Authenticity is a slippery thing. Here’s why you still need to pay the high price to be yourself. — In one of his interviews in Dubai, Elon Musk was asked what advice he would give to young people who aspire to be like him. Musk glanced at the floor as if it would reflect his answer back on the polished ivory stage he was standing on. …

Four honest tips to step up your writing game. — The first few weeks I joined this platform, I wrote several dead articles. What I mean by “dead” is, reading them again now, got me thinking like, “This isn’t real. It has no feeling, no distinctiveness, no single ounce of writing spark. Good lord! I’m the only person in the…

Follow this ancient advice and master the art of persuasion — in writing, life, and beyond. — It’s amazing how some things in life can remain universal. Aristotle’s ancient wisdom of rhetoric is one of them. The word “rhetoric” comes from Greek which means “speaker.” …

Debunking the Pareto Principle in marketing — and our everyday lives — “I grew up with the 80/20 rule and kind of accepted it for a long time with little thinking. Who could argue with a famous economist?” — Jan-Benedict Steenkamp, Professor of Marketing When I was in college, our professors had a habitual modus operandi of giving us more homework and…

"Expectation is the root of all heartache."—William Shakespeare — Perhaps you’ve heard the saying: “If you expect nothing from somebody, you are never disappointed.” That quote rings true, and I’m sure we’ve all had at least one story about feeling let down by someone. But the more interesting question is, how often do you let yourself down by setting…

No, you don’t need to achieve “four components” to reach Ikigai — What is your reason for being? There’s an age-old Japanese concept referring to our never-ending quest for “reason for being” called Ikigai. As an ideology, Ikigai is often linked to the topic of self-discovery, as it helps you find your life’s values, meaning, or purpose. …

The world is full of empty words, but you don’t need to listen. — “It is incredible how much intelligence is used to this world to prove nonsense.” — Christian Friedrich Hebbel It’s hard being a science-fiction writer, especially if you’re writing for the mass market. Not because the mass doesn’t like stories that differ greatly from the real world, but because literary critics…

#1: “Confidence comes within” — I don’t know about you, but I bet you’ve ever met someone in your life and been amazed at how much confidence that person projected. Then, you tried to find a rational reason for their perceived social advantage. …

#2: Self-discovery can never only be an internal process — Have you ever wondered what would you look like today had you followed your dreams? Maybe you wanted to be a well-known author, a successful entrepreneur, or a physical therapist — where, according to an online survey by PayScale, is one of the happiest and most satisfying jobs in the…