Game?
I’ll never forget how I felt on October 15th, 2015. When my bosses, cofounders, and people who came to be my best friends told me we were closing down the company, I thought I’d hallucinated. Time froze, their voices warped, and my vision blurred. I tried to focus on their images on video chat through…
Do plants have intelligence?
What if plants could learn, remember what they learned, and teach what they learned to other organisms? Would this be considered a form of intelligence? This behavior is what evolutionary ecologist Monica Gagliano and biologist Simon Garnier observed in their experiments with plants and even single-celled organisms. “One of the typical comments that I would…
Don’t iterate. Imagine.
On skeuomorphism, language, and web3.0 Skeuomorphism. As a non-designer, I hadn’t heard this word until listening to an episode of Tim Ferriss’s podcast. The brilliant Chris Dixon described skeuomorphism as iterating on the current design, and using it as the framework, or the means of understanding the iteration. By this definition, an example of a…
How the Rise of Cryptocurrency will Influence our Mindset: Financial Relativity
If the global monetary system was entirely different, how would our thoughts change? I believe we’ll see a major shift away from fiat currency towards cryptocurrency over the next century, bringing fascinating second-order effects. I call this financial relativity. For those that don’t believe cryptocurrency will overtake fiat, or don’t see how it’ll be possible,…
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Learning French with Youtube videos and LingQ
I spent five years learning Spanish in traditional settings: classes and free apps like Duolingo and Memrise. In that time, I went from zero to advanced. Years later, I moved to Ecuador and then Chile. In two years in South America, I went from advanced to fluent. Then I went back to the US and…
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How to Raise an Independent Thinker
I recently saw a tweet shaming non-parents who give parenting advice. As a non-parent myself, I wholeheartedly respect this logic. It makes sense. You wouldn’t go to a non-doctor for medical advice, or a non-lawyer for legal advice, or a non-investor for investing advice, would you? But this is imperfect reasoning. You can’t compare parenting…
11 lessons learned in 4.5 years at Vacasa
2017 It was 2:00pm ECT. I drew back the curtains of my new apartment to see the city of Quito, Ecuador, 10 stories below, for the first time. Grey clouds absorbed the sky and droplets of rain splattered on the busy streets. A mix of unfamiliar noises circulated through the air. I could make out…
Your Dream Job Wants You, Too
She flipped over my resume. We had been speaking for almost an hour. It was just the two of us seated at the head of a long table, in a conference room with windows for walls. A potential future coworker walked past and peered inside. I liked the vibe of the office. It was small…
Alone Time: An Extrovert’s Cheat Code to Life
“What’s your deal?” “Don’t you get bored?” “You poor thing. You must be so lonely.” “I hate being alone with my thoughts.” These are among the top responses I get when I tell people that I value my alone time. Especially if they know that I’m an extroverted social butterfly, they are even more perplexed.…
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It’s Ok To Have a Meltdown (Even As An Adult)
I just completed my ninth week in quarantine, and it’s been one of the most emotionally draining weeks I’ve had since the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. In addition to the factors that are affecting us all (concerns of loved ones’ health, lack of normalcy, missing our friends, general uncertainty), a few additional elements are…
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Focusing in 2020: A Virtue, A Myth?
My focus has been much more scattered lately. I’m having a hard time focusing on my work, research, reading, etc. for extended periods of time. I feel like my attention constantly wants to jump to something else. This is is directly correlated to increased phone usage. I’ve started using my phone a lot more since…
Does the language we speak shape the way we think?
All the way back in the 8th century, Charlemagne said: “To have another language is to possess a second soul.” To understand what he meant, we must align on what language is. According to Merriam Webster, language is: Audible, articulate, meaningful sound as produced by the action of the vocal organs, or, The words, their…
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To be a kind leader, or a direct leader?
This is a question that many, if not all, first-time leaders face. Becoming a leader comes with many challenges. Establishing your leadership identity is a big one. The basis of effective leadership is being respected. Most leaders also want to be well-liked, as they are human. A leader’s main goal is holding their team accountable…
The safest way to take big risks
How can you know if you’re making the right move in your life? Short answer: you can’t. You can’t predict the future, and neither can I. But if you could, life would be boring. Some might even argue pointless. So let’s take away our desire to want to know for sure if everything’s going to…
Best Car Crash of my Life
In 2017, I was in a serious car crash that was 100% my fault. It was never announced as I felt the need to quietly reflect on the lessons to be taken away from the experience. Almost two years later, I’m still thinking on my takeaways from the event and striving to apply them in…
How I Turned my Anxiety into a Tool
I experienced a lot of anxiety growing up and frequently got anxiety attacks. For this reason, I thought I’d always have anxiety and deemed myself an all-around anxious person. This debilitated me in particular areas of life. As I got older, I shed certain parts of my anxiety, piece by piece. For example, when I…
What Happens When You Quit Social Media for a Year
*Photo quality warning: All photos in this article were either taken by myself or a friend on a mobile device. This is not a drill, folks… You read it right — I’m 22 and I went off of all social media for an entire year (and it was a leap year). Before I explain what…
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