Is love conducive to our bottom-line goals? Perhaps when it is the goal itself but from my experience, love is the big disruptor that often interrupts our progress on the things we can measure. Continue reading Loving and Learning
I’ve recently discovered that there are a lot of parallels between having a new job and a new puppy. Weren’t expecting that combo? Let me explain. Both making doing yoga in the morning hard. And both benefit from a lot of training. In some instances when they get a hold of you just right, both have sharp teeth that bite. Not to mention that both … Continue reading Unlikely Learning Mates
Is there anything beyond the futility of the external world, governed by fierce competition, ambition and baseless pleasures? Where does one take refuge from the constant treadmill of busyness that encapsulates our day to day working lives? One is inclined to ask, is there anything outside of the status games played within our society, trying impress others through fame, fortune or luxury consumer goods. A … Continue reading In Search of an Inner Life
In a comment on a recent post about learning, a person asked my opinion about new technologies called Open AI (artificial intelligence) and ChatGPT. This software is causing quite a stir in academic realms and has even made CNN and Wall Street Journal. Douglas Rushkoff, a supporter of humanity and critic of modern technologies, discussed some of the real dangers of the software, as opposed to many surface-level … Continue reading Why Write in the Age of AI?
Nearing Christmas, we are usually getting ready for family traditions. Perhaps you have a religious ritual you perform or a meal you prepare. These traditions add to the ambiance of the experience. Sometimes, though, they create a sense of sacredness, which can be harmful if it limits our ability to adapt, change, and grow. At a family gathering, a young woman was asked why she … Continue reading Family Traditions: A Recipe For Realization
“Finish him,” was the famous phrase heard on Mortal Kombat 3 when it came time to obliterate your opponent. You might remember the drunken wobble Raiden does just before Sub-Zero uppercuts him into oblivion. Good times. As a kid, another part of the game always stood out: the opening credits. The phrase flashing across the screen read, “There is no knowledge that is not power.” … Continue reading Knowledge is Power: Philosophy from a video game
We can all learn something from our losses. Some of you may remember Yoda saying on Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Pass on what you have learned. Strength, mastery, hmm… but weakness, folly, failure also. Yes: failure, most of all. The greatest teacher, failure is. Somehow, Yoda finds himself explaining how failure is a characteristic that often differentiates a beginner from a master. There … Continue reading Re-framing Failure: Learning from your losses
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – attributed to Mark Twain I had a friend ask me about fear, how to think about it and handle it. I … Continue reading Are You Using Your Fear Properly?
“How’s at work?” it is a question that is often asked to us by our loved ones and when we answer, we probably think about the difficulties we face or the discomfort/distress we feel towards our work. If this is your case, don’t worry because you are not alone. The work environment has changed a lot in recent years and has become a source of … Continue reading How to Find Your Inner Motivation at Work
If only things were that simple. If only events could be packaged into neat containers of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ or ‘good’ and ‘evil’. Despite our proclivities towards binary and dualistic thinking, life is a whole lot messier. Many circumstances are morally ambiguous and uncertain. Being in this metaphorical ‘grey’ area of not knowing can be uncomfortable. We crave certainty and straightforward responses. We are inclined … Continue reading The Wisdom of Being Wrong
Life is constant change, Buddha and Aristotle already said it: change is a fact of life. But change has also been accelerating in recent decades. Massive disruption across the social, technological, political and environmental dimensions of our lives means that we are constantly trying to figure out how best to manage uncertainty. And for someone it can be scary. The origin of this fear can … Continue reading How to Embrace Change
Hi all, I have been MIA for most of the recent months but I missed you all! How is everyone doing? I hope every one of you is feeling great and is enjoying this beautiful day! The reason I was absent was due to some major problems in my personal life. I probably had some of the hardest weeks I had but now I started … Continue reading Learning by Experience
Hello everyone, We are in the last week of 2020. What a year it has been! From its conception till now, event after event, shock after shock. This extremity is why I think we need to reflect even harder on how this year has been for each of us individually. This is what I want to do in this post. Here is my reflection. PS: … Continue reading Reflections
There’s a character from the popular sitcom South Park called Captain Hindsight. For those who’ve not seen it, Captain Hindsight is a super hero (of sorts) who shows up to the scene of a disaster while it’s taking place. He then “helps” the people in need by making a stirring speech about all the ways everyone should have acted to prevent the tragedy from happening in the first place. … Continue reading Captain Hindsight
Hi everyone! I want to talk about the human ego because it has been occupying my mind recently. I want to discuss types of egos I have observed. Disclaimer: This is not based on psychological studies, but rather based on my observation. So, don’t take it as ultimate truth but evaluate it for yourselves and add or subtract things as you fit. First, let me … Continue reading Types of Ego: Which one do you have?
Hi everyone! How are you all doing? I had some interesting experiences recently with some people and that brought to my mind the question of how we should see the people who walk into our lives. I tend to think that anything we experience is ultimately good. Some are just good. Some are good by their resultant state. For example, I had a hard year … Continue reading If you are in my life, you are good.
Hi everyone, How is your quarantine going? Let’s talk about one specific aspect of this suddenly-imposed-on-us: how things that we thought were so important and we could not live without went out of our lives. A small change for me is cappuccino. I am not a huge coffee person. But I would want to have cappuccino every three or four days. When I wanted it, … Continue reading What Quarantine Taught me I could Live without
Provided by ellieejay My first international class in Guatemala, followed by a semester in London, then a semester in Granada… and what do I have to say for myself? I’ve learned nothing. Contrary to popular belief and folktales told by previous students who have studied internationally, living abroad for 5 months does not make you a world expert or even a world traveler. Needless to … Continue reading I’ve Studied Abroad 3 Times & I’ve Learned Nothing
Hi everyone, Today I want to talk about traveling because I will be traveling a lot this summer, starting today, and I feel inspired. In fact, traveling is a necessary part of my life for two main reasons. First, I do not live in my home country. I am in the US, but my family is in Turkey. That in and of itself makes me … Continue reading Life Lessons from Traveling
First of all, I’d like to apologize for not publishing on here for the last three weeks or so… I had a rough couple of days and needed a little break. But I’m back, so let’s get to it! 🙂 It was someday during this week that I had started a 15 thread long LinkedIn argument with a leadership expert that was all on respect, … Continue reading That One Thing We Have To Get Straight
