64: Constraints and consistency 🎲
People become great by being creative within the boundaries and pushing the expectations of those who merely tow the line.
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63: Nobody cares 📵
Sometimes you will be out in the field, pushing the limits of expectation, on the verge of changing the world, and not a single soul will care. The masses often sleepwalk through innovation. You can only make great things if you’re willing to be ignored and unafraid of going...
62: The hard thing about hard work ⚒️
Brandon Sanderson is one of my favourite authors. If he writes something I’m going to eat it up. But not immediately. Because Brandon likes to write big beefy books that could double as self-defence weapons or stools for small cats. He writes a LOT. He recently surprised his entire...
61: It Sounds Better Over There 🎋
Whenever words are carried by saltine winds over vast expanses of water, they somehow gain the magical property of resonating clearer in our minds. This is why we seem to fall head over heels in love with wisdom from faraway lands. It explains our obsession with Ikigai. It’s why...
60: The Sum of our Parts 🧩
No one human knows how to make a pencil from scratch despite it seeming like a fundamentally basic thing - something every child can use. To construct something as simple as a pencil takes mining graphite, cutting wood, shaping metal, and figuring out whatever modern erasers are made out of....
A Tree in the Woods
If the cameras turn off, do the Kardashians still exist? People are designing their lives and actions around black camera lenses, hoping that an audience will exist on the other side. People stand alone in rooms swinging their arms violently and making faces at the wall, because TikTok promises their...
56: Finding your passion 🔮
People spend their lives chasing passion. We have dreams of what life should be like. What it could be like, once we find the magic that's missing. We all want to get paid to do something we love. And we want to be paid well for it! To achieve the...
48: Death of a Cartographer 🌊
What if I told you that nearly every island in Polynesia was discovered without maps or compasses by men in canoes who navigated by the stars? We're losing the art of navigation. As we develop clearer definitions of success and constrain the paths towards it, the opportunities for people to...
45: A guide for better gifts
How to give the best gifts to your past, present and future selves. Gifts for the present One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself in the present moment is your complete and immediate focus. The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost,...
43: Searching for easy answers
Pattern-matching and robust thinking are more important than tactics and abstraction. I get messages from strangers all the time. That’s part of the fun of being on the internet. Many of those strangers become friends. But I’ll always remember one particular incident because it sparked my desire to...
42: How to fail exquisitely
The fine art of failure, and how to make it useful. Failure porn is everywhere. In a world of fortune cookie philosophers and Twitter entrepreneurs, rags (Harvard sweatshirt) to riches stories are in vogue. Founders want to share their story of raising a few million bucks. Everyone else wants the...
41: The quest for white space
Finding clarity in the gap between objects of focus. Interesting stuff always lives in the cracks between aspirational plans and the monotony of everyday life. That’s why morning showers are a temple to existential thoughts, and why when walking home from the store you finally think of the witty...
34: The legend of success
What Netflix, Ninjas, Samurai and Spartans have in common, and what you can learn from legends about success. Where do legends come from? I have a theory that every success story is a little less successful than you'd imagine. Heroism and success change our lens on the fact. If you...
33: All in your head
Behind the scenes, the powerful machine in your head can bring your imagination, hopes and expectations to life. This is a double-edged sword. Use it carefully. I've recently had the pleasure of immersing myself in great short stories from Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol. Prior to this past month, I'll...
31: Your best Inauthentic Self
Authenticity, diversity, and what leaders and liars have in common. Sometimes authenticity pays off, and sometimes it doesn't. What matters most is showing up and giving your best. The first place many of us begin seriously evaluating the merits of authenticity is our first day of adult work. During school,...
🎙Chasing your vibe with Richie Brave
David Elikwu speaks with Richie Brave, a Broadcaster at BBC Radio 1xtra and Head of Diversity for a Publishing Company. Richie dug into his background growing up in London, and how he was able to craft his own career, defining success on his terms to build a life that suits...
The Mirroring Effect: The magic behind Isopraxism
Isopraxism is a pretty amazing phenomenon. Also known as "mirroring" (and “limbic synchrony” when in reference to body movements), isopraxism is when two individuals unconsciously match each other's body language and movements. This is frequently done without the first person realising they are replicating the movements of another. Isopraxism can...
The Fun Way to Be More Successful (According to Harvard)
We all want to be more successful. Everything you've read so far, however, appears to be a lot of work. Isn't there a more enjoyable, scientifically proven approach? There is, indeed. Best-selling author Shawn Achor spent several years at Harvard University researching the topic of pleasure. He poured his findings...
Neuroscience Study Reveals: 4 Rituals That Will Make You Happy
As a UCLA neuroscientist, Alex Korb provides scientifically proven rituals that can transform your life and make you happy. On the Internet, you'll find tons of "recipes" for happiness. A few pieces of advice are excellent, while others aren't so great. Recent evidence on neuroscience, on the other hand, provides...
🎙Leveraging tiny teams with Christine Carrillo
David Elikwu speaks with Christine Carrillo, an Executive Coach for Early Stage CEOs, Founder of The 20-Hour CEO Over the last decade, she built and led three companies that have generated $200M in revenue. She experienced everything from bootstrapping a business to $25M to building a hyper-growth VC-backed company to...
5 Emails You Can Send That Will Make Your Life a Whole Lot Better
Many people find it difficult to make changes to their lives because it feels like a huge task. However, making small changes can have a big impact over time. It can be hard to stay on top of your email inbox. Between work, family, and friends, it's easy for emails...
