Dear Riley, Have you ever wondered why time goes by so slowly when you are a kid, but it seems to fly by as an adult? I read somewhere that in order to be more efficient, the brain will not spend much effort on remembering […]
the importance of technical expertise
Dear Riley, Grandpa used to always tell me that career success required developing a technical expertise (aka “hard skill”), rather than studying something more conceptual. What are some examples of hard skills? Technical expertise – Engineering – Finance – Accounting – Computer programming – Graphic […]
look inward first
Dear Riley, Mom likes to call me a hypocrite. I think it’s because sometimes I tend to lecture her in order to change her behavior, while being guilty of the same actions. Like I’ll tell her not to phub (phone snub) so much, or not […]
life’s treadmill
Dear Riley, Have you ever heard of the term “hedonic treadmill”? It’s a psychological phenomenon that describes when something makes you happy in the short term, but in the long run you return to the original levels of emotional state. Like when you get really […]
constraints are good
Dear Riley, Sometimes the most creativity comes from being constrained. When we don’t have having enough tools, money, or time, we end up coming up with creative ways to work around it. Often, the workaround results in something unique and special. It forces you to […]
less as a goal
Dear Riley, Our society conditions us to want more, and to never be satisfied with what we have. Just look at how companies market to us: Now with 30% MORE! Buy 1 get 1 FREE! SUPERSIZE for only 30 cents MORE NEW and IMPROVED! MORE […]
the two paths
Dear Riley, Another concept grandpa used to teach me, was that small things you do early in life, end up making a big impact later on. He used the following example: There are two people, who start at the same place in life. They are […]
drink the bitter wine first
Dear Riley, Grandpa used to lecture me all the time using different metaphors and stories. One of his favorites was about putting the work in early, and reaping the benefits later on. It went something like this: You have two glasses of wine in front […]
start with the minimum
Dear Riley, I’m always trying to minimize the amount of stuff I have, and eliminate the unnecessary from my life. This is a lifelong activity of getting rid of stuff. The best way to approach this is not to let unnecessary things enter your life […]