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Essays on goal achievement, communication, relationships, and well-being — learnings through struggles, failures, successes, and everyday life. In a hurry? Ask the archive a question.
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How it Feels like Being an Early-Stage Startup FounderThe honest baseline — what building a company actually feels like from inside.Role ModelingWhy a firm purpose matters more than any success.I categorize decisions into three types: shirts, hiring, and tattoos.The decision framework I still use every day.Creating vs. consuming: two ways to spend your lifetimeThe trade that decides what a life adds up to.Changing your behavior won’t solve the climate crisis — why & what actually solves itWhere my climate conviction comes from — and why I build instead of preach.How I deal with difficult conversationsA concrete approach to the conversations most people avoid.Recipe for a happy and fulfilled lifeWell-being, reduced to what actually works for me.This realization can change your life – finite vs infinite gamesThe mental model behind long-term thinking.
2024
Role ModelingAvicii's death reminds me why purpose beats success — I try to be the person my younger self would look up to.→I categorize decisions into three types: shirts, hiring, and tattoos.Optimize for speed when it's reversible, diligence when it's costly, and deliberation when it's permanent.→
2023
Creating vs. consuming: two ways to spend your lifetimeI worked through my own vacation and realized creating brings me more joy than consuming.→How I deal with difficult conversationsCrucial conversations fail when people feel unsafe — restore safety and almost anything can be said.→More Than Just ‘Hola’: My Plan to Learn Spanish for a Greener FutureWhy my e-methanol startup made me commit to fluent Spanish, starting from zero words.→Changing your behavior won’t solve the climate crisis — why & what actually solves itMost emissions sit far beyond individual choices; only scaled climate technologies can remove them.→How it Feels like Being an Early-Stage Startup FounderIt's a trailblazer's trek — isolating, heavy with responsibility, and still exhilaratingly free at every step.→My trip to Paris – a story of resilienceViva Tech went wrong in every way — reframing, iterating, and humor kept me pitching investors.→Transforming into a great CEO – my first coaching sessionsI hired three coaches because the CEO ICODOS needs in five years doesn't exist yet.→Being sickTwenty meetings with a fever reminded me why I protect my health when I have it.→Last-Minute Trip: Startup Glory or Waste of Time?I flew to Madrid overnight for a pitch we lost — the expected value still made it right.→Recipe for a happy and fulfilled lifeIt is just you versus you — small improvements daily, gigantic ambitions for the decade.→How I Find Joy in the Entrepreneurial JourneyFounding my startup fulfilled a dream, yet happiness lives in the pursuit of goals, not their achievement.→The art of dealing with negativity: my unconventional approachI resolve issues fast and confine the rest to one reflection a week — even if it makes me harder to read.→Almost every failed startup has a product but lacks tractionTraction deserves half the founding team's attention — product alone never saved a startup.→Consulting taught me how to achieve even my biggest dreamBreaking huge problems into small ones gave me the confidence to skip the MBA and start now.→From Mediocre to Great – How to Achieve Greatness in WorkGreat work starts with owning the outcome and knowing exactly whose needs it must serve.→From Complaints to Commitment: The Power of Effective FeedbackNine in ten of my friends complain about leaders who can't give, receive, or appreciate feedback.→Assertiveness: The key to the best possible lifeA bouncer broke my phone; staying calm and refusing to back down got it paid for.→3 new habits I test in 2023Box breathing, weekend priorities, and a nightly question about how I actually came across.→How serial entrepreneurs make decisionsExpert founders don't hunt for perfect experts — they socialize problems and let committed stakeholders self-select.→
2022
Talking shit about a bad situation is fun, but…Venting relieves tension for a moment; framing challenges as growth builds the resilience that lasts.→The most important question to askEverything worth having comes at a cost — decide which pain you are willing to sustain and drop the rest.→Talk less to convey moreOverexplaining, underpreparing, and missing the point are the three habits that keep us from being concise.→How to achieve the most annoying tasksI eat the frog first thing each morning, aiming for one tangible outcome per session.→Socialize your problemMention your current problem in every conversation — someone has usually already solved it for you.→The learnings from the past weeks are clearSeven intense weeks taught me you cannot have it all — if you don't rest, your body makes you.→Cheering for people you don’t likeI compete only against my best self, so anyone else's win costs me nothing.→You have to receive feedback – here’s how you get itQuality feedback rarely arrives on its own — ask for it, narrow it, and give it back.→As much as I love it: this situation is challengingNever stress about what you cannot control — embrace the challenge and enjoy the ride.→From start to end I wished it to endA recruiter's unprepared 20-minute call showed me why every meeting deserves five minutes of preparation.→How to better say noPostpone the decision, sandwich the refusal between two yeses, keep reasons short, and repeat yourself.→Learning How to LearnFocused attention, basic understanding, and practice that simulates the real test build lasting knowledge.→Asking for help - how to get what you wantAlways ask for help — but the more concrete and personalized the request, the better.→How you can solve every problemHypothesize the solution first, then gather only the data that proves or disproves it.→An entrepreneur who makes money from students’ existential fearsA reputation takes decades to build and minutes to destroy; short-term greed rarely survives scrutiny.→How people achieve extraordinary successOutliers are built by cumulative advantage, not talent — so socialize your vision and ask for help.→Boost your productivity by making use of agile methodsShort sprints and honest retrospectives beat detailed plans when the problem is complex and unfamiliar.→How to better deal with fear of missing outTime is the scarce resource, not events — every great party will happen again.→How to get people to listen when you speakPresence comes from purpose, clarity, and authenticity: say nothing without intending to deliver it.→Your definition of success can change your lifeBorrowed definitions of success make us miserable — mine had to be anchored in a why.→Work hard, play hard – how to find the right balanceI burned out running on caffeine and three hours of sleep — rest is what makes hard work sustainable.→A transformational leadership experienceAn inclusive environment is what turns a diverse group's potential into actual learning.→How to make work most enjoyableA sense of accomplishment, not salary, is what makes demanding weeks feel joyful.→How to work at an elite levelDistraction-free deep work is the increasingly rare skill that lets you master hard things fast.→How to properly design habitsPick a reliable trigger and a consistent reward, and the behavior stops needing willpower.→A life without regrets – how to find out what you want from lifeClarity fuels ambition — picture your ideal normal day ten years out and work backwards.→How to stay calm in stressful situationsWhen panic hits, I ask whether stressing helps, write down the answer, and act on it.→Why I am happy working long hoursMy weeks look like work-work balance — purpose makes those hours the most meaningful ones I have.→Reliability matters — how to become more reliableI missed a meeting I cared about — reliability is respect for other people's time.→Learning something new – what an incredible journey so farWork turns us into experts who stop learning — people, podcasts, and practice restart the curiosity.→What makes for a dream job?Forget following your passion — six evidence-based factors predict job satisfaction far better.→Without this mindset you won’t climb the career ladderPromotions follow proof — end-to-end ownership means acting like the company owner before anyone asks you to.→Using the pyramid principle can incredibly improve your communicationLead with the core message, then two or three arguments, then evidence — and know when not to.→This simple trick significantly increased my productivityNoise-canceling headphones cut distractions better than anything else I tried — deep focus only lasts four hours anyway.→I learned the hard way what it means to not have the trust of othersTrust splits into practical and emotional — met expectations, empathy, sound logic, and authenticity build both.→A quality all millionaires have in commonDecisiveness is a learnable skill, and not deciding is usually the worst decision of all.→A skill everyone has to learnLife is a series of negotiations, and I practice every time I get the chance.→Today a new chapter has begunMoving in with my girlfriend taught me to ask instead of assume — and to prefer solutions over being right.→This technique increases my learnings by 10xA layered reflection routine turns my consulting work into compounding lessons I can actually build on.→This realization can change your life – finite vs infinite gamesCareers and health have no finish line — treating them as winnable games makes us unhappy.→Why brilliant teachers teach the worstThe curse of knowledge makes experts forget the struggle of learning — a novelty index preserves it.→New Year’s resolutions – how you can achieve all of themResolutions stick when they are concrete, backed by next actions, and framed as process goals.→
2021
Make better decisions by thinking in probabilitiesPerfect decisions exist only in hindsight — estimate the odds, weigh expected outcomes, then commit.→Vaccination – why making this decision is so clear to meMy values made a polarizing choice simple: risk appetite, trust in technology, and long-term thinking.→Be persistent and convince anybodyRejection is rarely about you — ask why, address the real reason, and try again.→Self-belief — and how to strengthen itI used to doubt everything — small goals and little wins built the conviction that carries me.→How to stop overstressing and perform betterWorking harder when stressed backfires — rest, health, and reframing keep pressure productive.→Master the skill of prioritizationTime, energy, and attention are scarce — value comes from choosing and communicating what matters most.→I asked for feedback and it changed my lifeRegularly asking, listening without defending, and acting on the answer is the fastest way I know to grow.→How to best deal with highs and lows in lifeHappiness always drifts back to baseline — savoring stretches the highs and softens the inevitable lows.→Find your strengths and focus on themWe’re raised on weakness-based feedback — differentiation comes from building what we’re already good at.→How to find the ideal place to workCulture beats pay — define what you need, then ask insiders before committing to an employer.→How to wake up fully motivatedWhat made me love Mondays: knowing what tomorrow holds, a routine I enjoy, and a strong why.→How to better manage expectationsNever assume, over-communicate, and under-promise — most disappointment starts with expectations nobody spoke out loud.→How to become more persistent and achieve your goalsPerformance is talent multiplied by persistence — an obsessive goal, an adaptable plan, and unshakable faith.→10 signs of personal growth – how to avoid getting stuckGrowth isn't inherently good; I'd rather choose my problems than let life pick them for me.→How to deal with unfortunate incidents (bad luck)When my bike got wrecked, asking how a role model would cope beat getting angry.→The limits of self-improvementI aspire to never be satisfied, but time and energy are finite — the why behind improvement matters.→Make better decisions – the negligence of alternativesAlternative blindness makes us weigh one option against the status quo and miss everything in between.→A habit that changed my lifeWhenever I feel afraid of something, I force myself to do it as fast as possible.→Ownership – a key skill to developConsulting taught me that ownership means being trusted to deliver — no blaming, no waiting, no overpromising.→How to give your best to your lifeDoing my utmost means being fully present in each moment — judged by effort, not results.→My learnings from optimizing caffeine intake for 1 yearTwo cups before lunch and one caffeine-free day a week keep the drug working for me.→Why mindset mattersI once believed success needed talent and luck — adopting a growth mindset taught me otherwise.→Feeling too dumb to speak up? How to deal with it and change your perspectiveThe sense of being the dumbest in the room is a comparison error — your perspective still counts.→3 tips for immense personal growthThe sweet spot for growth lies in just-manageable tasks, honest feedback, and regular reflection.→What I love about my jobSix months into consulting, the people matter most — and purpose and health decide whether a job is right.→3 tips to withstand high pressureA brain dump, honest priorities, and self-care turn crushing pressure into something workable.→How to become more consistentWe overestimate what a few weeks can do and underestimate what ten years of persistence delivers.→How to actually solve your problems by thinking outside the boxCreativity starts by making the box visible — name your implicit assumptions before pushing past them.→Greatly increase your productivity – harness the 80/20 ruleFind the two activities that truly drive your results, then eliminate, automate, or pause the rest.→How to better deal with stress and grow fasterStress mainly harms those who believe it does — embrace acute strain and recover deliberately.→How to boost your learning curve: From challenges to learning opportunitiesDiscomfort often signals a safe chance to grow — spot it, weigh the long-term benefit, act fast.→Stop having expectations of other peopleNobody is in this world to live up to your standards — state your wishes instead of assuming.→Live a better life – fall in love with solving problemsThere is no problem-free life — happiness means trading bad problems for ones worth solving.→Gratefulness – a secret weapon to a happy lifePracticing gratitude is my counter to hedonic adaptation — the mind's habit of dulling every win.→Easier and better decisions – how to deal with riskWhy loss aversion paralyzes us, and how quantifying outcomes helped me decide on eye surgery.→Mindset matters: How to start something newLearning to inline skate reminded me: at first the easy things are hard, so set process goals.→8 signs of true self-confidenceConfidence built on external validation is fragile; the real kind lets you admit your weaknesses.→How to harness positive emotions to live a better lifeFear of rejection starves us of joy — honesty, appreciation, and a smile bring it back.→How a simple rule can boost your productivityIf a task takes two minutes or less, do it immediately — but only within your priorities.→How to make better decisionsClear personal principles freed me from decision paralysis — I judge every choice by long-term happiness.→How a lack of positive thinking hurts my well-beingA month of low energy traced back to one cause — I had stopped choosing optimism.→Do more and do better – the importance of breaks and restControlled, scheduled pauses are a performance tool, not laziness — how I sustained 80-hour study weeks.→Focus on things you can control, ignore the restAn unfair teacher taught me to own my reactions instead of blaming what I couldn't change.→How to make stress your secret weaponStress I load on myself makes me sharper — health, rest, and purpose keep it from turning chronic.→Always determine the next stepIdeas die without an owner — every meeting should end with a next action assigned.→Why and how I always take notesListening alone stores almost nothing — a notebook in every meeting forces the engagement that makes knowledge stick.→Say yes to great opportunities (how & why)When in doubt I say yes — my 80-year-old self regrets missed chances more than failures.→How to determine what really matters to youThe pandemic taught me that cutting something out is the surest way to learn its value.→
2020
How to convince people – never hesitate to admit a mistakeOwning your errors fast builds trust — sometimes an apology wins even when you were right.→Set process goals – make your ambitions a realityOutcome goals depend on factors you can't control — goals built on daily actions guarantee progress.→Transform your life – make more conscious decisionsMost choices happen on autopilot — long-term thinking and clear values turn daily seeds into a better future.→Become a top performer – fall in love with the processTop performers show up through the boredom because they love the daily practice, not the outcome.→Become outstanding – learn to work when work isn’t easyWhat separates high achievers is the ability to keep working when motivation is at rock bottom.→You must learn to say noA reluctant yes costs more than an honest no — boundaries make room for what matters.→Never give unsolicited advice & what to do insteadPeople want to be heard, not fixed — ask what would help before offering solutions.→How to really boost your happinessBuy experiences over stuff, choose time over money, and be kind daily — the levers the evidence supports.→Want to really support your loved ones? Just do itOffered help almost never gets accepted — real support means doing the favor without waiting to be asked.→How a definition can change your lifeSociety's metrics of success are poison — I measure mine by the impact my actions have.→Utilize the power of communityPeople genuinely love helping — asking for support and giving without keeping score multiplies what you can achieve.→Grow personally by measuring your lifeWhat you track, you improve — a rough proxy and three metrics create the awareness that matters.→Why you are less happy than you could beWe miswant — shifting reference points and constant comparison mean achievements barely move our happiness.→How reading has changed my lifeBooks alone change nothing — I write three to-dos after every one to put it into practice.→Harness clarity — achieve your goals and become more productiveVague to-dos make the brain say no — break every task into small, concrete pieces.→How to set priorities & get more out of your timeNobody lacks time — we just avoid admitting that some things don't matter enough to us.→Give without expecting something in returnNo expectations means no disappointment — I give kindness freely but guard my time and money.→Why integrity is crucial — and how to build itHow you do anything is how you do everything — consistent standards buy trust and peace of mind.→For every setback there is a comebackSeven consulting rejections led me to SAP — failure is only final if you stay down.→Interdependence in Relationships – a Success FactorThe strongest couples are two self-sufficient people who choose each other, not two halves filling holes.→Self-control — and how to improve itSelf-control predicts life success as strongly as intelligence — and habits make discipline nearly effortless.→Stop needing to be rightWinning an argument usually just means the other person stopped debating — conceding feels better.→The happiness equation – keep joy, fun, and pleasure in balancePleasure can be bought but joy has to be earned — a happy life needs deliberate doses of both.→Reduce distractions, increase productivityThe phone in another room, single-tasking, and taming interruptions buy back hours of focus.→Create the life you dream of – harness a five-year planYou can't plan happiness, but a five-year plan shrinks what makes you unhappy.→Uncertainty – how to deal with itUncertainty is a feeling, not a fact — worst-case thinking and borrowed experience turn it into energy.→Envy – how to deal with itExamine the desire, ask if you would pay the price, then go get it or accept it.→The importance of listening wellMaking others feel heard decides relationships and careers, yet it is the least trained communication skill.→The Surprising Benefits of JournalingTwo minutes of writing each night turned into ideas, perspective, and most of my achievements.→Focus on quality instead of quantityNothing in large amounts makes you happy — except at the start, when volume beats polish.→Why showing vulnerability is a real strengthDropping the armor and risking rejection is what creates depth in every relationship.→Influencing others – how to better persuade and convince peopleHead, heart, or hands — pick the tactic that fits the person, prepare well, and persist.→Forget about perfection! Focus on progression and compound improvementsOne percent better a day, compounded, is 3800 percent a year — consistency beats chasing ideals.→Empathy — its importance and powerListening without judging or fixing is a skill anyone can build — and every relationship needs.→Failure – how to deal with it?I failed my GMAT after four months of prep — how I turned it into a lesson.→Consistency – why is it essential for success?Success is small efforts repeated daily — we overestimate weeks and underestimate a decade.→Why I always write down ideas immediately & how it’s changed my lifeThe brain generates ideas but can't store them — capturing every thought and reviewing them built my projects.→Why to always have a smile on your faceEven a forced grin lifts my mood, feeds gratitude, and opens conversations with strangers.→How to add more variety to life?Novelty in two of three categories — places, people, activities — keeps a routine-driven life vibrant.→How to have more meaningful conversationsGenuine curiosity, asking why, and sharing small vulnerabilities turn small talk into real connection.→How to deal with the chaosThree principles for a pandemic: stay calm, protect the weakest, and respect the rules.→How to stay productive in chaotic times (COVID-19 Crisis)Box your worries into fixed daily slots, keep a routine, and turn isolation into an opportunity.→Why reflection is so importantExperience alone teaches little — my reflection routines turn it into happiness, ideas, and faster learning.→Why great things take timeOvernight success hides thousands of hours — the real question is whether you'll pay the price.→Never regret anything – how to guide your decisionsSkipping Bethlehem taught me to test choices against the regret I’d feel in 80 years.→How to deal with a lack of motivationWhen GMAT drills wore me down, going back to my why restored the drive.→Long-term patience – key for your successGreat things come from small daily efforts — sprint in the moment, stay calm for years.→Why relationships are so importantI ditched a packed to-do list for a friend's weekend — success means nothing without people to share it.→How to deal better with criticismSeven steps from defensive reflex to useful conversation — breathe, find agreement, and never justify yourself.→Cuba – what I should have knownCuba rewards low expectations and hard preparation — I arrived with neither.→Late? A plan does not work out? Why I won’t stress myself any morePlanning is freedom, but when things collapse, accepting the situation beats losing my mind over it.→
2019
Semester abroad – what to know before you goLanguage gains, local friendships, and great trips abroad all demand deliberate effort — I learned that the hard way.→1 year of cold showers – not what I was expectingThe promised health benefits never showed up — the discipline and gratitude did.→Health is the most important need for us human beingsInvesting in your body works like a pension — small daily habits pay off decades later.→3 reasons why openness pays offCuriosity has brought me friendships, knowledge, and opportunities I would otherwise have walked past.→How to improve your sleep – 6 tipsA fixed schedule, a cool quiet room, and no caffeine after 3 pm do most of the work.→How to get the most out of your dayThree habits: wake to an alarm every day, plan three vital tasks, schedule each morning.→How to become more optimisticOptimism can be trained — watch your inner dialogue and stop downplaying your wins.→3 reasons why I love being an optimistBelieving you can master a challenge quietly raises the odds that you will.→How you say something matters a lotI hurt a friend not with what I said but with the tone I said it in.→How quitting video games changed my life for the betterNearly crying over lost games made me decide everything I do regularly must carry a purpose.→Why I always wake up at 7 amA fixed wake-up time only works with something worth waking for — naps cover the short nights.→Why video calls are awesomeOne spontaneous call from a friend showed me how much more personal video feels than audio.→Why purpose is extremely importantThere is no universal meaning of life — choosing my own mission is what gives me energy.→Accomplish the most annoying task of the day firstThe dreaded chore only grows while it waits; doing it first thing frees the whole day.→Create not-to-do lists to change habitsWhat you stop doing determines what you can do — banning habits works better than listing them.→Do it with all your heartA half-hearted hello taught me to greet, thank, and say goodbye like I mean it.→Do not be afraid to make mistakes!How a failed deadline at my consulting job became a win, and why honest feedback matters.→Do not work away like mad — the power of schedulesA strict exam plan with built-in breaks and buffers gave me more calm, not less freedom.→Don’t give up until you’ve even triedHow talking my way out of a non-refundable booking taught me to act before conceding defeat.→Don’t hesitate when you are afraid to do somethingActing before my mind can invent worst-case scenarios is how I leave the comfort zone.→Don’t try to impress but express yourself the best you can“Just be yourself” is useless advice — showing people who you genuinely are takes deliberate effort.→Hold yourself accountable for everything happening to youYou can't control what happens, but owning your response moves you from victim to driver's seat.→How to identify your strengths — and why you need to capitalize on themWhen the work fits you, the clock runs fast — three questions to find that job.→Just do itStart within 72 hours or the odds of ever starting collapse — there is no perfect moment.→Manage your energy levels not your timeTime is fixed, but energy from body, emotion, mind, and spirit can be grown.→Never satisfied, always gratefulDissatisfaction fuels my improvement while gratitude keeps me happy — the two are not opposites.→Success does not come overnightConsistency beats talent and luck — small daily decisions compound into what later looks like sudden success.→The power of marginal gainsOne-percent improvements compound — they took me from worst in class to best in school.→How to get startedAccepting that my first tries will be bad is what lets me begin at all.→Start now and get perfect laterFeeling unready is the excuse I kept making — the perfect moment to begin never arrives.→